People News
Steve Irwin: South Park outrage
Oct 27, 2006, 11:20 GMT
'South Park' creators have outraged fans of the late Steve Irwin by poking fun at his death.
The latest episode of the satiric sketch, entitled 'Hell On Earth 2006', shows the 'Crocodile Hunter' attending a fancy dress party in Hell - along with the late Princess Diana and Hitler - with a stingray poking out of his bleeding chest. Irwin is then kicked out of the party by the Devil because he isn't in fancy dress.
The scenes have sparked outrage among fans and media regulators because they appear to ridicule the wildlife expert's shocking death in September, when a stingray's barb pierced his chest while he was snorkelling near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
British broadcasting watchdog Mediawatch branded the episode "grossly insensitive".
Mediawatch director, John Beyer, said: "This is bad taste. Steve Irwin's family is still grieving. To lampoon somebody's death like this is unacceptable."
'South Park' makers Comedy Central have defended the controversial episode, saying it is no different from their usual work.
A spokesman said: "It has offended people in the past and probably will again. Regular watchers would not be shocked."
(C) BANG Media International
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in People
- 1. Usher: I'm a genius
- 2. Jake Shears received death threat
- 3. One Direction gain police protect in Canada
- 4. Susan Boyle has emotional motorway breakdown
- 5. Russell Brand: Tom Cruise is a joy to be around
Older Talkback
page: 1
Way to go Southpark1 If the stingray hadn't got him one of the creatures he regularly pissed off would have. Why has this idiot been idolised - I might have agreed if he'd stuck to conservation etc but he didn't, preferring to get attention by picking on dumb animals and encouraging others to follow his poor example.
If we can't laugh at dead people who died because they were a bit stupid, then who can we laught at?
I eat lions. What's wrong with that?
Who are you people to judge what is right and wrong. It is a joke and was funny. Is there a limit of time, a law when things should be allowed and when they shouldn't. Give me a break when did people become so thin skinned about so many issues. Worry about your own life then others. Southpark does not hold any punches to anyone and if you watched the show you would understand the humor. The point is that it is humor, some people like it and others don't and if you don't, it's very simple DONT WATCH!
I thinking of going as Steve Irwin now in the states..;-)
Southpark is hideous. Its pretence that anything is fair game is simply wrong. Before you respond think about the worst thing that has ever (Personally) happened to you. Now make a joke of it! see not so funny now huh?
Sounds like you're a little sensitive Talkback, were you neglected as a child or something? if you don't like the show's humour, don't watch it!! It's really that simple. Get over it.
South Park offends EVERYBODY,they have very little scruples and there lies the show's appeal.Just accept it.No fatwas please
Who is the real monster here? The Reporter...think about it, they generate the controversy by making this public knowledge...without it, the episode of South Park would simply only been known within it's scope of watchers and in which case like most un-tapped controversy...fades into the ether of forgetfulness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3nIi0gH20
Here's the scene. I'm a HUGE Steve Irwin fan and I personally found it harmless.
Satan even acknowledges that it's 'a bit soon' and I don't think the offence that this episode generates is worth the attention.
Just my thoughts.
Joe
Just another example of corporate double standards in the 'States.
'Anything goes as long as there is a buck to be made'
The producers of this show have attempted to defend themselves by
indicating that everyone lampooned in the show is treated the same.Oh?
I must have missed the episode that featured the lampooning of Bush, Cheney,
and the rest of the corrupt cretins that preside over the US.....now that *would* be a funny show!
Simply abstaining from watching South Park, might not be enough. I would recommend you unplug your TV and cancel your cable/satellite subscription and please don't forget to cancel your internet service after reading this comment.
If you cant take a joke, now may be the time to go ahead and give up. It might be time to throw the towel in on the whole 'mass media' phenomena.
I personally feel that it is humorous when someone dies in an idiotic or ironic way (www.darwinawards.com) - Although it appears that Steve Irwin has not yet achieved this award, after searching for him myself.
I also feel that humor is a great way of dealing with a great number of afflictions, including the mass media barrage of Steve Irwin related news.
. . . you may now commence disconnect
Simply abstaining from watching South Park, might not be enough. I would recommend you unplug your TV and cancel your cable/satellite subscription and please don't forget to cancel your internet service after reading this comment.
If you cant take a joke, now may be the time to go ahead and give up. It might be time to throw the towel in on the whole 'mass media' phenomena.
I personally feel that it is humorous when someone dies in an idiotic or ironic way (www.darwinawards.com) - Although it appears that Steve Irwin has not yet achieved this award, after searching for him myself.
I also feel that humor is a great way of dealing with a great number of afflictions, including the mass media barrage of Steve Irwin related news.
. . . you may now commence disconnect
I watched it and found it to be very funny. The only thing that shocked me was that Steve was depicted as being in Hell. We all know thats not where he is.
I heard a company is making Steve Irwin official Sun Tan Lotion, They say 'It blocks harmfull RAYS' :)
Greg
Way to go South Park Fan!! You said it. South Park is a funny, edgy show. Why the heck is everybody so surprised? Isn't that why we watch, HELLO!!! It is the media who is suppose to be reporting news worthy stories that makes a mountain out of a mole hill, for the love of Pete. Go scoop a real story, would ya?
THAT SUCKS
THAT SUCKS
I LOVE IT AND DONT STOP IT AND I HOPE MY VCR KEEPS WOKING
I saw the episode. What's not mentioned is at the end of the Satan/Irwin conversation, Satan asks Irwin to leave because he is not wearing a costume. As Irwin is being escorted out, he responds to Satan by saying 'I thought we were friends'. This outrageous statement was what offended me the most.
