Claim: South Park has Atoned for Previous Climate Denial Sins

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

ManBearPig is real!

‘South Park’ Review: ‘Time To Get Cereal’ Atones For Past Sins

Dani Di Placido
Nov 8, 2018

The creators of South Park are used to hearing criticism from the perpetually offended. But one of the legitimate grievances aimed at the show, is that South Park often mocks those with good intentions, who use vaguely irritating methods to get their point across.

And it seems that Matt and Trey might actually feel a little guilty? for turning the annoying-but-well-intentioned Gore into a meme. They can’t be blamed for our environmental ignorance, but they certainly didn’t use their platform to help the cause.

So, Gore reveals that ManBearPig is actually a demon, one of those dealmaking ones who always make their target regret their choice. It’s a perfect metaphor for climate change, as we’re all beginning to reel from the effects of the most short-sighted, short-term deal in human history.

The scene in which the creature tears up a restaurant while an annoying climate change denier sits sipping wine, casting doubt on the creature’s existence, is so spot-on it hurts; especially when he finally acknowledges that the creature exists, but that it’s too late to do anything now.

Thankfully, he gets torn to pieces. Another brilliant scene depicts Harrison Yate’s hilarious home life, where he and his wife get into a teary fight over Red Dead Redemption 2 (seriously, how annoying is it when somebody plays over your saved game?). It’s enough to taint the entire save file, and Harrison has to go back to the very beginning, and in an open-world game, that’s a serious time sink.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2018/11/08/south-park-review-time-to-get-cereal-atones-for-past-sins/

Wow, all that from watching a cartoon…

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HotScot
November 11, 2018 1:32 am

Eric

It’s what politicians watch to inform themselves of public opinion.

They don’t watch anything else but that’s beside the point.

E J Zuiderwijk
November 11, 2018 1:34 am

There are two possibilities: either it’s fake news or the makers of South Park have lost the plot.

Sheri
Reply to  E J Zuiderwijk
November 11, 2018 6:54 am

Seems like MOST TV shows have lost the plot and are full-on Democrat, hate Trump video productions. I watch very little TV anymore.

John Darrow
Reply to  Sheri
November 11, 2018 12:41 pm

100%

Sheri
Reply to  E J Zuiderwijk
November 11, 2018 6:56 am

Seems like most TV shows have “lost the plot”.

Marcus
Reply to  Sheri
November 11, 2018 7:38 am

T.V. ? What is a T.V. ?

Reply to  Marcus
November 11, 2018 1:53 pm

It’s all to do with clothes . . . .
[Apparently].

Auto
YMMV, too!

Joe Wagner
Reply to  E J Zuiderwijk
November 11, 2018 3:46 pm

Its South Park. Within a few weeks, they’ll skewer something the Left reveres in a few weeks and be #1 on the Pitchforks and Torches list within no time.

Donald Kasper
November 11, 2018 2:18 am

My take is that manbearpig is the demon that caused Al Gore to lose the presidential election and is not a climate metaphor.

ozspeaksup
Reply to  Donald Kasper
November 11, 2018 3:35 am

i reckon manbearpig is a dig at the Donald

Reply to  ozspeaksup
November 11, 2018 12:08 pm

Manbearpig was invented on south park way before any contemplation of the Trump presidency.
It was also obvious that manbearpig was a reference to global warming, or climate change. watch the episode – it’s a good one…

Reply to  J Philip Peterson
November 11, 2018 1:23 pm

Well you now have to register to watch full episodes of South Park – so I did, and just watched the entire original episode from I believe 2006. I’ll quote Al Gore’s beginning lecture to the kids at South Park HS:

“I’m here to educate you about the single biggest threat to our planet. You see, there is something out there which threatens our very existance, and maybe the end to the human race as we know it. I’m talking of course about manbearpig…………..it is half man, half bear, and half pig…..”

Reply to  J Philip Peterson
November 11, 2018 1:47 pm

Yes, it came out the same year, 2006, and is an obvious satire/spoof on Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” 2006.

