# Did Cartman say what I thought he said? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2002, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999 "2002-04-11T07:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/1 "2002-04-11T07:26:48Z")
On South Park (Wednesday 04-10-02) when they were looking for a new friend to replace Kenny, I could have sworn that during the rose hand out scene Cartman said “The rest of you, thanks for coming. Now get the fuck out”.:eek: Did he say that on prime time television, or did I hear wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/2 "2002-04-11T07:55:30Z")
It sounded like “fudge” to me. I didn’t think they had language restrictions on CC anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/3 "2002-04-11T09:29:01Z")
Sounded like “fuck” to me. Unless I’m suffering a moment of delirium, I seem to remember them saying it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/4 "2002-04-11T10:21:22Z")
I also am 99% positive he was saying “fudge.” He said it quickly, so it sounded worse. But hey, they did have an episode where “Shit” was said over 100 times. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/5 "2002-04-11T11:07:21Z")
Comedy Central is a cable station just like HBO correct? As such, they have no responsibility to censor any of their shows even though I do notice that they dub over most naughty words in movies shown during the day. Because the appeal of South Park hinges on the fact that it is so obscene and shocking, I have no doubt that they have said “Fuck” and every other bad word on many different episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/6 "2002-04-11T12:21:10Z")
I thought he said “fuck” too at first, but then he was clearly saying “fudge” later, so I’ll bet it was fudge from the beginning. They made such a big deal when they said “shit”, I doubt they’d just start saying “fuck” without a bunch of fanfare. ---
**Author:** ![Enigma42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/87869e/32.png) [@Enigma42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enigma42)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/7 "2002-04-11T12:49:37Z")
I too thought he said “Get the f— out. . .” at first. I was reading at the same time as watching the show, so I wasn’t sure. I immediately backed it up (I have a ReplayTv device) and listened a couple of times, and he definately said “fudge”. But he said it _very_ quickly, and not very clearly. I think they were trying to get exactly the effect that they did. They wanted us to be surprised and wonder if he said what we thought he did. Later on in the show, it was a little clearer that he was saying “fudge” though. Anyway, there have been several times when I’m pretty sure that Kenny said the F-word and they relied on the muffled effect to get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Balor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Balor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/8 "2002-04-11T13:46:19Z")
I wonder why this matters. South Park is an adult animation series. In Ireland and in the UK it is shown late at night on broadcast stations as well as cable and satellite. If its audience is adult, who cares if it Cartman says the word “fuck”? Why fudge this by saying “fudge” ? Is American TV is highly censored for “bad language”? I have never watched much of it, as it seems to be low quality, boring stuff. Over here, late at night you can have nudity and bad language, so long as it is limited. Regulators only clamp down if obscenity goes too far towards porn or if it is the point of the programme rather than incidental to it. There is something more important to discuss. Is it correct that the first use of the word “fuck” in a live TV broadcast was in the 1970’s on the Irish Television programme the Late Late Show, by Christy Brown, the paraplegic author? (He wrote “Down All the Days” which was made into a movie a few years back.) Can anyone suggest an earlier instance? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/9 "2002-04-11T14:01:05Z")
Cartman said “fudge.” It ties back to an earlier episode, “Chef’s Chocolate Salty Balls,” where Chef tries to see his new line of cookies during the South Park Film Festival: [ul][li]Fudge 'Ems[/li][li]Fudge This[/li][li]Go Fudge Yourself[/li][li]I Don’t Really Give a Flying Fudge[/li][li]I Just Went And Fudged Your Momma![/ul][/li]I’m pretty sure that “fuck” is still not permitted on broadcast TV or basic cable. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/10 "2002-04-11T14:04:51Z")
While I don’t have cable, I do have all of the South Park DVDs, and I’m willing to bet they didn’t say it, as that word is bleeped out in all the episodes I’ve seen on DVD. Only in the movie have I ever heard it said without a bleep. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/11 "2002-04-11T14:22:45Z")
I saw the episode, and Cartman says “fudge” dozens of times. But I’m pretty sure that ONCE, only once, Cartman “slipped” and said the real cuss word, rather than fudge. If I had the show on tape, I might find that I misheard, and that he only said “fudge.” But I suspect that Parker and Stone deliberately had Cartman say “fudge” repeatedly just so they could sneak in the F-bomb. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/12 "2002-04-11T15:16:46Z")
There are no restrictions on cable. The only reason it’s censored is because of the advertisers. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/13 "2002-04-11T15:20:13Z")
