"Gen Xers Split on TV's South Park"
Professor David Demko, PhD
AgeVenture News Service
If you think the baby boomer generation is contrary, take a look at what Gen-Xers are saying about television's South Park. "It's outrageously funny, timely, highly entertaining, too violent, downright disgusting, and definitely not fit for kids". How's that for flip-flop?
On the other hand, America's Gen-Xers have their own contrariarn trophy, "South Park", the program they apparently love to hate. This love-hate relationship seems to exist all over the media where the supposedly most hated also have some of the highest ratings. Howard Stern (himself a contradiction in terms as family man versus purveyor of, well, you don't really want to know). Then there's Jerry Springer. Need anyone say more.
At any rate, AgeVenture sat down with a group of thirty-five Gen-Xers to learn their thoughts and opinions on the entertainment industry's latest controversy, "South Park", as in South Park Elementary School and the episodic lives of four little kids. South Park is a cartoon feature that includes language, sexual behavior, violent rages, and acts of mutilation that would probably make a Nazi storm trooper blush. Needless to say, South Park is the talk of the town.
This controversy in television programming has been with us since its inception. On the one hand, society blames the television industry for questionable standards, while the TV industry argues that it is only offering a reflection of society. Some of you might remember the work of Grey Panther, Maggie Kuhn who dispatched legions of elderly advocates to record incidents of ageism in television programming. Hundreds of elder viewers combed the airwaves for evidence that television negatively depicted older people. Johnny Carson's Tonight Show was targeted for his portrayal of an elderly character called "Aunt Bladdy". Was it ageism, or a reflection of social reality? Well, In reality, age-ism is quite pervasive in our society. Government figures estimate that incidents of age discrimination occur every 30 minutes in society.
Let's get back to our Gen-Xers. "Is South Park an example of television at its worst, or is it merely a reflection of a society?" That's the question put to our Gen-X group. The consensus was that South Parkwas very adult entertainment ... and adults should know better. Even regular viewers among the group conceded that television does teach, kids learn, and then behave accordingly. The big question for the group was "What is television teaching, what are kids learning, and how is it affecting their choices in behavior?". Here's a sample of quotes from the Gen-X discussion on "South Park" (SP).
- SP is a product of the rating game, every new show is more sensational than the last one.
- SP divides families. It segregates family viewing. It conflicts with parental values.
- SP offers poor role models. All the characters are derelict: kids, parents, teachers, officials.
- Now that SP is watched by so many, can't we now use it to do something positive?
- Sample of a minority opinion:
"SP reflects what's going on in society so we can confront it and move on."
- Sample of a majority opinion:
"I remember thinking to myself, what kind of twisted people invented this TV show?"
Where do we stand, and where do we go from here? To the South Parks, Howard Sterns, and Jerry Springers of the entertainment industry ... substantial segments of the population are following you. So where are you leading them? And is it a place you'd be proud to take your own families? After all, they have to grow up and live in the same society that adults are now creating.
See AgeVenture archives for related articles:
TV's Family Hour Not Fit For Grandkids
Millennium Manifests Gen-X Moral Majority
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
David Demko reports on lifestyle issues and trends in Aging America.
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