Cowards, Critics, and Catholics
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, South Park and the Politics of Religious Humor in the United States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v42i3.2Keywords:
religion, humor, Catholic, Catholic League, South Park, blasphemyAbstract
Throughout its history South Park has had a contentious relationship with Catholicism, frequently using Catholic doctrine, rituals, and popular practices as a foil for humor. This article examines the way that a Catholic parachurch organization, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has criticized South Park and its creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone as cowardly and not the satirical mavericks they are frequently portrayed as in popular media. Using the sociologies of religion, humor, and culture, this article demonstrates that this conflict reflects deeper conflicts over the limits of free speech, the place of Catholics in American culture, and the importance of humor in criticizing and controlling religious traditions in the United States.
References
Arp, Robert, ed. 2007. South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today. Oxford: Blackwell.
Berger, Peter L. 1997. Redeeming Laughter: The Comic Dimension of Human Experience. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Berger, Peter L., and Thomas Luckmann. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Boston: Anchor Books.
Bergson, Henri. 1956 (1911). “Laughter.” In Comedy, edited by Wylie Sypher, 61–190. Garden City: Doubleday.
Bishopaccountability.org. 2012. “Data on the Crisis: The Human Toll.” http://www.bishop-accountability. org/AtAGlance/data.htm.
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. 1999. “The Hypocrites at ‘South Park.’ ” Catalyst Online, May 27. http://www.catholicleague.org/the-hypocrites-at-south-park/.
———. 2002. “‘South Park’ Shows Cowardice.” Catalyst Online, September 23. http://www.catholicleague. org/ percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d-shows-cowardice/.
——— . 2005a. “Virgin Mary Defiled on ‘South Park.’” Catalyst Online, December 8. http://www.catholicleague. org/virgin-mary-defiled-on- percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d-2/.
———. 2005b. “Joseph Califano Condemns ‘South Park.’” Catalyst Online, December 12. http://www.catholicleague.org/joseph-califano-condemns- percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d/.
——— . 2005c. “Vile ‘South Park’ Episode Pulled.” Catalyst Online, December 30. http://www.catholicleague. org/vile- percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d-episode-pulled/.
Cowan, Douglas E. 2005. “Episode 712: South Park, Ridicule, and the Cultural Construction of Religious Rivalry.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 10. http:// www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art10-southpark.html.
Donahue, William. 2006. “Demanding Respect.” Catalyst Online, December 7. http://www.catholicleague.org/ demanding-respect.
Feltmate, David. 2012. “The Humorous Reproduction of Religious Prejudice: ‘Cults’ and Religious Humour in The Simpsons, South Park, and King of the Hill.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 2: 201–16.
———. Forthcoming. “The Sacred Comedy: The Problems and Possibilities of Peter Berger’s Theory of Humor.” Humor: International Journal of Humor Research.
Feinberg, Leonard. 1963. The Satirist: His Temperament, Motivation, and Influence. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Heffernan, Virginia. 2004. “Critics’ Notebook; What? Morals in ‘South Park’?” The New York Times, April 28. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/arts/ critic-s-notebook-what-morals-in-south-park. html?src=pm.
Jenkins, Philip. 2003. The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. New York: Oxford University Press.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 2004. “The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 19502002..” http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2004_02_27_JohnJay_revised/2004_02_27_ John_Jay_Main_Report_Optimized.pdf.
Johnson-Woods, Toni. 2007. Blame Canada!: South Park and Popular Culture. New York: Continuum.
Kercher, Stephen E. 2006. Revel With a Cause: Liberal Satire in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Levy, Leonard W. 1993. Blasphemy: Verbal Offense Against the Sacred, from Moses to Salman Rushdie. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Lewis, Paul. 2006. Cracking Up: American Humor in a Time of Conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lowney, Kathleen S., and Joel Best. 1996. “What Waco Stood For: Jokes as Popular Constructions of Social Problems,” Perspectives on Social Problems 8: 77–97.
Lynch, Gordon. 2012. The Sacred in the Modern World: A Cultural Sociological Approach. New York: Oxford University Press.
Morreall, John. 2010. “Comic Vices and Comic Virtues.” Humor 23 (1): 1-26.
Neal, Lynn S. 2011. “‘They’re Freaks!’: The Cult Stereotype in Fictional Television Shows, 1958–2008.” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 14): 81–107.
Oring, Ellliot. 2003. Engaging Humor. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Orsi, Robert A. 2005. Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Peabody Awards. 2005. “South Park.” http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/details.php?id=1423.
Plate, S. Brent. 2006. Blasphemy: Art that Offends. London: Black Dog Publishing.
Poniewozik, James. 2007. “All-TIME 100 TV Shows: South Park.” Time Magazine, September 6. http://entertainment.time.com/2007/09/06/the-100-best-tv-showsof-all-time/slide/south-park/#south-park.
Terry, Karen J., Margaret Leland Smith, Katarina Schuth, James R. Kelly, Brenda Vollman, and Christina Massey. 2011. “The Causes and Content of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010.” A report presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay College Research Team. http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Causes-and-Context-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-in-the-United-States-1950-2010.pdf.
Veale, Tony. 2004. “Incongruity in Humor: Root Cause or Epiphenomenon?” Humor 17: 419–28.
Episodes Referenced:
“Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boatride.” Episode 1.4. Originally aired 3 September 1997. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Damien.” Episode 1.10. Originally aired 4 February 1998. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Do the Handicapped Go To Hell?” Episode 4.9. Originally aired 19 July 2000. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Probably.” Episode 4.10. Originally aired 26 July 2000. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Red Hot Catholic Love.” Episode 6.08. Originally aired 3 July 2002. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Bloody Mary.” Episode 9.14. Originally aired 7 December 2005. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Cartoon Wars.” Episode 10.3. Originally aired 5 April 2006. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Cartoon Wars: Part 2.” Episode 10.4. Originally aired 12 April 2006. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
Berger, Peter L. 1997. Redeeming Laughter: The Comic Dimension of Human Experience. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Berger, Peter L., and Thomas Luckmann. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Boston: Anchor Books.