Are the advertisers the reasons why whenever CC shows a movie like “Stripes,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Bull Durham,” etc., all of the “naughty language” is dubbed out? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/14 "2002-04-11T15:50:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*There are no restrictions on cable. The only reason it’s censored is because of the advertisers. \*\* Cite? With the exception of the “shit” episode of South Park, I’ve almost never heard anything stronger than damn on basic cable. Although I haven’t reasearched the subject, I do have a friend in broadcasting who told me (some years ago) that the FCC will fine you for cussing on TV just as they’re always fining Howard Stern for cussing on the radio. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/15 "2002-04-11T16:45:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*There are no restrictions on cable. The only reason it’s censored is because of the advertisers. \*\* Nope. The FCC restricts “obscene and indecent” material on radio, television and basic cable television. [From the FCC’s website](http://www.fcc.gov/mb/enf/forms/indecs.html): **Obscene material** > [@](#): > > Obscene speech is not protected by the First Amendment and may not be broadcast at any time. To be obscene, material must meet a > three-prong test: (1) an average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to > the prurient interest; (2) the material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by > applicable law; and (3) the material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. **Indecent material** > [@](#): > > The Commission has defined broadcast indecency as language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently > offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities. > Indecent programming contains sexual or excretory references that do not rise to the level of obscenity. As such, indecent material is > protected by the First Amendment and cannot be banned entirely. It may, however, be restricted in order to avoid its broadcast during > times of day when there is a reasonable risk that children may be in the audience. Consistent with existing court decisions in this area, > the Commission currently prohibits the airing of indecent material between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/16 "2002-04-11T16:51:45Z")
Incidentally, [here’s where I found the link above](http://www.fcc.gov/mb/). > [@](#): > > The Media Bureau develops, recommends and administers the policy and licensing programs relating to electronic media, including **cable television** , broadcast television, and radio in the United States and its territories. The Media Bureau also handles post-licensing matters regarding Direct Broadcast Satellite service. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/17 "2002-04-11T16:57:30Z")
**Kamandi** , I don’t see anything in that link or your cite that mentions Cable TV at all, or differentiates between basic and premium channels. I tend to agree with **SmackFu** ; I believe that cable is censored only because of the advertisers. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/18 "2002-04-11T19:16:06Z")
After listening to it again on video tape, I now concur that he is saying “fudge”. However, when it was playing the first time on t.v., and I wasn’t watching/listening very closely, it really did sound like f\*ck. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/19 "2002-04-11T20:12:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shagnasty \* > \*\*I have no doubt that they have said “Fuck” and every other bad word on many different episodes. \*\* They have never clearly said “fuck” in an episode of South Park. However, in the bin Laden episode, you can pretty easily make out Kenny saying “No fuckin’ way dude” when they ask if he can keep the goat at his house. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999/20 "2002-04-11T20:27:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Running with Scissors \* > **Kamandi, I don’t see anything in that link or your cite that mentions Cable TV at all, or differentiates between basic and premium channels.** My post immediately above yours specifically mentions that the FCC’s Media Bureau includes cable television in the media it oversees. The link and quoted material about obscene and indecent material (from my first post) is linked directly from the [Media Bureau web page](http://www.fcc.gov/mb/) (right side of page, under MB Fact Sheets, “Obscene and Indecent Broadcasts”). Elsewhere on the FCC’s site it’s made pretty clear (at least to me) that the FCC considers cable subject to the same rules that cover broadcast TV and radio. For example, [here](http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/broadcast.html) is a FAQ page dealing with broadcast TV and cable. It has an enlightening quote: > [@](#): > > FCC rules generally do not govern the selection of programming that is broadcast. The main exceptions are: restrictions on indecent programming, limits on the number of commercials aired during children’s programming, and rules involving candidates for public office. Admittedly, I couldn’t find anything on the FCC’s site that specifically differentiated basic cable (like Comedy Central) from “pay” cable channels like HBO and Playboy. Clearly, those channels are treated differently. Isn’t it true that these channels are scrambled, and need a decoder device (and a subscription) to watch them? This must be sufficient to get past the restrictions on obscene and indecent content. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cartman-say-what-i-thought-he-said/102999.md?page=2)