It's long been a fact that some of the best satire on TV doesn't even involve human interaction. Of course I'm talking about The Simpsons and South Park.
Not only do these long-running cartoons provide a visual entertainment that can't be done with people, and not only are they funny, but they are brilliantly written in a way that makes fun of society's ills.
I prefer The Simpsons and its lesser shock-value way of doing things, but today I'm focusing on South Park in light of the recent threats to its producers for their depictions of the prophet Muhammad. In short, for the second time in recent years, South Park has been edited to pander to Muslim extremists who think their prophet cannot be viewed, much less parodied. (To read more about this, simply type the words 'South Park Muhammad' into any search engine.)
Anyone who watches South Park knows that for years they've made fun of any and all things, including religions and religious leaders. There is no favoritism, they draw everyone, and all are potential targets. The only difference is, Muslim extremists apparently think depicting Muhammad in a cartoon today is a death sentence for those who dare do it.
It's worth noting that while the majority of Muslims might be insulted by South Park, they’re not calling for death to the show's creators. But it's also worth noting that this is a country that looks down on censorship. It’s not a crime to parody religion in America, but it is a crime to allow freedom of speech to be impacted by extremists who threaten death in the name of religion or politics.
Here's an idea for those extremists: Stop watching South Park. How do you get TV reception in that cave, anyway?
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