The Most Profane Episode of South Park: An Unexpected Acceptance Story
With a reputation for cutting edge humor and scathing satire, South Park has a long history of stirring up controversy. The show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have faced criticism from moral guardians from its inception in 1997 due to their use of extreme violence, profanity, and irreverent comedy. Although some episodes, such as the transphobic "Board Girls" (Season 23, Episode 7), have garnered controversy, a significant number of South Park's most frightening scenes were completely comic in nature.
"It Hits The Fan" from South Park's Season 5 premiere is the profanity that didn't shock anyone.
"It Hits The Fan," the first episode of season 5, was one such show that tried to go beyond the bounds of television censorship. There was one swear word spoken an amazing 162 times, or about once every eight seconds. Although the program contained a record-breaking amount of profanity, it was unexpected that neither standards nor practices nor viewers responded negatively. Unaccustomed to being investigated for even small transgressions, Stone and Parker were perplexed by the absence of controversy around "It Hits The Fan."
Shifting Conventions and the Growth of Sexy TV
The relative lack of controversy around the episode could have been a reflection of how television was changing in the early 2000s. The tight guidelines governing American television censorship started to erode in the 1990s and were more pronounced in the early 2000s. Although South Park persisted in pushing the envelope, it was no longer the only program embracing dark humor. The advent of programs like Family Guy, which have their own unique style of wild humor, contributed to the acceptance of a less serious attitude to television programming.
How Ironic Is "It Hits The Fan"
The episode "It Hits The Fan" itself was a spoof of overreactions to profanity on television, therefore it was especially hilarious that there wasn't much controversy around it. In the episode, after hearing a certain swear word on TV, South Park residents develop an inexplicable addiction to it, which causes a comical string of blunders and societal unrest.
A Bias Standard Exposed
The episode "It Hits The Fan" succeeded in drawing attention to a double standard in television censorship even though it did not cause much outcry. Although episodes like "NYPD Blue" were commended for their realistic portrayal of violence and profanity, South Park was frequently censured for its graphic content, implying that serious drama was intrinsically more creative than humor. The satirical title of the episode, "Cop Drama," which alludesd to the actual television program "NYPD Blue," brought attention to this hypocrisy.
Impact of South Park Aftermath
The episode's distinct fusion of social criticism, profanity, and satire captures the essence of South Park's long history. "It Hits The Fan" is nonetheless a notable and contentious episode that shows South Park's willingness to question conventions and the nature of censorship in the television industry, even though it may not have caused the outcry that its producers had hoped for.
