In 1998, a 12-year-old boy committed suicide by placing a plastic bag over his head and sealing it with masking tape and a tightened drawstring cord. The boy left a suicide note that informed his parents they should watch the popular animated comedy, South Park, if they wanted to learn why he killed himself. Peggy Charren, found of Action for Children’s Television (ACT), stated “This is a warning to all of us who care about what children watch on TV” (Boy 47A).
South Park is a popular animated comedy featuring four foul-mouthed third graders who often swear, fart, make jokes targeting blacks, Jews, and homosexuals. One of the gang, the white trash Kenny, dies in each episode with the other boys always saying “Oh my God, they killed Kenny! You bastards!” Kenny is killed violently in every episode but the violence seldom begins or ends there. In a recent episode of the show the boys from South Park elementary school make it to the dodge ball National Championships. The episode begins by showing the boys in gym class preparing to play dodge ball. They do not want to play because “it hurts.” A European boy named Pip is among them. The first time one of the boys throws the ball at the other team, a player is knocked down and cries. The second shot knocks down a girl who appears unconscious. After being called a “Frenchy Frog” by Kyle, Pip hits him with the ball though they are on the same team. Kyle receives a bloody nose and must go to the school nurse.
After a subplot that involves the community sponsoring an awareness campaign for the nurse who suffers from Conjoint Twin Myslexia (she has a dead fetus growing out of the side of her head), we cut to another gym class. This time, we only see one person hit, a girl who is again knocked unconscious to the ground while the boys laugh themselves silly. It is here we learn they have been invited to play in the state finals against
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