Twitter Debates Canceling 'South Park'

Welcome to February 2020, where we are now debating if South Park, which is in its 24th season, should be canceled for supposedly damaging society. In a tweet that has now gone viral, journalist and author Dana Schwartz argued that the show had caused cultural damage by instructing people to embrace mockery in response to criticism of society. She followed this tweet with several more that claimed the show preached a philosophy of doing absolutely nothing in response to a combative political climate because neither party is helpful to the cause.

This opinion did not sit well with many Twitter users who openly scoffed at the suggestion of nominating the show to become the next victim of "cancel culture," simply because it chooses to make fun of how terrible things are in this world, rather than offer solutions. To them, the show is a successful form of comedy, that seeks to alleviate pain and paranoia that permeates news cycles. Below are some of the best reactions to Schwartz's tweet that were collected after South Park began to trend yesterday.

Here is the Twitter thread that sent fans of the show to flock to Schwartz's replies.
 

In retrospect, it seems impossible to overstate the cultural damage done by SOUTH PARK, the show that portrayed earnestness as the only sin and taught that mockery is the ultimate inoculation against all criticism

— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) February 13, 2020

 

It seems lie South Park has been trying to reckon with this--I admit I haven't been watching the show in recent seasons, but I'm fascinated to see this: https://t.co/xjdhGE514y

— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) February 13, 2020

 

People saying “they make fun of everyone!!!” -- that is my point. South Park IS a political show, but one whose message is: both sides are equally terrible so the only correct thing to do is nothing, while mocking it all from your position of intellectual superiority.

— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) February 14, 2020

 

Some users that agreed with the journalist, were happy to offer up their thoughts.

south park was bad for politics but i think it goes without saying that letting jon stewart et al provide the prevailing non-right-wing commentary for ~10 years, and have it be merely "boy conservatives are stupid huh," probably fucked us more in the end (and they're still at it)

— jon hendren (@fart) February 13, 2020

 

South Park is bad because it doesn't say anything at all except "stop caring about stuff"The "irony" and "satire" aren't good because they fail to counter whatever they're mocking, with whatever is the better position.Not to mention, they're def some right-wing libertarians.

— Michael ☭ Ⓥ 🇵🇷🇮🇹 (@ActAndRead) February 13, 2020

 

South Park is such a bad show. I never understood how people found that shit funny.

— Brandon Collymore (@itsbrandonde) February 14, 2020

 

I don't think anyone wants to 'cancel' South Park so much as highlight it has coasted on lazy, 'both-sides suck' nihilism for years (if not decades), and if their fanboys actually paid attention to the show's message, they wouldn't be flipping their shit about that criticism.

— Mark Grondin (@SpectrumPulse) February 14, 2020

 

I got fired after a month at "South Park" for having "a weird vibe that bums out the whole room" so I'm inclined to jump on the "fuck South Park" bandwagon except that a) it's funny and b) even my Mom thinks I have a weird vibe that bums out the whole room.

— Daley Haggar (@d_haggar) February 14, 2020

 

Then came the tweets from users who were either fans of the show or people bothered by "cancel culture."

Random: “South park has done serious damage to this generation’s morality The rest of the Internet: pic.twitter.com/qb6RYdMOrt

— Hubert (@meme_seishin) February 13, 2020

 

Then they came for South Park.

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) February 13, 2020

 
Several were happy to use clips of the show to mock the online debate.

Progressives trying to cancel South Park right now: pic.twitter.com/4nxAEVGhAJ

— GTK (@genesisthekid) February 14, 2020

 

South Park has been the greatest social commentary on American culture for the past 20+ years. Trey and Matt are geniuses. Satire is meant to be offensive, it’s made to make you look at your own thoughts and ideas critically and either improve them or change them.

— 5’7 and thriving (@BIG_E98) February 14, 2020

 

South Park has offered the most honest, insightful look at American culture that I’ve ever found in media.South Park didn’t damage the culture. It exposes that the culture is damaged. https://t.co/kMCoj608ud

— Tyler Bauer (@T_Bauer97) February 14, 2020

 

I knew I was an independent when the Democrats turned on South Park.

— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) February 13, 2020

 
In fact, Schwartz's tweet sent many on Twitter to appreciate the show even more.

South park started trending from people tryna cancel it and it literally just evolved into everyone sharing their favorite clips https://t.co/53YA8Voh9x

— Jay H. (@fizzly_bits) February 14, 2020

 

If you could never hope to be even a fraction as creative and fearless and funny as a show like South Park then I guess the only option you do have is to say that it’s ruining society

— Kat Timpf (@KatTimpf) February 14, 2020

 

Having watched South Park since the beginning, when my one friend who had Comedy Central would bring episodes on VHS to watch in autoshop – It's been a consistently top quality show for nearly a quarter century, and has contributed importantly to culture and dialogue.#southpark pic.twitter.com/OQLh0WiRnQ

— Matt Moylan ⚙️ (@LilFormers) February 14, 2020

 

Translation:South Park had the audacity to mock the politically correct orthodoxy&They were good at it https://t.co/LZSvxv1Mo4

— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) February 14, 2020

 
At the end of the day, it is simply a cartoon.

It's South Park, bitches. Chill the hell out. It's a fucking cartoon.

— XOSchitzo (@XOSchitzo) February 14, 2020

 

Seen folks sayin South Park caused “Cultural damage” among young men. Can we ask them about The Kardashians causing 12 year olds to ask their parents for lip fillers & ass injections?! 😂 If we’re playin the blame game it gets wild real quick as far as percieved “cultural damage”

— Jamey Jasta (@jameyjasta) February 14, 2020

 
One user did offer up a tweet that we all can agree on.

the only cultural damage south park did was to pc desktop backgrounds from 1998 to 2005 https://t.co/yZDdKNlTOh

— christian (@nopoweradeinusa) February 14, 2020

 
Following the public discourse that took off after she sent her tweet, Schwartz was happy to let the world know that the hate she was receiving from South Park fans on her Instagram still allowed her to take a good selfie.

South Park fans are on my instagram trying to say mean things about this selfie but like….. it's a pretty good selfie pic.twitter.com/gCPHbvTAtd

— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) February 14, 2020