I actually waiting to watch this ep. before commenting, unlike probably most of the news reporters. Anyway,to me it was completely harmless and didn't feel offensive at all. Also he was in Hell attending a Halloween party, not living in hell. And saying to Satan ' i thought we were friends' - just an obvious funny joke, like what most people say when dragged out of a party, right?
When I first read the reports about South Park mocking Steve Irwin,I just wondered how they would do it and why it was news.I hate that they has caused biased prior to actually viewings of that ep.But after watching it you can tell that it's not their intention.To indecently mock they would be making fun of him, sticking his finger up alligator's arse,sneaking up on animals. etc.
There was an episode bashing the president and cheney 2 weeks ago it was pretty funny. The reason steve was in hell is that in the fictional south park world heaven is a boring place because the correct religion turned out to be mormonism. so the only people that get into heaven on the show are mormons. The 'I thought we were friends' comment was due to the fact that satan was Trying to befriend all the celebritys to get them to come to his party so it would be a cool party.
I dont care what the aussies are saying its free speech!
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority
and regardless of frontiers
Everyone in america has free speech, i know that and i live in the UK, I am not condoning what they are doing but i would fight for the death for their right to do it
Without free speech, think of all the stuff you couldnt say
Just to clarify, there's a running joke on South Park that only Mormons go to Heaven. That would be the reason why Steve was there as well as Princess Di, Ghandi, Frank Sinatra etc....
I applaud South Park's efforts. As long as the myth of the Croc Hunter is in the collective mind of the public, his daughter, Bindi, will continue to be exploited (Discovery Channel TV show, DVD, TV ads, theme park, etc. - see 'The selling of Croc Kid Bindi' - Melbourne Herald Sun). Per previous poster, they should change the name of the 'Darwin Awards' to the 'D'Irwin Awards'. Irwin's family is far more worried about damage to their revenue stream than they are about damage to an 8 year old child.
lol That's sooooo South Park. Can't we all just get along? :-D It's a social satire (the show) of all aspects of life, archived forever to be reviewed as a way to say: 'Yeah. What WERE we thinking (when we got obsesssed w/ such-and-such)?'
1.) In the world of South Park only Mormons go to heaven.
2.) Even Satan acknowledges it as being too soon.
Just when I think nothing will shock me....I have been sitting here reading the comments from apparently immature, spoiled, uneducated, people and frankly you all need to get a life. Steve Irwin did more for mankind and animals alike in his forty+ years than all of you will do in your lifetime. I was once a fan of South Park, but from this day forward I will never watch another episode that is aired.
Anyone who takes offence to this scene is a sad pr..k!
Steve Irwin was a gay guy. Only gay men wear shorts that tight...and what did he do to the animals after the cameras went off?
I was never a Steve Irwin fan but from what came over on TV it looked like he had a sense of humour. He'd have probably laughed his socks off when he saw it. I could be wrong though 'coz all the Aussies I ever met had no sense of humor at all. Americans are different, first you have to explain the joke to them, then they get outraged. I'm english, we've got so much to laugh at about ourselves that we had to develope a sense of humour. I thought the idiots who were outraged at Irwin going to hell funny. Everyone goes to hell in South Park (except the moromons). Why comment if you don't know what you're talking about?
Steve irwin was loved by so many people ... he was the greatest guy in the world. the people who wrote the script must have been inconsiderate retards with no heart or soul. Steve Irwin was enthusiastic and had a great personailty and had alot of qualities many people hoped to achieve. It wouldn't be bad idea SOUTH PARK DIG BATS .... if u took a leaf from steve's book and tried to be more like him. if everyone had a bit of irwin in them... this world would be a better place.
This the most horrible thing I have ever heard, he hasn't even been dead for 8 weeks. it should be banned! i will never watch southpark again! u should b ashamed of urselves, u insensitive $#^%^@&^&!!!!!!!
South Park is Hideous and Crap, I would Kill it from my Grave if I had the power to.
oh shut the hell up they dident even do anything ..
they just had him at a halloween party... with a stingray hanging out of him...and thats it
they dident make fun of his death or anything so shut the hell up you ass
I am not the least bit outraged by the South Park lampooning of Steve Irwin. For starters, I leave being outraged at cartoons to the Muslim millions. More importantly, it was Steve Irwin’s desperate desire to be a public figure, and he pursued this desire by regularly performing apparently dangerous acts for the sake of publicity, to the point of being filmed as he was dying. His hunger for publicity makes him fair game for the South Park lampooning. Moreover, for all we know, he would probably welcome a few more flashes of publicity!
I cannot believe it... what has happened to all of these bloody idiots... fine.. look at your little daughter, your son, your mother, father, best friend, then stick a sting ray in their chest and laugh..Because the idiots that laugh at a great mans death, are ..... numb to the world, have never had a true friend, have never loved anything, if you can laugh at the death of a great father and husband who did everything he could with every minute of his life to improve others lives.... and laugh at his death...BASTARDS... I feel sorry for you.. And pore Bindi and terri who have to see the reputattion of their hero stamped on.... so sad. I am an Aussie and ##%$%^in funny when I wanna be but not over the death of your mother, or father, or daughter.... Or Steve Irwin.
I can't believe what I'm reading. There is humor and there is bad humor. Sadly, South Park embraces bad humor, and they went too far with Steve Irwin's death. I think Steve Iriwn was a great person who was beloved by almost everyone. South Park had really hit the ball park by making his death another one of its insensitive and sick skits!
Obviously the general feeling is that everything is fair game. Sad reflection on society really. Free speech was given as a gift, and we really seemed to have wasted it on the younger generation...
page: 1
meOct 27th, 2006 - 12:32:59
i am a regular watcher of south park but i totally do not agree with their bullcrap of making fun of steve. how insensible
Report this comment