Reception Theory- South Park

South Park is an American adult animated comedy that shows on Comedy Central. The television show revolves around four boys; Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny, who live in the town of South Park in Colorado. Each episode exploits a different occurrence in the town, ranging from the typical town nonsense to the unexplained and completely supernatural. 

South Park, despite being enjoyed by many, is primarily aimed at people in there late teens (Due to the fact that the show has an 18+ rating) to their early thirties. Males are predominantly the target gender for South Park due to the fact that, not only are the majority of the main cast male, but also that a large percentage of the jokes used are more targeted towards a male viewer than a female. In relation to peoples ideologies, the show is not aimed at people who have a high level of faith, disregarding the type of religion, or who are easily offended by minorities- including homosexuals, gingers and the handicapped- being discriminated against, as this is what the show is famous for. The lifestyle category of the viewer is most likely to be placed in, is either 'Drifters' or 'Dropouts' because like many cartoon comedy series, it is not necessary to have seen every episode in order to enjoy the show. This would be ideal for dropouts as no real commitment is needed with a show like South Park, but in a 22-minute episode there is lots of entertainment to offer.  Also each episode features a variety of different occurrences so the Drifters can come and go as they please if one episode is not to their liking.  

The writers of South Park set out to do many things when creating the show. Matt Stone and Trey Parker have created this show, in my opinion, not to be offensive (which is the common opinion) but to draw attention and highlight the stupidest of people in society in an entertaining way. Each episode, especially in recent seasons, tends to focus on a current fad or event and they use their well-known characters to exploit these topics and reveal their opinions. The episodes are written and created in a very short time span and aired shortly after which allows for the topics covered to be as current as possible. The preferred reading of their text would be the understanding of what the writers are trying to do, by highlighting certain beliefs and ideologies and trying to present them in a new light while mocking and commonly making a joke out of them. For example, an episode in which they discussed presenting the prophet Mohamed caused a large amount of controversy and even warranted death threats. While this offended many people, I believe that this was not the aim of the writers and the preferred reading of this text would have wanted to show the feelings and opinions revolved around simply showing a religious figure. The audience would understand their intent and find it amusing and funny while understanding that this is actually how people think.

The oppositional reading for South Park will understand the creator’s intent but not agree with it or the way a topic was presented. For the example I used earlier, the oppositional reading for that episode would of allowed the viewer to understand that the writers were not trying to be overly offensive but simply present a real life occurrence and belief in an entertaining way, but they would still reject the ideas. The oppositional view would reflect the idea that the writers should not have exploited such a sensitive subject and that the way in which they did it was un-tasteful and offensive despite their original intents. People who are very active in the Muslim religion would most likely take the oppositional reading of a show like South Park. Not simply because they discussed showing the face of Muhammad, but also due to the crude and often harsh vide of the show in general and the way they approach these topics. 

A persons situated culture may cause the viewer to have a negotiated view of South Park, the viewer would not see the creators intentional message and view the show in a different light. If the audience member is of an older generation they may not agree with the way the adults are depicted in the show, as they are usually the most naive and idiotic when compared to the younger characters. They would not understands the writers intent behind this decision and may be unpleased with the way their age group is presented as they are nothing like these characters. If a viewer is female, they may be outraged by some of the sexist jokes and story-lines that are included in the show and this would incline them not to watch the show. Throughout the show, a large selection of the jokes and plot lines are focussed on bashing or ripping apart a certain celebrity or celebrity culture in general. If a viewer is very respectful of a certain actors/musician/celebrities work, they may be very insulted by their depiction in South Park which would blind them of the preferred reading for the text.

Viewers could use South Park to fulfil their media needs in many ways. Firstly, the show offers viewers a source of entertainment. South Park is primarily a comedy for entertainment purposes, the wide range of unusual character and outlandish plot lines, allows for the show to be constantly enjoyable and very rarely predictable. The constant hazing throughout the show may also, if you have a preferred reading, cause many laughs and amusement for the viewer. Secondly, as South Park is written and aired in a way that allows it to cover extremely current topics, it is a source of information for people watching. From political views to current celebrity scandals, there is very much that is avoided on the show which gives the viewer a constant insight into the happening in the world while also giving them a, usually, controversial view on the topic. A persons personal identity may be challenged by a show like South Park due to the fact that a topic may be exploited that may change a persons opinion on a certain aspect of life or a certain icon. Lastly, a largely popular and controversial show like South Park, would allow the viewer to social interact and discuss episodes with their friends or colleges. Also, the show gives the viewer a lot of information and an insight into current world affairs which may make way for interesting conversation to bloom between people in their everyday life.