I am – Hercules!!
So much censorship attended this week’s episode of “South Park” (itself about censorship) it’s hard to tell where the gags end and the “real” deletions begin.
While the Muslim prophet Muhammad’s name was invoked numerous times in last week’s “200” episode, the name was bleeped repeatedly in this week’s “201,” reportedly by Comedy Central.
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone released a statement late Thursday indicating the bleeps obscuring Kyle’s long final speech (which apparently did not specifically reference Muhammad) were imposed by Comedy Central:
In the 14 years we've been doing South Park we have never done a show that we couldn't stand behind. We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central and they made a determination to alter the episode. It wasn't some meta-joke on our part. Comedy Central added the bleeps. In fact, Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear. It didn't mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too. We'll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we'll see what happens to it.
Prior to reading their statement, I had believed the opposite: that episode writer-director Parker had written in the long final bleeps to make a point about slippery slopes. Now it seems we reside farther down these slopes than previously suspected!
In addition, Comedy Central apparently cancelled the same-night Wednesday repeat of “201” and is not yet making the episode available on the Web, as is its custom.
(Perversely, Comedy Central did not censor a crude stick-figure drawing of Muhammad in “200.”)
Next week’s episode, I believe, will be the last new one until October.
Jon Stewart points out no one bothered to censor New York's Revolution Muslim website, which dickishly posted for the American terrorist community the address of the "South Park" production offices:
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