South Park and Wal*Mart

By: phriendlyjaime
Published On: 11/27/2006 4:00:00 PM

I'm going to tell you all of a guilty pleasure of mine that some may be disgusted by: I watch South Park.  I think it is funny, I think it is crass, and I think that they do a great, non-partisan job of cramming morals down American's throats.  It amuses me and I enjoy the show, especially after spending most of my television time watching the events on C-Span.  One of the most interesting episodes was the Wal*Mart episode, which did a pretty wonderful job of exposing "America's favorite store" for the fraudulent crap peddler that it is.

Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes
Original air Date: 2004-11-03
The streets of South Park are like a ghost-town when a giant Wall-Mart lures all the townspeople to the new store with its incredible bargains. Cartman becomes a boy possessed by the power of Wall-Mart and its low, low prices. In order to save their town, Stan and Kyle have to find a way to destroy the ever-expanding superstore while keeping Cartman from stabbing them in the back.
As always, the show is funny and it does a great job of bashing and supporting both the argument for and against Wal*Mart.  However, what was different about this particular episode was a specific exchange of dialogue that I now use whenever speaking of the atrocities of Wal*Mart, and it seems that the rest of the country is catching on to its sheer brilliance and common sense.
As the boys of South Park attempt to try to figure out how Wal*Mart can keep their prices down for consumers, an interesting point is made; a point that I cannot argue because of it's simple truth.  Bear with me; a sound byte for the specific exchange is not available on the web, but the gyst of the conversation is as follows...
In order for Wal*Mart to become and remain "America's favorite store", Wal*Mart must keep their prices very low.  By keeping prices low, Wal*Mart keeps their competition at bay, and they draw in more customers as other stores fight to stay competetive or in business at all.  As more and more consumers flock to Wal*Mart, it is only natural that companies that charge higher prices suffer in the business community, and many eventually succumb to the price war or close their doors altogether.  Eventually, Wal*Mart grows and builds more stores, while other businesses are faced with bankrupcy and closure. 
Easy enough to follow so far, eh?  And yes; I am fully aware that the above is not only the opinion of the South Park writers, but the opinion of many economists and consumers worldwide.  For more information, please see this lengthy article for a plethora of examples regrading Wal*Mart and the American economy.

Now, here is the $1 million question, pholks...a question also addressed in this specific episode of South Park:

What happens when Wal*Mart forces the majority of other surrounding businesses to close?  What happens when there is no longer competition for Wal*Mart and the American shopper?
Well, I think I know what happens, and the boys of South Park agree with me.  I think that Wal*Mart will finally be able to raise their prices, and without any other options available, the American consumer will be forced to pay higher prices for products they were "getting a deal on" just weeks before.  Once the prices rise to the prices those now defunct Ukrops' stores were demanding, how enjoyable will it be to shop in a warehouse sized grocery store as opposed to the once beloved corner market?  And where is the freedom for the American consumer?

I guess it can be found somewhere in aisle 1,675, on the clearance rack, marked "no longer in stock, buy 2 get 1 free."

Comments



I watch South Park religiously (DanG - 11/27/2006 4:23:13 PM)
I don't always agree with the message, but it's definitely one of my favorite shows.


I love south park! (drmontoya - 11/27/2006 6:26:26 PM)
love it.


I love it, too.. (Kathy Gerber - 11/27/2006 9:55:58 PM)
except one or two of them have been too disgusting.  Middle school boy's humor has its place, but the one with the thing on the bicycle seat going up the rider's butt was just not even funny.

I was at an isolated shelter on the AT and there was a sign warning about purifying water from the nearby stream.  It had a silhouette of a moose (?) and a few other animals.

Someone had drawn a little Mr. Hanky popping up out of the water saying "Hideeho, everybody!  What seems to be the problem?"



Agreed. (phriendlyjaime - 11/27/2006 10:02:37 PM)
A few, especially as of late, have gone way too far on the gross factor.


The drawing.. (Kathy Gerber - 11/27/2006 10:30:41 PM)
I thought it was hilarious.. but the other was too much.


Not only gross (DanG - 11/28/2006 12:00:31 PM)
But just shockingly cold.  They had an episode recently where a kid dies of leukemia because Stan loses a hockey game.  I think it was the last episode of the season.  I can't watch that episode again, it was so brutally wrong.  Still, I'd say that a majority of South Park episodes are entertaining.


"South Park" Force-Feeding (cycle12 - 11/28/2006 10:01:31 AM)
I was force-fed "South Park" a number of years ago by our two sons, now ages 24 and 26 and still big fans of the show.  I don't watch it religiously, but I will sit down with one or both of them - when that rare opportunity presents itself to me - and view current or previous episodes.  (We did go see the South Park movie together, on my nickel, and I drove us to the theater.)  I always laugh, and I think I always get the message.

Over the years when our sons were still at home, they also force-fed me "Beavis and Butthead" (saw that movie with them, too) and "Ren and Stimpy", but I'm proud to report that, many years earlier, I introduced them to my favorite, "The Simpsons", a true, ongoing, legend-in-its-own-time comedy classic that always delivers a strong message and consistently contains redeeming social value.

For that and many other reasons, they still "respect my authori-tie".

Riiiight . . .

Steve 



Simpsons is superb, South Park piquant and on point (Catzmaw - 11/28/2006 12:51:41 PM)
but Beavis and Butthead and Ren and Stimpy, not so much.  I couldn't stand the body fluids "humor" of Ren and Stimpy and found myself constantly irritated by Beavis and Butthead.  The whole thing felt stupid.  Now the Simpsons I could watch forever.  I once went to a weeklong camp with a group of Boy Scouts and we spent the entire week on hikes and activities quoting passages from favorite episodes.  To this day my kids or I will pluck some quote from a Simpsons episode and run with it during conversations.  South Park can get annoying, but when they're on target they're devastating. 


Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy (DanG - 11/28/2006 1:27:16 PM)
Family Guy hasn't been mentioned yet, I've noticed.  Got to admit that I love that show.  Have the first four seasons on DVD.  Maybe I like Family Guy so much because it's not really that political (it's to get a break sometimes), and it makes fun of the pop culture that I frequently find annoying as hell.


Family Guy (cycle12 - 11/28/2006 1:45:48 PM)
Meant to mention that one, too, Dan; "Family Guy" is yet another one of my kids' favorites. 

Can't say that I've ever even seen an entire episode of FG.  Must be a generational thing, plus they aren't at home now to force-feed me yet another take on humor.

In the end, I'm just glad that there is still some room left for humor in the world.

Steve



Family Guy is great, BUT... (phriendlyjaime - 11/28/2006 4:32:34 PM)
if you have seen the South Park episode about Family Guy, I think you have to admit that it ruins the show a tiny bit for you.

I will never NOT think of manatees and idea balls again when I watch FG.



Never really cottoned to most of Family Guy (Catzmaw - 11/29/2006 11:41:12 AM)
Mostly because the father is so relentlessly selfish and stupid, whereas Homer Simpson has his moments of insight and remorse.  However, I do love Stewie in Family Guy.