Editing South Park (section)

==Legacy==

===Cultural===
Commentary made in episodes has been interpreted as statements Parker and Stone are attempting to make to the viewing public,<ref name="seriously">{{harvnb|Weinstock|Fallows|2008|p=165}}</ref> and these opinions have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world within the framework of popular philosophical, theological, social, and political concepts.<ref name="blame" /><ref name="seriously" /><ref name="blmp">{{cite book|editor-last=Hanley|editor-first=Richard|title=South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating|publisher=Open Court|date=March 8, 2007|isbn=978-0-8126-9613-4}}</ref> Since ''South Park'' debuted, college students have written term papers and doctoral theses analyzing the show,<ref name="nytimesstudy" /> while [[Brooklyn College]] offers a course called "''South Park'' and Political Correctness".<ref name="nypostbklyn">{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2008/11/30/south-park-no-lark-at-bklyn-college/|date=November 30, 2008|title=South Park No Lark at B'klyn College|work=[[New York Post]]|access-date=February 21, 2022|last=Montefinise|first=Angela|archive-date=February 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221180553/https://nypost.com/2008/11/30/south-park-no-lark-at-bklyn-college/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="npr2">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98183000|title=Students Respect Authori-tay Of 'South Park' Class|date=December 13, 2008|work=NPR|access-date=May 22, 2009|archive-date=April 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421004959/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98183000|url-status=live}}</ref>

Soon after one of Kenny's trademark deaths on the show, other characters would typically shout "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!", followed by another yelling out "You bastard(s)!"—these lines were usually said by the characters Stan and Kyle, respectively. The exclamation quickly became a popular catchphrase,<ref name="time" /> while the running gag of Kenny's recurring deaths is one of the more recognized hallmarks among viewers of modern television.<ref name="nypostkenny">{{cite news|first=Don|last=Kaplan|title=South Park Won't Kill Kenny Anymore|work=[[New York Post]]|date=April 8, 2002|url=https://nypost.com/2002/04/08/south-park-wont-kill-kenny-anymore/|access-date=May 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022223959/https://nypost.com/2002/04/08/south-park-wont-kill-kenny-anymore/|archive-date=October 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Word, Charged Find a Savior|magazine=Wired|date=April 27, 1998|url=https://www.wired.com/1998/04/word-charged-find-a-savior/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629044955/http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1998/04/11925|archive-date=June 29, 2011|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> Cartman's exclamations of "Respect my authori-tah!" and "Screw you guys ...I'm going home!" became catchphrases as well, and during the show's earlier seasons, were highly popular in the lexicon of viewers.<ref name="perth">{{cite news|author1=Anthony DeCeglie|author2=Sarah Blake|name-list-style=amp|title=TV comedy sends WA students 'Jonah'|work=Perth Now|date=September 14, 2007|url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/tv-comedy-sends-wa-students-jonah-ng-2dbd0a7a7260d4520821148927a5b4ce|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-date=July 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728170417/https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/tv-comedy-sends-wa-students-jonah-ng-2dbd0a7a7260d4520821148927a5b4ce|url-status=live}}</ref> Cartman's eccentric intonation of "Hey!" was included in the 2002 edition of ''The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases''.<ref name="oxford">{{cite news|first=David|last=Dale|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=December 28, 2002|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/the-oxford-dictionary-of-catchphrases-20021228-gdg107.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-date=February 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221180551/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/the-oxford-dictionary-of-catchphrases-20021228-gdg107.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[South Park (season 2)|season two]] episode "[[Chef Aid]]", attorney [[Johnnie Cochran]] uses what's called in the show the [[Chewbacca defense]], which is a legal strategy that involves addressing plot holes related to [[Chewbacca]] in the film ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' rather than discussing the trial at hand during a closing argument in a deliberate attempt to confuse jurors into thinking there is [[reasonable doubt]]. The term "Chewbacca defense" has been documented as being used by criminologists, forensic scientists, and political commentators in their various discussions of similar methods used in legal cases and public forums.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 24, 2005|url=http://www.scilawforensics.com/presentations/wookie.pdf|title=Poking the Wookie: the Chewbacca Defense in Digital Evidence Cases|first1=Anjali R. |last1=Swienton |first2=Erin |last2=Kenneally|publisher=SciLaw Forensics, Ltd.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008211721/http://www.scilawforensics.com/presentations/wookie.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/d-is-for-diabolical_b_39491|title=D is for Diabolical|first=Ellis|last=Weiner|work=HuffPost|date=January 24, 2007|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-date=July 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728170418/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/d-is-for-diabolical_b_39491|url-status=live}}</ref>

