Positive Messages from an Episode of South Park? Really? Yup… (The Worldwide Privacy Tour S26 E2)

Hello Readers,

Earlier today, I posted my second interview for 2023 featuring author Liz Gauffreau – HERE. I hope you can check it out. 

Later in the day, we had a delightful time when my yoga-teacher friend, and her boyfriend, joined us for dinner. There were vegan options, chicken wings, and red steak sliced to perfection with Celtic salt drizzled on top. 

While chatting, we somehow ended up watching YouTube clips. Oh the fun of diving into YouTube and seeing where it takes ya. We jammed to the “What’s Up” song from 4 Non Blondes. My friend and I sang that song, Karaoke style, at her 40th birthday party and so it was a bit of memory lane. We actually started our YouTube adventure with old SNL skits about Prince and that led to the Chapelle show 

Then we watched “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, etc. Check it out: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y

 

FIRST SOUTH PARK EPISODE

As the night settled down, folks left and the clean up was done. Someone sent us a link to a news article about how Harry and Meghan might be suing the South Park comic show over their recent episode called The Worldwide Privacy Tour.

That led to me watching my first EVER episode of South Park. 

I NEVER thought I would watch an episode of South Park. I remember when South Park first came out in 1997. There was a lot of hype and because we lived in Colorado at the time, we knew some folks who went to Heritage High in Littleton, Colorado – which is the same High School that Matt Stone went to (Stone is a co-creator of the show).  

Anyhow, until today, I assumed the show was only JUNK. The few times that I had seen it on somewhere (like at Dr. Dyke’s house when his adopted son had it playing) there was so much swearing it seemed only crass (foul language, dark humor, hollow topics, etc.)

I did eventually hear that South Park had clever writing with social connections, similar to The Simpsons. I also heard that both shows sometimes seemed to predict future events – but I just thought that South Park was hollow and paltry (and I have never really been a Simpson’s fan either). 

After the news story came our way – and after hearing comments about how the episode was  “so well done” – we watched The Worldwide Privacy Tour episode (S26E2) and I was surprised with the healthy messages embedded in the show. Yes, you heard that right. Healthy messages from South Park. 

The episode highlighted how an over focus on “branding” oneself can lead to losing oneself. 

South Park S26 Episode 2 can be watched for free HERE on Comedy Central (warning, some inappropriate content, not for children). 

The Worldwide Privacy Tour episode has a royal couple, not directly identified as Harry and Meghan, but obviously depicts them. In this episode, the writers capture the way the royal couple claims to want privacy yet constantly go out of their way to get into the spotlight. The scenes alternate from the royal couple with snippets of Kyle, one of the main swearing characters. Kyle is told by another student, Butters, also foul-mouthed, that he should work on his “brand” and this plays out with layers of humor and subtle messages about social games, narcissistic tendencies, and presenting a controlled image:

“Don’t you want people to like you for you, instead of who they want you to be?” 

Near the end of the episode, the prince parts ways with Meghan (is it more future predicting? we shall see..)

          There was also a sweet little scene at the very end. Kyle was trying to get on the computer during the episode, but the character Ike was on it and he was crying about the Queen being dead. I think the exchanges between Ike and Kyle had many messages. One of them related to thinking of others more.  Kyle kept saying he had to get on the computer because his friends needed him to but in reality his friends told him they could still easily play without him. 

          The writers hint at perceptions of importance, selfishness, lack of empathy, FOMO, and cognitive distortions that can come when someone feels so much pressure to get online because they “think” they are needed (or want to be) more than they really are.  In the final exchange with Ike, Kyle stops criticizing Ike for crying and Kyle stops trying to have Ike get off the computer. Kyle says it is all right, “Things get to you, it’s who you are.” This showed empathy and was a nice way to end an episode that highlighted a couple who was so caught up in image and self promotion. 

The episode should have included the royal couple constantly using smart phones to record themselves – I was surprised they left that out because that was another key part of the “wonkiness” with their “lack of privacy” claims. The couple started filming their lives early on – knowing they were going to thrust their story into the spotlight. “Waaaagh.” 

The episode lets the viewer ponder how much we think of others vs. how lost we can get with too much focus on self – or make that too much focus on the fake self that comes with branding and marketing. The writers leave us thinking about image and externals versus what we have on the inside. 

I felt like I needed to say a prayer for the real-life defunct royal couple that this episode was based on. Things are a mess for them right now and I am not sure if they are blame gaming all of this away, but as the show pointed out, there are real people behind the brand and image and I hope they find peace and wellness. I hope they start to get better advice. And rather than suing the writers of South Park, they should stop and take some notes from The Worldwide Privacy Tour episode because rhey just might learn a thing or two.  (I am leaving the rhey typo just for bb.)

South Park S26E2 – HERE

 

• Thanks for your visit today. Have you ever watched South Park?  If so, any thoughts to share?

• Reminder, the third annual #Dickenschallenge (here) invites you to join us and read a Dickens novella between Feb 7th and June 9th (hosts are Trent, Marsha, and Yvette). 

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