BobM
Reply to  Donald Kasper
November 11, 2018 6:07 am

One of the concrete proofs that God exists is that Al Gore lost the presidential election.

Jon Salmi
Reply to  BobM
November 11, 2018 8:14 am

Amen

Ozonebust
Reply to  BobM
November 11, 2018 8:31 am

And look who won. Another intellectual giant who has difficulty putting a complete sentence together.

Pop Piasa
Reply to  Ozonebust
November 11, 2018 8:46 am

…and can’t pronounce the word nuclear.

jbfl
Reply to  Pop Piasa
November 12, 2018 3:44 pm

That’s not a distinction. I don’t think 5% of media personalities can pronounce it. That suggests to me that none of them actually read, but parrot their handlers who parrot gurus who are now lost to time.

mikewaite
Reply to  Ozonebust
November 11, 2018 8:55 am

And yet Gore lost to him.

schitzree
Reply to  Ozonebust
November 11, 2018 9:18 am

Of COURSE ‘Dubya’ was an ignoramus who couldn’t even tie his own shoes. After all, that’s what the Left Stream Media claimed, and how they constantly depicted him. And they would NEVER lie about someone or call them a racist, sexist, homophobe, Nazi, rapist, liar, cheat, thief, fool or ‘colluder’ unless the had absolute proof.

Riiight?

~¿~ (do I need the sarc tag here?)

Gary Pearse
Reply to  Ozonebust
November 12, 2018 9:04 am

Ozone, Yeah, I guess there was a flood of tears when Hillary’s pointed head couldn’t break through the glass ceiling. Unfortunately, appraisal of Trump by the losers is the expected shallow exercise – he’s a boor, yada yada. He proved to be a genius at picking up on what had gone wrong with global politics. If Libs and Rinos don’t get it soon, the neorepublicans will be in power for generations.

Ya see, you don’t have to personally like the guy to appreciate what he does on the job of governing. When I see a fireside chat with a pres in a cardigan I’m on alert.

HotScot
November 11, 2018 2:27 am

The 11th hour, of the 11th Day of the 11th Month approaches in the UK.

Armistice, the moment the guns fell silent marking the end of the First World War.

This, the 100th Anniversary year of that day.

‘Lest We Forget’ means many things to many people but to me it means we should never forget the sacrifices made by so many for the freedom of others. Some maintain the Poppy celebrates war and death. I disagree, I believe it serves as a reminder of the brutality of war and that need to constantly work towards peace.

Spare a thought at 11 am this Remembrance Sunday for those who died, whatever side they were on, traditionally respected in the UK by a minutes silence to reflect.

sunderlandsteve
Reply to  HotScot
November 11, 2018 3:05 am

Just finished listening to the last post at the cenotaph, always moving.
Lest we forget.

Doug Huffman
Reply to  HotScot
November 11, 2018 4:26 am

Remember, recall, the larger historical context of the November Armistice of 1918, like the Bolshevik Revolution mere months before.

Now, today, at the Eightieth Anniversary of Kristallnacht, Rachel Madcow cries “Break The Glass” to her black-hooded Antifa thug troops that are so reminiscent of the Brownshirts. Break The Glass is a bald euphemism of Kristallnacht.

Note that the Antifa have not characterized Trump’s Secret Service as Schutzstaffel

Duane
Reply to  Doug Huffman
November 11, 2018 4:57 am

I see you are getting your news and analysis from InfoWars – the world’s stupidist source of anything.

Really? Antifa belongs to Rachel Madow?

SMH to the cubed power.

No wonder with commentary like this WUWT is forever burdened with way more than its fair share of right wingnuts pretending to understand science.

Stick to the science, folks. Right wingnuttery does the cause of climate skepticism nothing but harm, guilt by association.

Tom Halla
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 5:12 am

Rachael Maddow is beyond parody.

Doug Huffman
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 5:31 am

Well, no, actually I have been preparing my Veterans Day Address as American Legion Post Commander. I make no attempt to a complete argument, just enough to make the skunks show their stripes. I see that yours are Pinko and Yellow, an odd looking skunk, but familiar eristic stench.