Bergson, Henri. 1956 (1911). “Laughter.” In Comedy, edited by Wylie Sypher, 61–190. Garden City: Doubleday.
Bishopaccountability.org. 2012. “Data on the Crisis: The Human Toll.” http://www.bishop-accountability. org/AtAGlance/data.htm.
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. 1999. “The Hypocrites at ‘South Park.’ ” Catalyst Online, May 27. http://www.catholicleague.org/the-hypocrites-at-south-park/.
———. 2002. “‘South Park’ Shows Cowardice.” Catalyst Online, September 23. http://www.catholicleague. org/ percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d-shows-cowardice/.
——— . 2005a. “Virgin Mary Defiled on ‘South Park.’” Catalyst Online, December 8. http://www.catholicleague. org/virgin-mary-defiled-on- percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d-2/.
———. 2005b. “Joseph Califano Condemns ‘South Park.’” Catalyst Online, December 12. http://www.catholicleague.org/joseph-califano-condemns- percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d/.
——— . 2005c. “Vile ‘South Park’ Episode Pulled.” Catalyst Online, December 30. http://www.catholicleague. org/vile- percente2 percent80 percent9csouth-park percente2 percent80 percent9d-episode-pulled/.
Cowan, Douglas E. 2005. “Episode 712: South Park, Ridicule, and the Cultural Construction of Religious Rivalry.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 10. http:// www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art10-southpark.html.
Donahue, William. 2006. “Demanding Respect.” Catalyst Online, December 7. http://www.catholicleague.org/ demanding-respect.
Feltmate, David. 2012. “The Humorous Reproduction of Religious Prejudice: ‘Cults’ and Religious Humour in The Simpsons, South Park, and King of the Hill.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 2: 201–16.
———. Forthcoming. “The Sacred Comedy: The Problems and Possibilities of Peter Berger’s Theory of Humor.” Humor: International Journal of Humor Research.
Feinberg, Leonard. 1963. The Satirist: His Temperament, Motivation, and Influence. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Heffernan, Virginia. 2004. “Critics’ Notebook; What? Morals in ‘South Park’?” The New York Times, April 28. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/arts/ critic-s-notebook-what-morals-in-south-park. html?src=pm.
Jenkins, Philip. 2003. The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. New York: Oxford University Press.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 2004. “The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 19502002..” http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2004_02_27_JohnJay_revised/2004_02_27_ John_Jay_Main_Report_Optimized.pdf.
Johnson-Woods, Toni. 2007. Blame Canada!: South Park and Popular Culture. New York: Continuum.
Kercher, Stephen E. 2006. Revel With a Cause: Liberal Satire in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Levy, Leonard W. 1993. Blasphemy: Verbal Offense Against the Sacred, from Moses to Salman Rushdie. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Lewis, Paul. 2006. Cracking Up: American Humor in a Time of Conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lowney, Kathleen S., and Joel Best. 1996. “What Waco Stood For: Jokes as Popular Constructions of Social Problems,” Perspectives on Social Problems 8: 77–97.
Lynch, Gordon. 2012. The Sacred in the Modern World: A Cultural Sociological Approach. New York: Oxford University Press.
Morreall, John. 2010. “Comic Vices and Comic Virtues.” Humor 23 (1): 1-26.
Neal, Lynn S. 2011. “‘They’re Freaks!’: The Cult Stereotype in Fictional Television Shows, 1958–2008.” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 14): 81–107.
Oring, Ellliot. 2003. Engaging Humor. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Orsi, Robert A. 2005. Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Peabody Awards. 2005. “South Park.” http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/details.php?id=1423.
Plate, S. Brent. 2006. Blasphemy: Art that Offends. London: Black Dog Publishing.
Poniewozik, James. 2007. “All-TIME 100 TV Shows: South Park.” Time Magazine, September 6. http://entertainment.time.com/2007/09/06/the-100-best-tv-showsof-all-time/slide/south-park/#south-park.
Terry, Karen J., Margaret Leland Smith, Katarina Schuth, James R. Kelly, Brenda Vollman, and Christina Massey. 2011. “The Causes and Content of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010.” A report presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay College Research Team. http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Causes-and-Context-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-in-the-United-States-1950-2010.pdf.
Veale, Tony. 2004. “Incongruity in Humor: Root Cause or Epiphenomenon?” Humor 17: 419–28.
Episodes Referenced:
“Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boatride.” Episode 1.4. Originally aired 3 September 1997. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Damien.” Episode 1.10. Originally aired 4 February 1998. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Do the Handicapped Go To Hell?” Episode 4.9. Originally aired 19 July 2000. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Probably.” Episode 4.10. Originally aired 26 July 2000. Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Red Hot Catholic Love.” Episode 6.08. Originally aired 3 July 2002. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Bloody Mary.” Episode 9.14. Originally aired 7 December 2005. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Cartoon Wars.” Episode 10.3. Originally aired 5 April 2006. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
“Cartoon Wars: Part 2.” Episode 10.4. Originally aired 12 April 2006. Written by Trey Parker. Directed by Trey Parker.
Published
2013-09-27
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Feltmate, D. (2013). Cowards, Critics, and Catholics: The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, South Park and the Politics of Religious Humor in the United States. Bulletin for the Study of Religion, 42(3), 2-11. https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v42i3.2
