Edgy Cartoons

Some of the most popular cartoons today are notorious for their use of stereotypes and satire in the media. I have been watching South Park since the sixth grade and I can recall dozens of episodes with hilarious yet edgy stereotypes used. One of my favorites is Camp Tolerance where the four boys teacher Mr. Garrison; who is gay, brings in a T.A. named Mr. Slave; a gay extremist, in a relentless attempt to get fired by the school board. He is doing this because of a recent event where a gay teacher in Colorado was recently fired then sued and received a huge amount of money. Mr. Garrison does everything he possibly can to get fired and fails but in the process the stereotypes of gay men are dragged out and exaggerated to the hilt. There are many other characters in South Park that portray stereotypes but the show has a higher level maturity rating suggestion for viewers than a comparable show such as Family Guy. Family guy has less of a maturity rating suggestion and does the same exaggerated stereotypes and satire. This show is newer and may be more popular and my concerns are that the younger generations can turn on the T.V. and view multiple cartoons at any given time that have very controversial content. I think this is the perfect recipe for a twisted perspective on the other human beings and over my lifetime I have noticed that this type of satire has gotten more and more controversial. Where is this going and when will it be too far out there that people actually think the episodes are damaging.