I’m bowing out without trying to get any more points across seeing as how this is CS and this is getting away from the show.
I think some people need to loosen their tinfoil hats a little bit. South Park has always had a tradition of making fun of people who are offended by things, and by using hyperbole and satire to point out the absurdity in taking certain issues too seriously.
Wishes South Park did an episode about the Straight Dope Message Board
Hmmm … this show featured a Giant Douche who was running for elected office … and Kerry’s running mate is named John Edwards.
Coincidence? Or … conspiracy!
I don’t think we can within the rules of cafe society. But there are many of us who see both candidates as deeply flawed, although in different ways. We end up voting for the lesser of two evils and that is not a very good feeling. I’ve made my choice and I will be voting in this election but I can easily imagine an election in which I found all candidates so repulsive that I would not vote for any of them. If only Nader and Perot were running why should I feel compelled to vote for either of them if I strongly feel that both are against everything that I am for?
Fuck it, I’m voting for FDR. Now * there* was a great president!
Anyone got a shovel?
Totally enjoyed the episode because this voter is sick of the ramblings of both parties and I think some of us here need some sort of comic relief with the 100’s if not 1000’s of partisan threads here on the SDMB. Dangerous? Hardly. You all know I loved PETA’s part of the episode. “Vote or Die” was pretty good too.
“Hey we can be the Cows again!”
Forget about whether it discourages people from voting, it just wasn’t all that funny. Both candidates suck…brilliant :rolleyes:. Sending the message not to vote a few days before the election…what rebels. Not even the PETA stuff was as funny as could’ve been. I think “facile” was the right word. This may be my least favorite episode.
Yes I do!
*Gobear and Blackclaw run off to create a zombie president. *
And here I thought the argument would be over whether a turd sandwich or a giant douche really is better. I vote Douche. *
*No, I don’t mean I vote Kerry. Really, I’d rather have the Douche mascot. It would have been better than that stupid Viking we had.
Duh!! I was in the other room and I figured that out when I heard him talk about the horse he rode in on. 
Hey I started an “I’m not voting” thread.
Dude…lighten up.
Dude, if it were just this episode, I would lighten up. But Matt and Trey have been going on and on about this topic in interviews lately…basically trying to talk people out of voting.
I like their comedy, generally, but when they start in on this crap it annoys the hell out of me. Why encourage ignorance and non-participation?
You’re the person that episode is poking fun at. What do you care if people vote or not? What does it matter if 50% of the voters don’t show up? It’s still going to come down to Bush or Kerry. That’s the point of the episode. I don’t want to turn this into a GD or anything but if it’s the apathetic 50% who can barely make it off the couch who are going to turn the tide, I’d just assume they stay at home.
Besides, I’m willing to bet that Southpark has enough “crap” to annoy just about everyone at one time or another.
When Stan voted for the Turd Sandwich but the Douche won he remarked that his vote didn’t count. His father said something along the lines of “just because your candidate didn’t win doesn’t mean your vote didn’t count”. How is this attempting to discourage people from voting? Just the opposite, I’d say.
Of course they had to go back to being the cows (hence the, "now your vote doesn’t count) remark, because, let’s face it, even the guys who graced us with a druggie towel and a talking poo are not going to let South Park’s mascot stay a douche.
Maybe I’m just not reading enough into it?
I do believe that’s the entire point of the show 
I’m a tad curious about this myself. Not criticizing, curious. Don’t you think that the more important call to action than “Get out and vote” would be “Take in interest in politics because it really does matter?” If you had to choose between having 25 people who were learned on the issues vote versus 50 people completely ignorant on the issues, which group would you choose? I’m not saying the other 25 can’t vote, but rather wouldn’t because they didn’t really care.
No shit.
And because the South Park guys poke fun at something they must be right?
(Lead us, oh wise comedians… We cannot form opinions without your input…)
I found this episode, like most of South Park episodes, funny. Entertaining. Something to make me chuckle and sometimes outright laugh for a half-hour. That’s why I watch it.
I get my political information from what the candidates say, what their respective parties distribute, watch the debates on televison.
I don’t think people will vote one way or another just because some cartoonists say to. And if there are people that vote (or, in this case, choose not to) that way, I don’t think the Republic will collapse. Even if the amount of voters drop to below 50% for a national election, that won’t make the Republicans or Democrats change the way they do business. That just gives them a smaller demographic to aim for, making their jobs easier.
I have to agree. It’s particularly annoying in that they lambaste celebrity activists for their simple-minded politics and then they go one rung lower with “Yeah, it’s all fucked, just ignore it.” They would effectively ensure we never have anything but douches or shit sandwiches to select from ever; way to be a part of the problem, guys. Seriously, there should be a South Park episode to skewer them in this regard. I guess they got theirs, though, so what do they care.
Well, it may not be what they were getting at, but there are always people who justify their non-voting by claiming that their guy is going to lose anyway, so why bother. If you favor one candidate over the other, then you should vote in the hope that it will help your guy win. You won’t know until the results were in, and you have nothing to lose by voting for your preferred candidate.
Personally, I hope everyone who has a firm preference casts a vote. Whoever wins, I don’t want to hear a lot of griping from the other side about how the results don’t really reflect what the American people really want. I want an accurate tally, whichever way it goes.
(And CandidGamera, good point about randomness.)
Just got to watch this eppy for the first time last night. ROTFLMAO It was probably even better seeing it for the first time now that the election is over. I just about had a coronary when the giant douche stepped out from behind the screen and started dancing.