For me it’s Dragon Ball Z, that was a pretty fucked up show tbh.

Like holy shit, all the characters are terrible people except maybe Gohan and Trunks.

  • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    10 months ago

    Everyone realized South Park’s messaging was horrible even back then

    I wish that were the case. I still get into go-nowhere arguments, sometimes, with fans that claim that "Matt and Trey make fun of everything and everyone" and therefore it’s also so wholesomely nonpolitical in the balance.

    I doubt South Park often makes fun of smug enlightened centrism, apathy as a lazy response to actual political issues that actually affect living people’s lives, or for that matter the rich white asshole libertarianism of Matt and Trey.

    • Slaanesh [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      10 months ago

      The Harley f-slur episode did it for me. A couple years prior, my closest friends all got together and agreed to stop using the f-slur. We had no out queer friends (god it took me so long to admit dicks are good actually), and we were just “this is dumb to just use constantly”. The word was so ingrained in our lexicon and a bunch of idiot 13 year olds decide amongst themselves that enough was enough. Then like 2 years later that episode came out. Was a quick “well this is dog shit” realization.

      I doubt South Park often makes fun of smug enlightened centrism, apathy as a lazy response to actual political issues that actually affect living people’s lives, or for that matter the rich white asshole libertarianism of Matt and Trey.

      They embrace it. There was an ep where Stan starts drinking to accept things. It’s literally “caring will make you unfunny, lonely, and lame”.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        10 months ago

        Every time I hear someone claim that entertainment has no effect on people’s attitudes, beliefs, or behavior, I can glance back in time at the cultural ripples that occured each time South Park programmed its consumers to do something like, say, dismiss climate change entirely as a concept by getting credulous smug “nonpoliticals” to say “MANBEARPIG LOL” to terminate further thought. doomer

          • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            10 months ago

            Or that time they popularized redhead hate in the US

            yea

            I didn’t even know redhead hate was a thing or have to hear about it until that episode aired and then it was everywhere around me “as a joke” for a while.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        10 months ago

        the season in either 2016 or 2017 I remember a lot of people, including leftists, were trying to tell me was super progressive and a biting critique of society.

        When trump-moist got elected, that very biting critique suddenly went silent because Matt and Trey are cowards and always have been.