Another season two episode, "[[Gnomes (South Park)|Gnomes]]", revolves around a group of "underpants [[gnome]]s" who, as their name suggests, run a corporation stealing people's underpants. When asked about their business model, various gnomes reply that theirs is a three-step process: Phase 1 is "collect underpants". Phase 3 is "profit". However, the gnomes are unable to explain what is to occur between the first and final steps, and "Phase 2" is accompanied by a large question mark on their corporate flow chart. Using "????" and "PROFIT!" as the last two steps in a process (usually jokingly) became a widely popular [[Internet meme]] because of this.<ref>{{cite web |last1=VanHooker |first1=Brian |title=The 25 Greatest ''South Park'' Memes |url=https://www.cracked.com/article_40502_the-25-greatest-south-park-memes.html |website=[[Cracked.com|Cracked]] |access-date=November 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620041107/https://www.cracked.com/article_40502_the-25-greatest-south-park-memes.html |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |date=December 14, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Dan |title=Matt Gaetz, Underpants Gnome. The Art Of Performative Conservatism |url=https://www.maciverinstitute.com/perspectives/matt-gaetz-underpants-gnome-the-art-of-performative-conservatism |website=[[MacIver Institute]] |access-date=November 7, 2024 |date=October 4, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123202940/https://www.maciverinstitute.com/perspectives/matt-gaetz-underpants-gnome-the-art-of-performative-conservatism |url-status=live }}</ref> Especially in the context of politics and economics, "underpants gnomes" has been used by some commentators to characterize a conspicuous gap of logic or planning.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124329131991652291|title=Obama and the 'South Park' Gnomes|author=Bret Stephens|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=June 1, 2009|date=May 26, 2009|archive-date=October 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007223350/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124329131991652291|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://webnotes.net/?uGIOp6|title=Small Government Egalitarianism|author=Matt Yglesias|website=Think Progress|access-date=June 1, 2009|archive-date=June 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615165307/http://webnotes.net/?uGIOp6|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When Sophie Rutschmann of the [[University of Strasbourg]] discovered a mutated gene that causes an adult [[Drosophila melanogaster|fruit fly]] to die within two days after it is infected with certain bacteria, she named the gene ''kep1'' in honor of Kenny.<ref name="fruitfly">{{cite news|first=Thomas H.|last=Maugh II|title=Playing the Name Game|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 5, 2002|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-aug-05-sci-genes5-story.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-date=February 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221180551/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-aug-05-sci-genes5-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flynome.com/cgi-bin/search?storyID=93 |title=FlyNome |access-date=November 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813002037/http://www.flynome.com/cgi-bin/search?storyID=93 |archive-date=August 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="PNAS">{{cite journal
|title             = kep1 interacts genetically with dredd/Caspase-8, and kep1 mutants alter the balance of dredd isoforms
|journal           = Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
|date              = February 18, 2003
|author1=Marco Di Fruscio |author2=Sylvia Styhler |author3=Eva Wikholm |volume            = 100
|issue             = 4
|pages             = 1814–1819
|doi               = 10.1073/pnas.0236048100
|pmid              =12563030
|pmc               = 149916
|bibcode = 2003PNAS..100.1814D
|display-authors=etal|doi-access = free
 |issn = 0027-8424 }}</ref> Similarly, when a mutated ortholog of [[KIAA1109]] was also found for said species that inhibited their ability to stand upright, walk, and caused seizures, indicative of severe neurological defects, a different set of researchers named it ''Tweek'' in honor of Tweek.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Verstreken |first1=Patrik |last2=Ohyama |first2=Tomoko |last3=Haueter |first3=Claire |last4=Habets |first4=Ron L.P. |last5=Lin |first5=Yong Q. |last6=Swan |first6=Laura E. |last7=Ly |first7=Cindy V. |last8=Venken |first8=Koen J. T. |last9=De Camilli |first9=Pietro |last10=Bellen |first10=Hugo J. |date=2009-07-30 |title=Tweek, an evolutionary conserved proteinis required for synaptic vesicle recycling |journal=Neuron |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=203–215 |doi=10.1016/j.neuron.2009.06.017 |issn=0896-6273 |pmc=2759194 |pmid=19640479}}</ref>

