South Park Season 12

Season 11 of South Park has just finished on NZ TV, and with perfect timing Season 12 has started in the US.

In s12e01, Cartman gets HIV from donor blood during a tonsillitis operation. It’s actually got a bit of a serious theme – about how AIDs has declined in profile and fundraising despite the fact it is still killing so many people.  Basically it is a call to donate more money for research. The sick humour is there also though – Cartman injects Kyle with his blood so Kyle is motivated to help look for a cure.

In s12e02 it is far funnier, but still with a serious theme. They interrupt an Obama/Clinton debate with the latest Britney Watch bulletin showing her taking a leak in a forest.  It eviscerates the way the media have covered her breakdown as a commodity. Britney then blows off most of her head with a shotgun. The media just treat this as a new fashion look and keep up the coverage. Finally it ends with a pack of photographers hunting her down with satanic ritual overtones. She dies.

This is one of the reasons I like South Park.  Not just the gross humour, but that it can use humour so effectively to make an important point.