For further instance, we are at the Centennial Anniversary also of the Bolshevik Revolution and Martin Luther’s 535-th Birthday.

As to my understanding of science, I am long retired as a nuclear engineer qualified to direct testing operations by NS 0980-028-5000 Manual for Control of Testing and Plant Conditions.

Henry Galt.
Reply to  Doug Huffman
November 11, 2018 6:01 am

Thanks Doug, Duane is served.

Crispin in Waterloo
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 6:03 am

Duane, are you saying the Right understands science and the Left doesn’t?

In terms of politically slanted news sources, I find none of their writers understand much science, the same as the general population.

I find the same about drive-by hacks growing blunt darts. Climate science is like a buffet where almost everything served floats in a bowl of cherries.

South Park is two Canadians who tell the world what we Canuks secretly think about the topics of the day and the idiotic typical reactions to them by, especially, the effete and enslaved post-modern minds.

Manbearpig is symbolic of much more than something to do with the climate. The social fabric is being destroyed by the exceptionalist attitude which holds that everyone else has to follow ‘my’ newly imagined rules for living, but “I am clever and have a way to ‘score’ because of my superior strength/ smarts/ youthful good looks/ money/ preparation/ education/ virtue/ good intentions.”

As arrogance and ignorance tears the old world to pieces, they stand in denial, and then say it is too late to do anything about it, go with the flow. They are right. It is too late for THEM to do anything about it because to ‘do something’ you have to already be aware that the world is changing permanently. It may be warmer or colder but that it not the change South Park is warning is about. Antifa (etc) takes itself far too seriously. It is not dangerous, the attitude is.

R Shearer
Reply to  Crispin in Waterloo
November 11, 2018 9:08 am

I thought South Park was set in Colorado. The creator’s graduated from CU Boulder.

Nick
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 6:16 am

The only nut I see here is you, Duane.

I have 2 STEM degrees from ISU and University of Illinois. I have actually done modeling.

I will keep my own counsel instead of that of Maddow (Public Policy Degree) and Gore (a failed reverend and who earned a D in science).

So many predictions have failed to materialize. We had the pause. We were also told that if CO2 goes beyond 400 ppm that we were doomed. No one in China, Russia, or India are acting like they are doomed. They are building more coal plants.

Duane maybe you ought to get off your duff and fly to China and see how much consuming is going on out there. See how many cars there are and how many power plants.

Just a word of warning Duane (you need the tip as you do not seem too bright). If you visit too many power plants, the police will talk to you.

Gudolpops
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 6:27 am

Duane your bathtub you’re duowning…

2hotel9
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 7:42 am

antifa is fascism.

leitmotif
Reply to  2hotel9
November 11, 2018 7:56 am

What we need is antiantifa.

2hotel9
Reply to  leitmotif
November 11, 2018 8:17 am

We already do, and it is time to start using it against these America hating, fascist thugs.

MarkW
Reply to  Duane
November 11, 2018 10:49 am

Left wingers are by definition nuts, since they believe in things that have been proven false.
Regardless, it really is amazing how these left wingers whine everytime one of their idols is denigrated.

Reply to  MarkW
November 11, 2018 1:58 pm

“Left wingers are by definition nuts, since they believe in things that have been proven false.”

How is that different from those who believe in things that can’t be proven?

beng135
Reply to  Duane
November 12, 2018 8:34 am

Right wingnuttery

Now as always but always covered up/lied about, is that for every right wingnut, there are 1000 left-wing kooks.

“Look at the squirrel!!!” (pointing out the window) when a 1500 lb grizzly bear baring its teeth is standing in your living room.

jbfl
Reply to  Doug Huffman
November 12, 2018 3:58 pm

One of the few brightspots is knowing the fate of the brownshirts. Then, unfortunately, things go south in a hurry.

tonyb
Editor
Reply to  HotScot
November 11, 2018 7:17 am

Hot Scot

I visited the service at Torquay where there were vast crowds attending. As usual the procession was led by the Scots playing their bagpipes. Always a stirring site and a reminder of how much the home nations need each other

tonyb

Tom Abbott
Reply to  tonyb
November 12, 2018 8:25 am

I love the Pipes!

commieBob
Reply to  HotScot
November 11, 2018 7:31 am

Some maintain the Poppy celebrates war and death. I disagree, I believe it serves as a reminder of the brutality of war and that need to constantly work towards peace.