===Political===
{{Main|South Park Republican}}
While some [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]] have condemned ''South Park'' for its vulgarity, a growing population of people who hold [[Centre-right politics|center-right]] political beliefs, including teenagers and young adults, have embraced the show for its tendency to mock [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] viewpoints and lampoon liberal celebrities and icons.<ref name="theadvocates">{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/trey-parker.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113153236/http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/trey-parker.html |archive-date=January 13, 2008 |title=Trey Parker – Libertarian |publisher=The Advocates |access-date=May 24, 2009 |last=Winter |first=Bill |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Pundit|Political commentator]] [[Andrew Sullivan]] dubbed the group [[South Park Republican|''South Park'' Republicans]], or ''South Park'' conservatives.<ref name="cityjournal" /><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|first=William|last=Cohen|title=Respect Its Authoritah!|work=The Cornell American|date=November 4, 2005|url=http://www.cornellamerican.com/article/109/print/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100129195812/http://www.cornellamerican.com/article/109/print/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2009}}</ref><ref name="refugees">{{cite news|author=John Tierney|title=South Park Refugees|work=The New York Times|date=August 29, 2006|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/opinion/29tierney.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-date=August 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823132238/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/opinion/29tierney.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Sullivan averred that members of the group are "extremely skeptical of political correctness but also are socially liberal on many issues", though he says the phrase applied to them is meant to be more of a casual indication of beliefs than a strong partisan label.<ref name="cornell" /><ref name="cityjournal" /> [[Brian C. Anderson]] describes the group as "generally characterized by holding strong [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]] beliefs and rejecting more conservative social policy", and notes that although the show makes "wicked fun of conservatives", it is "at the forefront of a conservative revolt against liberal media" and Hollywood's "liberal hegemony".<ref name="theadvocates" /><ref name=ReasonMagazine/>

Parker and Stone reject the idea that the show has any underlying political position, and deny having a political agenda when creating an episode.<ref name="mcfarland1" /><ref name="refugees" /><ref name="HP2010">[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/matt-stone-trey-parker-ar_n_475744 Matt Stone & Trey Parker Are Not Your Political Allies (No Matter What You Believe)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002122145/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/25/matt-stone-trey-parker-ar_n_475744.html |date=October 2, 2017 }} by Alex Leo, ''[[HuffPost]]'', February 25, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2022</ref>
The two claim the show's higher proportion of instances lampooning liberal rather than conservative orthodoxies stems simply from their preference for making fun of liberals.<ref name="cornell" /><ref name="abc3" /> While Stone has been quoted saying, "I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals", Stone and Parker have explained that their drive to lampoon a given target comes first from the target's insistence on telling other people how to behave.<ref name="gillespie" /> The duo explain that they regard liberals as having both delusions of entitlement to remain free from satire, and a propensity to enforce political correctness while patronizing the citizens of [[Middle America (United States)|Middle America]].<ref name="nytimesconserv" /><ref name="cityjournal" /> Parker and Stone are uncomfortable with the idea of themselves or ''South Park'' being assigned any kind of [[Partisan (politics)|partisan]] classification.<ref name="mcfarland1" /><ref name="refugees" /> Parker said he rejects the "''South Park'' Republican" and "''South Park'' conservative" labels, feeling that either tag implies that one only adheres to strictly conservative or liberal viewpoints.<ref name="rs1" /><ref name="theadvocates" /> The duo has in the past reluctantly labeled themselves libertarians and fans of [[Gridlock (politics)|government gridlock]]. In 2006, they said that they were "rooting for [[Hillary Clinton]] in 2008 simply because it would be weird to have her as president".<ref name=ReasonMagazine>{{cite web|url=https://reason.com/archives/2006/08/31/south-park-refugees|title=South Park Refugees|first=John|last=Tierney|date=August 31, 2006|magazine=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|access-date=August 11, 2021|archive-date=January 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115003210/https://reason.com/archives/2006/08/31/south-park-refugees|url-status=live}}</ref>