John “On The Spot”: This article from Fullerton College pissed me off…my response

I don’t remember how I found this article(I think it was on Twitter) and it was an article written by this girl named Nicole Derakitswaytoolongtowrite who goes to school @ Fullerton College, a 2-year school based in Orange County, CA . Obviously, this is an issue I’ve written about time and time again, but I didn’t realize some jokes offend college students who are typically the demographic for all of our favorite animated shows. After the jump, I run a train all over this article.

Here we go!

Although it is not my usual forte, I, as many other young adults in the United States, have willingly exposed myself to the mind-numbing, ‘adult’ cartoons on today. The ones I am referring to in particular are The Simpsons, South Park, and anything found on Adult Swim – American Dad, Robot Chicken, Family Guy, etc.

If it’s not your forte, why are you watching any of these shows? Also, yes American Dad and Family Guy are on Adult Swim but they also come on after the Simpsons, fyi.

These shows are responsible for billions of laughs to people all across the country, but the issues people are laughing at are serious. Domestic violence, gay rights, animal cruelty, drug abuse, prejudice and many other real life struggles are satirically made fun of throughout the course of the episodes. Is comedy worth demeaning such serious problems? 

Yes, these are all serious issues,  but if you watch these shows all the way through typically at the end of the story there are morals. Seth MacFarlane and the South Park guys are merely showing the world what these issues are when usually they are forgotten about by many of the more mainstream news networks like Fox Business. As a matter of fact, watch this interview with Shane Smith of Vice Magazine and Joe Rogan as they talks about the real issues that are far beyond what the mind can imagine.

My answer is no; today’s cartoons are going too far. Laughing about issues that have devastated the lives of so many people is notsomething that can be comical towards someone who has gone through that particular problem, or anyone close to them.

Definition of satire(Wiktionary): “ In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement.”

Shakespeare did the same thing, sweetheart.

There are things that can be laughed at that are not such serious issues we are facing in America. For example, South Park mocks the computer game World of Warcraft and those who play it.

You don’t think World of Warcraft is a serious issue?  Read this! Now, I love my games just as much as the next guy, but I think FPS and MMORPGs are kind of lame, so I guess I was able to avoid the games that people get addicted to, but having said that its a SERIOUS issue and South Park acknowledges it beautifully.

Issues like that can be light-hearted and extremely funny.

Glad you think so, I was beginning to worry.

A few episodes later, that very same show makes fun of those with testicular cancer – an issue that is in no way, shape, or form a thing to laugh at. 

So, the World of Warcraft episode of South Park came aired October 4, 2006 aired March 31, 2010. That’s  almost four years later so that’s more than a few. Also, this episode had more to do with Cartman’s obsession with KFC and Randy’s obsession with getting medicinal marijuana(which I believe is an issue up for debate in California, is it not?  VOTE FOR PROP 19!!!!).

When asking fifty FC students across the campus, they all had mixed feelings on the issue.

I’d love to meet these 50 people.

Michelle Derak, a student majoring in Paralegal Studies, stated, “I could care less what is playing on Adult Swim because I would never watch such mindless television.” 

How do you know Adult Swim is mindless TV  when you say you will never watch it? Looking forward to when you are a secretary for a lawyer who is probably hanging with me taking bong hits watching Venture Bros. while your stuck at the office doing shit paperwork for $9/hr.

For those of us who cannot help but flip through the channels and land on one of these shows, student Jarrod Alagao shared his opinion, “You can’t take life so seriously. These shows do it for the ratings, and people like to laugh about serious things because it takes a lot of the reality out of it.” 

Well, yea “Controversy Creates Cash”. But, I actually like this Jarrod kid, he seems to kinda get it.

 Even though Jarrod makes an excellent point,(Glad you think so)

student Ramon Alvarez hits the issue dead on, “There are plenty of things to make fun of in the world. Stay away from the serious issues and focus your attention on the ones that aren’t at the expense of others going through real life problems.”

He hits YOUR issue dead on. Chances are this guy was just telling you what you want to hear so he can…ya know.

Look, Nicole, from the looks of it you have your hands full so, I won’t go too hard on ya(ziiiing!) but give us guys a break. The number one reason these shows are on the air is so that we can watch them while your in the other room writing silly articles like this, and as a result, don’t have to listen to your honky horse shit for more than 20 minutes at a time. And there’s more of us out there than you think…you should check the ratings.