Most people have no clue. Vets don’t tend to talk about their war experience to their families. I knew WW1 veterans when I was young. I never knew about the horrors of trench warfare until I was an adult and read about it in detail.

“War is hell” is just words. I don’t know how we educate people to understand its meaning. I think, for most people, poppies neither glorify war nor do they remind them of the brutality of war.

Most of us have lived lives unscarred by the ravages of war. If poppies do anything, it should be to remind us of how grateful we should be.

damp
Reply to  commieBob
November 11, 2018 8:22 am

“War is evil, and it is often the lesser evil.” – George Orwell

Russ Wood
Reply to  damp
November 13, 2018 2:25 am

G K Chesterton had it: “War is not ‘the best way of settling differences’ it is the only way of preventing their being settled for you.”.

Crispin in Waterloo
Reply to  commieBob
November 11, 2018 8:29 am

One of those who wrote as a way of sharing was my great uncle. It is 580 pages that describes the madness.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28804724-four-years-on-the-western-front-november-1914—november-1918

“Originally published under the pseudonym of “a Rifleman” in 1922, “Four Years on the Western Front” is a classic private’s memoir from the First World War; conspicuously absent from Smith’s account however is his own awarding of the Military Medal in 1917, and subsequent Bar in 1918.

“Aubrey Smith (1893-1935) served four years with the London Rifle Brigade. After the war he left Europe and moved to China where he became a prominent businessman as well as playing the piano in the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra. He died in Hong Kong at the age of 42.”

Reply to  Crispin in Waterloo
November 11, 2018 10:59 pm

Thank you, sir – marked for acquisition when funds permit.

Chris Dynak
Reply to  commieBob
November 12, 2018 2:00 pm

Amen.

Randy Stubbings
Reply to  HotScot
November 11, 2018 8:38 am

In honour of the day, make a donation to a veteran’s food bank, hospital, PTSD recovery program, or something similar. Fighting climate change alarmists is important, but it’s nothing compared to the fights many veterans have been in, or the fights many of them are still in to return to normalcy.

Tom Abbott
Reply to  HotScot
November 12, 2018 8:08 am

“Spare a thought at 11 am this Remembrance Sunday for those who died, whatever side they were on, traditionally respected in the UK by a minutes silence to reflect.”

Lafayette, we are here!

sunderlandsteve
November 11, 2018 3:07 am

Just finished listening to the last post at the cenotaph, always moving.
Lest we forget.

Sunderlandsteve
Reply to  sunderlandsteve
November 11, 2018 3:11 am

I hate it when I double post!

November 11, 2018 3:16 am

“The scene in which the creature tears up a restaurant while an annoying climate change denier sits sipping wine, casting doubt on the creature’s existence, is so spot-on it hurts; especially when he finally acknowledges that the creature exists, but that it’s too late to do anything now.”

This does nothing to imply CAGW climate change is a problem.

That the author claims this wine sipper gets torn apart fails to change the message. As CAGW climate change fanatics are the violent ones who most desire to tear apart skeptical persons.

Especially, where they claim the skeptic is sipping wine.
Not an image anyone gets when discussing practical common sense skeptics.

That does conjure an image of the dilettantes and elites who support, distantly, authoritarian claims and gross assumptions of delusional manbearpigs.

At which point, “Thankfully, he gets torn to pieces”, becomes astonishingly apropos.
Because this is then a description of the hatred and violence that occurs when one of the CAGW climate change supporters begins to wake up and asks skeptical questions.

A process of character and career destruction that has been excitedly carried about by deluded manbearpigs multiple times.

