Hang Long
Parenting gone South
It would never cross the mind of any modern-day academician that the
four most influential philosophers of our time would be named Stan, Kyle,
Kenny and Cartman. It would also be foolish to assume that these four great
minds were from a European town with a strong historic background, as is
the case with most classical thinkers. One would err in grand pomp and
circumstance, indeed, for this quartet creeps out from the small and frigid
American town of South Park.
More rapidly than a
speeding locomotive, this quartet of philosophers has grasped the attention
and cult-like following of the future leaders of our nation -- and at the
ripe and tender age of 8. It must baffle social and political psychologists
as to why and how these four little foul-mouthed third-graders can capture
the minds of seemingly bright young adults -- your future historians, chief
executive officers, gene therapists and chemical engineers.In what is perhaps the most
stupid and pointless show since Pauly Shore had a series, these little
rascals have been quite successful in capturing the hearts of Gen-X.
Undoubtedly, there are extreme critics of the series, blasting away at the
lack of positive moral standards presented in the show. Let it be known,
however, that this show indeed has messages of moral character. You just
have to look for them. For those too young to
carefully analyze the program, however, it isn't so easy. As a result -- as
has been the case in the not-so-distant past -- parents across the country
are naively blaming TV for misguiding their kids.It has become very evident,
at least to this writer, that some parents have openly relinquished their
parental duty to watch out for the welfare and upbringing of their
children. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a single
parent or set of parents to care for them, filtering out all the negative
values in order to mold a unique individual.This brings up the true
issue at hand: Why must people judge the content found on television sets,
movie screens and compact discs by varying sets of moral standards? What
may be one family's values may very well be offensive to the next. A
majority of the critics who choose to be our nation's moral watchdogs are
quite wrong in thinking that the government is largely, if not solely,
responsible for regulating the content made available through various
channels of media. True as it may be that some
guardians work so much as to not have time to adequately supervise and
screen a child's forms of dead-entertainment, the parent cannot always
count on Uncle Sam to step in and act as a surrogate.Each and every episode of
the South Park philosophers' preachings is subtlely filled with
morals. They are tough to spot, though, and children might have a difficult
time distinguishing between entertainment and education -- or, more
appropriately, combining the two. In the pilot episode, the kids of South
Park attempted to settle the age-old moral predicament of who would whoop
who in a contest between Jesus and Santa Claus. Personally, I have always
put my money on the big fat dude in the red suit, but thanks to Cartman and
Company, I can now rest at ease knowing that fighting is not the answer to
all quarrels. When in doubt, one can be sure that figure skater Brian
Boitano will settle all differences.South Park has yet
to see the inevitable protests and boycotts enumerated to it by an
unwritten "hellraiser" doctrine, as The Simpsons and Beavis and
Butt-head were privy to. But are such revolts really the answer to a
larger problem -- the need to return to responsible and self-dependent
parenting instead of counting on governmental intervention?Fortunately, a good
majority of the targeted viewing audience and followers of these four great
philosophers have enough brain matter and reason to do their own
filtration. Simply because Cartman was anal-probed by aliens from another
planet, causing his flatulence to combust upon release, does not mean that
it will happen in the real world. Small children, though, may not think so
rationally.At best, South Park
and its inhabitants can provide for a healthy alternative to studying on
Wednesday nights at 10 -- long after children too young to watch have been
put to bed by their responsible parents.Hang Long is a junior majoring in chemistry and political science.