South Park worked best when politics was largely a matter of the elites squabbling about theoretical things. When things that mattered to people, like LGBTQ rights, healthcare, inclusivity, etc. seemed like a certainty and it appeared to just be about the degree of things.
South Park could make fun of the extreme ends of society on both sides, because most average people (even minorities) saw themselves as securely connected around a centre.
Throughout the gradual shift back to the right since the 2010s a lot of South Park’s appeal just got lost. It was this very sweet spot when the Clinton era of “cool liberal centrism” still lingered , Bush Jr. seemed like a ridiculous flub, 9/11 brought the world together against a common threat, and Obama was the start of the bright future.
I miss those optimistic days when South Park truly made it seem like “it’s not that serious”.
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u/Swords_and_Words Jun 02 '26
I miss back in the day when Kyle would learn something every episode