“Thankfully, he gets torn to pieces. Another brilliant scene depicts Harrison Yate’s hilarious home life, where he and his wife get into a teary fight over Red Dead Redemption 2 (seriously, how annoying is it when somebody plays over your saved game?). It’s enough to taint the entire save file, and Harrison has to go back to the very beginning, and in an open-world game, that’s a serious time sink.”

Ah yes, such a perfect reason to have a “teary fight” between couples… Not!

Another portrait that fits the CAGW deluded far better than it fits the skeptical.

PS Skeptics certainly drink and enjoy wine. Painting them as unaffected “wine sippers” in restaurants is appropriate! Skeptics tend to be the people who enjoy their foods and liquids heartedly. dilettantes and elites “sip”.

Reply to  ATheoK
November 11, 2018 3:31 am

” “wine sippers” in restaurants is appropriate!”

My mistyping, should be: “Skeptics certainly drink and enjoy wine. Painting them as unaffected wine sippers” in restaurants is inappropriate!”.

Reply to  ATheoK
November 11, 2018 9:11 am

You speak for all skeptics? Didn’t know that.

MarkW
Reply to  Jeff Alberts
November 11, 2018 10:54 am

We took a vote, he won.

Reply to  MarkW
November 11, 2018 2:00 pm

Secret vote. Cool. I voted no wine.

ozspeaksup
November 11, 2018 3:37 am

not that i own a tv anyway but i did sometimes watch sthpk
not again

BobM
Reply to  ozspeaksup
November 11, 2018 6:17 am

Can honestly say I’ve never watched South Park. It’s about Canadians?

Reply to  BobM
November 11, 2018 9:07 am

Some shows are, eh.

Hugs
November 11, 2018 3:53 am

“Opens the Parental Control. Blocks Gore.”

Tom Halla
November 11, 2018 4:42 am

Given the history of South Park, I wonder if this is a sincere backdown on mocking Algore. I haven’t seen the new episode, but it might very well be the sort of apology that has fangs.

Pumpsump
November 11, 2018 4:44 am

South Park should continue to take a bitterly acerbic view on any viewpoint, irrespective of whether we agree or not, wouldn’t want it any other way. Even if this is a dig at climate denialism (a false term, as we all know), just take it on the chin and enjoy the joke. The writers have pretty much exhausted gags about self-proclaimed liberals (read as left leaning authoritarians) and their faux ideology – it’s just too obvious and they are such an easy target!

john
November 11, 2018 4:56 am

Eric Cartman is now a CFR member…

https://www.cfr.org/blog/fate-ocean-our-ocean-conference

Peter Morris
November 11, 2018 5:40 am

I can remember when Forbes was a respectable supplier of useful information about the financial industry.

Sad that so much of it is just a gossip rag now.

The Iconoclast
November 11, 2018 5:54 am

It’s a multi-part episode and only the first one has played so far, so we don’t know where it’s going yet. It would be hard to watch the first episode and not think they are still mocking Gore relentlessly.

George Daddis
November 11, 2018 6:40 am

…..as we’re all beginning to reel from the effects of the most short-sighted, short-term deal in human history

This comes close to a form of the logical fallacy of “begging the question”; burying the conclusion you are trying to push forward as an accepted assumption within your argument.

This misdirection is often effective; how many comments on this thread have disputed that assumption? But unchallenged, an objective reader, new to the subject can be fooled into accepting such a statement as fact.

Martin557
Reply to  George Daddis
November 11, 2018 7:52 am

I disagree with the “legitimate grievance” part.

November 11, 2018 7:13 am

Have not watched South Park in ages but My money is on the writers.
Forbes?
They are still around?
Thought they and MacLeans had faded away years ago.
Most likely part three is being written right now,using the information from trolling the likes of this “Forbes Scribe”

November 11, 2018 7:16 am

This is likely OT but I’ve often wondered why the South Park cartoons are drawn in such a crude and childish way? Were they unable to find artists who could actually draw cartoon characters?

