Current Events > imagine taking south park this seriously

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https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/3kvdw3/south-park-fractured-but-whole-transphobia-trans-woman

"fair game," South Park has a particular taste for transphobic humor. The homeroom teacher went through a several-year transition arc, treating her surgeries and sex life as dehumanizing, gross-out gags.

When I came out to someone I trusted, they used the episode where Kyle (a small, white kid) becomes a tall, black basketball player to paint me as deluded. Trey Parker and Matt Stone even went as far as recreating the wild fantasy Republicans peddle to strip our rights away: When Cartman is tired of using the men's room, he declares himself "transginger" for the sole purpose of accessing the girls' room instead. Rather than use its position as a cultural touchstone to advocate for our rights, the comedic duo has always preferred to use us as cheap, hateful gags.

I did my best to ignore the loud contempt South Park had toward people like me, but Ubisoft went and announced that The Fractured But Whole would let players create trans characters. South Park aside, this would be a historic release: For once, a monolithic publisher was willing to give us the spotlight. We wouldn't be a throwaway camp villain, a recurring gag or an ally with implied queerness. We would be stars, and that alone grabbed my attention.
they'll shout. "They're cisgendered too!" "We don't take kindly to your types around here." Rather than commenting on the danger we face when we choose to live publicly, the writers turned our fear into a cheap gag, rendering the confrontation toothless. Despite what their framing might suggest, we're bullied, harassed and physically attacked at a disproportionate rate, often by folks who look nothing like a cartoon bigot. When over 20 of us have been murdered in this year alone, tongue-in-cheek attempts at downplaying the violence against our community are more than a little frustrating.
The locals weren't too thrilled with my recent revelation, either. Aside from the occasional "little miss," talking to anyone who wasn't offering a quest resulted in lines like this:

"Aren't you a cute little abomination?"
"That's an interesting look you got going on, boy and/or girl. I don't see gender."
"Aren't you a brave little whatever you are!"
"Who are you supposed to be, tiny Liberace?"
Several of your teammates fill their character sheets with terms like "Asexual Gender-Neutral Kite Alien," mimicking the same "I identify as___" jokes transphobes make to delegitimize our existence. "PC Principal" also trains you to point out microaggressions for free hits: By offering a strategic incentive for an otherwise sensible action, the writers frame it as a cheap shot we're always waiting to make, rather than a genuine reaction to hurtful language ("...people use microaggressions every day. I'm counting on you to make them pay for doing so!"). When one of the heroes turned to me and said "You kinda have big raisins for a boy, New Kid" raisins is their code word for breastsit became clear I was only there to be laughed at.

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The South Park creative team is far from the "equal opportunity offender" its ardent defenders make it out to be. The writers remain blind to the abuse and violence marginalized groups receive. They dish out judgment from a scale that was already tipped. From their perspective, our insistence on fair treatment is just as contemptible as the folks mistreating us: We're a nuisance preventing them from getting on with their lives. In the world of South Park, nothing is worse than the disruption of their status quo. There may not be hard limits to comedy, but why waste your admiration on tired, hateful statements that masquerade as jokes?
Aside from a few enthusiastic nods from Wendy, the story all but discarded my choices. My fellow superheroes exclusively used he/him pronouns in and out of cutscenes. They'd occasionally remark that I was a feminine boy, but never made so much as a nod toward my trans identity. It felt like the writers grew tired of their punching bag and moved to the next target, leaving me out to dry. The trans option was window dressing to them, but it meant a great deal more to me.

Then again, maybe I should be glad South Park: The Fractured But Whole forgot I was there. When their concept of inclusion involves mocking the trans, nonbinary and queer communities, being the first game isn't worth any kudos. The fault doesn't rest entirely on Ubisoft's shoulders, either: When being seen is the status quo for queer representation, being heard falls by the wayside. The industry should bring us into the fold, let us write our own stories. Otherwise, we'll see more South Parks treating us like goofy, alternate costumes worthy of their derision.

matt and trey did a ood job triggering SJWs and neo nazis alike
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apolloooo posted...

When I came out to someone I trusted, they used the episode where Kyle (a small, white kid) becomes a tall, black basketball player to paint me as deluded.

