I think this analysis is completely off. They are not reactionary, they are antagonists towards those with power and who take themselves too seriously: Parents (esp. in the minds of children), Politicians, Celebrities.
That's not 'apathetic' and not 'nihilist' (from the article).
That they've done 20 years of such things and the only 'really wrong' thing they will have done is 'Man Bear Pig' is not bad - especially in the 00's when there was still a lot of popular debate about Climate Change. FYI Al Gore's wife, Tipper Gore, is why you see 'Parental Advisory Stickers' on music, which I don't care about but 'antagonists' will perceive that as a problem.
The Washington Post article is wrong to suggest that 'South Park' created any kind of trolling attitude. The Author is part of the group of those who 'take themselves too seriously' and can't grasp that. That the author was 'trolled' is an artifact of anything popular these days. Sports Journalists are trolled by Ronaldo fans because they say 'Messi is good'.
FYI: I should add they describe themselves as 'punk' in the article and that label fits well: it's not political, it's visceral, and if anything a shade anarchist, though their politics lean 'libertarian' as they have noted some time ago.
I also think the analysis is completely off. South Park has always spent much more time making fun of the status quo than of those pushing for change.
South Park is reactionary when rich white people have decided to take up a cause that they previously ignored. It makes fun of the self-serving, hypocritical actions of those in charge, not of the change itself.
That's not 'apathetic' and not 'nihilist' (from the article).
That they've done 20 years of such things and the only 'really wrong' thing they will have done is 'Man Bear Pig' is not bad - especially in the 00's when there was still a lot of popular debate about Climate Change. FYI Al Gore's wife, Tipper Gore, is why you see 'Parental Advisory Stickers' on music, which I don't care about but 'antagonists' will perceive that as a problem.
The Washington Post article is wrong to suggest that 'South Park' created any kind of trolling attitude. The Author is part of the group of those who 'take themselves too seriously' and can't grasp that. That the author was 'trolled' is an artifact of anything popular these days. Sports Journalists are trolled by Ronaldo fans because they say 'Messi is good'.
FYI: I should add they describe themselves as 'punk' in the article and that label fits well: it's not political, it's visceral, and if anything a shade anarchist, though their politics lean 'libertarian' as they have noted some time ago.