Reason in Amsterdam featuring Trey Parker & Matt Stone, Aug. 23-26

While Reason played a key role in the demolition of Rob Reiner's universal preschool initiative in California, Reiner's credibility and image have been taking hits for years. One of the most effective slams on Reiner came from the South Park episode "Butt Out!" (Season 7).

In the episode, the rotund safety advocate arrived in town after Kyle, Stan and the other boys get caught smoking and blame it on the influence of the tobacco companies. Reiner wants to use the boys to ban all smoking in Colorado, and he's willing to lie, cheat and murder to make it happen. After Reiner leads a mob of villagers to storm the cigarette factory, Kyle and Stan finally confront him.

Rob Reiner: Oh, Goddammit, do I have to explain this again?! Smoking is bad, people! So if we have to be a little extreme to stop it, it's okay!

Kyle: No it isn't, you fat turd! Because, I've learned something today… You just hate smoking, so you use all your money and power to force others to think like you. And that's called fascism, you tubby asshole!

Rob Reiner: GOD DAMN IT! THERE'LL BE NO MORE SMOKING!

Stan: It wasn't the tobacco companies' fault that we smoked. It was our fault, us! We should all take personal responsibility instead of letting fat fascists like him tell us what to do!

If you join Reason in Amsterdam at the end of August, you can meet Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creator of this and the rest of South Park's 100+ episodes. Also in attendence: Andrew Sullivan, Reason Senior Editor and Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use author Jacob Sullum, Andrei Illarionov (former economic advisor to Vladimir Putin), Mart Laar (former prime minister of Estonia), and Reason Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie.

More details are right here.

Comments

[Iron Lungfish]

Yeeeaaaaah... well, I'm all for the freedom to smoke pretty much anywhere providing the property owner allows it, but that was actually a pretty weak episode. Like many of their episodes in recent years, it wasn't so much about satirizing the issue as it was a venue for jokes about the has-been, easy-target celebrity connected to that issue, interspersed with unsubtle rants.

I seem to remember, at some point in the distant past, South Park episodes that were actually clever instead of merely preachy. Was I imagining this?

[the other Mark]

Eat the cupcake, IL. It has...sprinkles.

[Zach]

I vehemiently disagree with you, that was an awesome episode that hit the nail right on the head, nobody could have satirized facist anti smoking groups better. And the recent episodes are still good, not as good as the classics but still funny.

[the other Mark]

not as good as the classics

Bullshit. "Tsst", the most recent episode, is the second-best SP ever. It's just a hair behind "AWESOME-O".

[Sam McManus]

God bless Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They're among the very few people who can combine astute political commentary with actually funny humor.

[Charlie]

South Park changed my life.

Great quotes:

Cartman: I've been keeping this place free of hippies since I was five and a half.

***

Cop: I'm never going to frame another innocent man again! Unless I know he's black.

***

Satan: Saddaam! You're back. I thought I killed you!
Saddaam: Yeah, well where was I gonna go, Detroit?

***

Cartman: Attention shoppers! Outside today, we have a cripple fight. Cripple fight, outside!

[Benito]

South Park is unfair to fascists, who are anything but risk averse. A favorite Italian fascist song is "Me ne frego," which roughly translated, means "I don't give a fuck." The anti-smoking movement represents not a manly fascism, but a feminization of culture, especially American culture. Reiner isn't a fascist; he's a girly boy.

[agentalbert]

Southpark is just as good as it ever was. That recent "Tsst" episode was fantastic. The one where Cartman uses Slayer to break up a hippie jam band festival was great too.

[Shawn Smith]

I liked the real reason the boys started smoking--because Butt-out was a highly uncool singing/dancing group that told the elementary school that if they didn't smoke, the kids could be Just. Like. Them.

Quite entertaining.

[MainstreamMan]

IronLungfish

Yes you remember correctly... but that day is long gone. SP has gone the way of Aerosmith ... too many people remember when they were cool, but don't see the lame twattle they've become.

Damned yes men. Damn them to hell...

[Jonsey]

I can't stand these two, even though I probably agree with them on alot, except abortion rights and thats a big disagreement. They always bash leftists though and very rarely anyone on the right. There are people on the right that are just as nutty as the far-left. That makes them more conservative than libertarian in my mind.

I dont care for the show much either. Its preachy, especially at the end when one of the chracters gives a big speech to tell the audience how to think, and also because I think alot of the comedy is based on just hearing little kids swear.

[impeckish]

Just as Ayn Rand had her insights but probably damaged libertianism more than provided benefit, South Park goes along way to confirm in a lot of other peoples' minds that libertarians are mostly a bunch of clever, but rude and crude arrested adolescents. It's a funny show with some great satire and insights but leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I'd prefer my satire served up with more subtlety, without a constant spray of profanity, and with fewer moments of tossing out shots or easy slams or jokes in poor taste. I also think they attack the Left much more than the Right, and Lord knows in this day and age there's plenty of room to send up the right. The only exception seems to be SP's attacks on Christianity (which I sometimes find in poor taste).

[impeckish]

'shots' should read, 'cheap shots.'
For animated shows I much prefer the King of the Hill or the Simpsons. The King of the Hill episode where Bobby is chosen as an incarnated Tibetan Lama is a classic. Bobby and his girlfriend are sitting quietly, without talking, on the swing. She starts to say something to him but he stops her: "Shhh, I'm teaching."