That was a great episode lmao.
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yeah, the same when gerald turned into a dolphin
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For fucks sake, it's South Park.
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Good.
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there is also this neo-neogaf thread dedicated to the whole article:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/waypoint-when-i-visited-south-park-as-a-trans-woman-the-joke-was-on-me.1879/

best laugh i've ever had browsing internet forums.
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I'm not sure what LGBT peeps thought would happen here. South Park is mostly known for the strength of its ridicule.
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It is a witch pursuit thing.
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apolloooo posted...

When I came out to someone I trusted, they used the episode where Kyle (a small, white kid) becomes a tall, black basketball player to paint me as deluded.

Sounds more like their friend is an idiot, than an issue with South Park, to me. Using South Parks ridicule of everything isn't what you should base your own views on legitimate issues with tbh.
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That writer is a moron.
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That article seems to be missing the point of all those episodes... wouldn't surprise me if they had to write walls of text to show how buttravaged they are over a cartoon.
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apolloooo posted...

there is also this neo-neogaf thread dedicated to the whole article:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/waypoint-when-i-visited-south-park-as-a-trans-woman-the-joke-was-on-me.1879/

best laugh i've ever had browsing internet forums.

After some discussion, we determined that this post could have been taken several ways, so it has been reduced to a one-month ban.

While its true South Park has made a lot of trans jokes I dont think its disproportionate to other offensive jokes like say Jewish or Black people. If you have self esteem or mental issues you should not be anywhere near anything South Park related because it can be quite hurtful.

You guys weren't kidding about NeoGAF moderators.
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that article is 100% correct

South Park's social commentary is lazy as fuck
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South Park rips on everyone. Don't care.
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The art of getting offended.

tag for later
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LividDK posted...

You guys weren't kidding about NeoGAF moderators

Yeah lmao.
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In other words, South Park continues to exceed at what it sets out to do.
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I have a friend who watched all of South Park up until the Critter Christmas episode. Apparently the blood orgy was just too much for her and to my knowledge she hasnt watched since.
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nativengine posted...

I have a friend who watched all of South Park up until the Critter Christmas episode. Apparently the blood orgy was just too much for her and to my knowledge she hasnt watched since.

I mean when that happened In was kinda like yikes too
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I love it
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The only thing anyone should complain about with FBW is the lazy, meandering story. I'd estimate I'm about halfway through it, and I'm still not sure what the overall plot is. Something about cheezing, but that's about it.

I actually forgot my character's identity - transboy demiflux something. The fact that I was able to make my identity too confusing to remember is fucking hilarious.

I'm gay
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nativengine posted...

I have a friend who watched all of South Park up until the Critter Christmas episode. Apparently the blood orgy was just too much for her and to my knowledge she hasnt watched since.

I love those critters. Spooky af
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What was she expecting? Everyone in the game to act like Wendy and say, "wow you're so brave and amazing!"? It's literally South Park, they take shots at everyone and everything. It's why people love it.
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apolloooo posted...

there is also this neo-neogaf thread dedicated to the whole article:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/waypoint-when-i-visited-south-park-as-a-trans-woman-the-joke-was-on-me.1879/

best laugh i've ever had browsing internet forums.

Ha ha. Wow.

Apparently one poster there was banned for one month for posting this:

"While its true South Park has made a lot of trans jokes I dont think its disproportionate to other offensive jokes like say Jewish or Black people. If you have self esteem or mental issues you should not be anywhere near anything South Park related because it can be quite hurtful. "

That post is really worth a one month ban?
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Esrac posted...

apolloooo posted...

there is also this neo-neogaf thread dedicated to the whole article:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/waypoint-when-i-visited-south-park-as-a-trans-woman-the-joke-was-on-me.1879/

best laugh i've ever had browsing internet forums.

Ha ha. Wow.

Apparently one poster there was banned for one month for posting this:

"While its true South Park has made a lot of trans jokes I dont think its disproportionate to other offensive jokes like say Jewish or Black people. If you have self esteem or mental issues you should not be anywhere near anything South Park related because it can be quite hurtful. "

That post is really worth a one month ban?

It's not, but its neogaf lol
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wow, the butt hurt in that thread is humongous
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Oh geez.

Why would anybody want to even go to that hive mind bullshit website?
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