Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winning satirical U.S. cartoon South Park, calling the series “extremist” after receiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said Monday.
South Park, a cartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of nine-year olds in a Colorado ski town, has courted controversy from its 1997 debut, parodying celebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage and Saddam Hussein.
Basmanny regional prosecutors office spokeswoman Valentina Titova said investigators filed a motion after deciding an episode broadcast on Moscow television station 2×2 in January “bore signs of extremist activity.”
The Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith had asked prosecutors to ban South Park after it said 20 experts had studied the show for its effect on young viewers.
The group’s leader, Konstantin Bendas, said “South Park is just one of many cartoons that need to be banned from open broadcast…as it insults the feelings of religious believers and incites religious and national hatred.”
“Our complaint is against a lot of cartoons, but this one was from South Park season three, episode 15,” he said.
The episode, called “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” on the cartoon’s website www.southparkstudios.com, first aired in December, 1999, and features the cast singing Christmas carols.
Let me get this straight… Russia, Russia, is scared of Mr. Hankey?! You would think with the recent history of religious conflict in the former Soviet Union, South Park would look rather, well, cartoonish to those folks.
The controlling adjective here is not “Russian” but rather “Evangelical.”
Who is the biggest tyrant in the universe, and who enforces his will here on earth?
It ain’t Putin.
What happened to all of the GODLESS communists?
How would they like to deal with this?
http://tinyurl.com/5juexq
southpark aint nothing compare to what you see in latin american tv everyday.There is not such thing as the fcc in there. Only thing the government dont want you to see its their wrongdoing, and even so every once in a while you see a corrupted politician in there.
Excerpted directly from the piece: “South Park, a cartoon aimed at adults” and “20 experts had studied the show for its effect on young viewers”.
Are they saying kids shouldn’t watch? Kids aren’t the intended audience.
Or are they saying those (of whatever age) who find this offensive shouldn’t watch? I am pretty sure every T.V. set in Russia has an on/off switch and the ability to change channels.
If satire had no bite (was so tame as to be 100% inoffensive) it would cease to be satire.
On balance, this is no crazier than the claims made in the U.S. The question is what will the government do in response to the complaints. Are they going to support one religion over another as a matter of policy, or treat them all equally?
I have no problem with folks complaining. Glad to hear it.
Hidey-Ho Ivan… 20 experts said I should be banned. Christmas just won’t be the same.
#1 – Booboo
>>Who is the biggest tyrant in the universe, and who
>>enforces his will here on earth?
>>It ain’t Putin.
It’s some other atheist?
#8–Oh Musty==there you go again making atheism a religion. You have worn me out with all your questions.
Goddamnit, Cartman! This is all your fault!
-Kyle
Is that the SouthPark episode with the songs:
“Christmastime in Hell” and “Merry F#*king Christmas”…???
Two great songs. 🙂
Mike
Those so-called 20 experts were probably their once out-of-work psychic scientists. You know, the ones who supposedly were researching all those persons who could bend spoons, and read minds? I’m quessing that all fell thru after the Amazing Randi paid them a visit. So now they’re paid to watch cartoons for their social propaganda value. Nice job if you can get it, eh? Well we don’t have anything to worry about, here in the US. Once Palin gets elected, all sorts of stuff she don’t like will get banned. Or heads will roll.
Nobody has the right to NOT have their feelings hurt, and that includes any stupid braindead religious nutballs who have their paper-thin faith shattered by a simple cartoon.
If anything, this will make Southpark more popular than ever in Russia, just like every movie the church campaigns against only generates more publicity and money for the film.
“The Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith”
And the keyword here is Evangelical. These idiots will never be happy until everyone is forced to live like them.
#14 = shhh, a few of those nutballs hang out here!
#10 – Booboo
>>Oh Musty==there you go again making atheism
>>a religion. You have worn me out with all
>>your questions.
Booboo, I thought we had come to a concensus that Atheism is a faith-based ideology, which is the definition of a religion.
You didn’t get the memo?
#14 – Z-bitch
>>and that includes any stupid braindead
>>religious nutballs who have their paper-thin
>>faith shattered
Not all of us “stupid brainhdead religious nutballs” have a “paper-thin faith”. Sounds like you’re talking about Booboo and the other worshipers at the altar of atheism. As soo as the going gets tough, they’re praying to any god who will listen.
Pretty much correct?
South Park really hammers religion too. Hmmn I see a religous group behind this. Giant flying spagetti monster indeed! The pope is often portrayed and not favourably and all priests but one seem to be devout pedophiles. This show’s niche in comedy consists of finding the taboo and sticking a big dirty finger in it. Either you have freedom of speech (REGARDLESS OF WHO IS OFFENDED) or you don’t. South Park is a litmus test and I’m not suprised the Ruskies ain’t up for it.
They killed Kenny, those bastards!
IMO this show is deep American humor, via satire. I can’t imagine how badly it translates given their very limited exposure to our culture and daily media for context. Given that, it probably just looks like a bunch of kids swearing and saying stupid shit.
Just in case anyone needs to do some research:
http://www.southparkstudios.com