Television’s not brain surgery. Maybe some would argue, but I say it’s art. I grew up watching TV and being affected by it. I’ve often been in situations and thought back to a show that affected my decision. Writing’s not fighting in a war, but every generation certainly has its brave artists, ones who are put on blacklists, who are exiled from their countries, whose books are burned. Those artists raise the bar if not the conscience, and they push the limits thereby getting people to think. For instance, the 1970’s had “All In The Family” and my generation has “South Park.”
There are certainly better shows that display meaningful characters and relationships. I would site “Cheers,” “Frasier” and “Scrubs,” for example. But “South Park” is so important for a different reason. It aims to ensure we’re not censored beyond repair, to ensure we can and still do talk about issues that affect our world. Racism still exists. Religious persecution. Intolerance of all kinds. Just the idea that we can’t talk about something in public makes me afraid and sick.
If comedy’s pain & time, then we laugh because we know that pain. We can’t ignore the pain and expect it to just go away, just like we can’t ignore “taboo” issues and think they’ll work themselves out. I hope there’s never a time when I have to lie about something simply because I’m not allowed to talk about it.