Michael Jankowski
Reply to  Rick
November 11, 2018 7:45 am

Really?

john
Reply to  Rick
November 11, 2018 9:16 am

I wondered the same thing for about 10 seconds. Then I realized how sharp the wit is. Possibly the smartest show on television. Beats the hell out of what passes for news.

Sandyb
Reply to  Rick
November 11, 2018 9:33 am

It should be obvious they are not drawn. What it is is masterfully arranged paper cut outs.

Reply to  Sandyb
November 11, 2018 5:51 pm

“What it is is masterfully arranged paper cut outs”
OK thanks for that. I guess I have a queer sense of taste but I don’t watch it because I don’t care for the way it looks. I’ve never considered the content but anything that makes fun of hypocrite Al Gore is fine by me.

2hotel9
November 11, 2018 7:51 am

I saw it, all I got was SP relentlessly ridiculing Algore:The Goreacle and all the other environtards. And for the record, I love Be’ellzaboot and Canadoe! That episode should be required in economics curricula in all highschool and college econ courses.

Michael Jankowski
November 11, 2018 7:54 am

They are equal-opportunity offenders and are not bound to any set laws, rules, or consistency. For example, they devoted an entire episode to Mormons being duped into a fake-religion (mostly a musical with “dumb” used over-and-over)…yet had Mormons declared the “correct” religion in another episode within the same season or two.

Much ado about nothing.

Greg Pearson
November 11, 2018 8:52 am

“Thankfully, he gets torn to pieces. Another brilliant scene depicts Harrison Yates hilarious home life, where he and his wife get into a teary fight over Red Dead Redemption 2 (seriously, how annoying is it when somebody plays over your saved game?)”

That tells you all you need to know about their mentality: Rejoicing in the depiction of somebody being “torn to pieces” while lamenting somebody ruining their video game.

Good grief

Pop Piasa
November 11, 2018 9:03 am

“Eric, do you want some Cheesy Poofs, too?” 👩

Bruce Cobb
November 11, 2018 11:38 am

The Climate Believer critic is simply reading into it what he wants to see. Chances are though, that he is only deluding himself.

November 11, 2018 12:15 pm

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/tom-joyce/2018/11/08/south-park-flips-global-warming-al-gore-right-manbearpig

in comments I posted that I disagree,
*************
maybe just me but seemed to be satire against all involved. especially gore who not only knew how to control satan but reverted to showing clips of his election loss, etc.
plus manbearpig killings were called school shootings all throughout.
look, they exist to tweak everyone. and they do.
don’t read too much into it.
**************

as stated they exist to tweak everyones buttons and it works.

Patrick MJD
November 11, 2018 2:06 pm

Really like to Watch South Park story writers really do push boundaries, esp about a prophet who will remain nameless, and manbearpig, 50% man, 50% bear and 50% pig. I think Al is definitely 50% man and 50% pig.

Craig from Oz
November 11, 2018 4:15 pm

Wait? So now South Park has an established continuity?

The show that found it’s feet on the ‘You Killed Kenny!’ running joke now has a canon continuity that maintains a one true dialogue?

Slow news day at Forbes, one thinks.

Taphonomic
November 12, 2018 7:42 am

This article by Forbes is the second one I’ve seen that jumps to the conclusion that Southpark has gone pro-AGW. Revealing ManBearPig as a demon does not mean they believe in global warming, This show seems to be the first part of a multipart series. Ending with the boys being carted off to jail and Stan’s grandfather apparently the one who made the deal with the demon does not seem like a typical ending.

I’m super cereal about this but I have to go play Red Dead Redemption II. All of us people playing video games ought to make for a big carbon footprint.

Drew
November 16, 2018 4:38 pm

You would have to be delusional not to see that Manbearpig is a metaphor for AGW. These two episodes are basically an apology for Parker and Stone’s doubting AGW in the past. I think otherwise is plain denial 😉

2hotel9
Reply to  Drew
November 16, 2018 6:44 pm

Really? You obviously did not watch either. What a f**king putz.

Drew
Reply to  2hotel9
November 23, 2018 3:53 pm

Oh believe me, I watched them.

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