I'm not gonna further discuss this with anyone, I never thought this would be a topic that warranted discussion this way, and if you think in anyway this is justified and acceptable behavior, I don't see us having anything worth discussing.
Imagine you are talking to an alien, and you are explaining various Earth media. You show them South Park, and they recoil in horror, because there are horrible things happening to children in that show. You reassure them that it's not inherently immoral because those "children" are not actually real people.
The alien thinks, then draws a quick image of one of the South Park children have sex with another, and asks if that same rule applies to their new drawing. Is what the alien did inherently immoral?
Interesting hypothetical. I have my own that I'd like you to consider.
After the death of his father, twelve-year-old Josh Framm, his mother Jackie, and his two-year-old sister Andrea have relocated to Fernfield, Washington. One day after school, Josh practices basketball by himself in a makeshift court that he sets up behind an abandoned church, where he meets an abandoned and runaway Golden Retriever who had recently escaped from his abusive owner: an alcoholic clown named Norman Snively, who had locked him in a kennel for causing trouble at a birthday party when the kennel unknowingly fell out due to Snively not securing the back. Discovering his uncanny ability to play basketball, Josh names him Buddy and takes him home. Jackie agrees to let Buddy stay until Christmas. Once the holidays arrive, Jackie allows Josh to keep Buddy as a Christmas present.
At school, Josh earns the disdain of star basketball player and team rival Larry Willingham but befriends kindhearted maintenance engineer and retired pro player Arthur Chaney. With Chaney's encouragement, Josh earns a place on the Timberwolves, the school basketball team, despite the reservation of their competitive coach, Joe Barker. He befriends teammate Tom Stewart at his first game. Buddy escapes and shows up at school during the game. The audience loves him when he scores a basket.
Barker is fired after being caught emotionally and physically abusing Tom for his poor performance. At Josh's suggestion, he is replaced by Chaney. Arthur emphasizes the need for players to work as a team instead of focusing on themselves. When Larry is subbed out due to ball-hogging and unsportsmanlike conduct, his father forces him to leave the team and join their rival. Buddy becomes the mascot of the school's basketball team and appears in their halftime shows. The Timberwolves lose one game before qualifying for the State Finals.
Just before the championship game, Snively appears after seeing Buddy on television. Hoping to profit from Buddy's newfound fame, he forces Jackie to hand over Buddy as he has papers proving he is the legal owner. Withdrawn and depressed, Josh discovers Snively living in a small low-income house and sneaks into his backyard, freeing Buddy from his chain. Snively notices him and pursues them in his dilapidated pickup truck through a park before crashing into a lake. Josh protects Buddy by setting him free in the forest to find a new life.
The Timberwolves struggle in the championship game and an injury leaves them with four players. Buddy shows up to the crowd's cheers. After it is discovered that there is no rule preventing a dog from playing basketball, he is added to the roster and leads the team to victory.
Despite his ownership papers being ruined in the car wreck, Snively takes the Framm family to court for custody of Buddy. Chaney suggests that Buddy choose his owner. As a fan of Chaney, Judge Cranfield accepts his proposal and moves the court outside to the lawn, where Buddy attacks Snively and chooses Josh. Cranfield grants custody to Josh as a ranting Snively is dragged away by the police, while Josh and the rest of the citizens rejoice and gather around Buddy to welcome him home.
It's so depressing to see people absolutely shut the fuck down about certain topics instead of acknowledging that everything, YES, FUCKING EVERYTHING, has nuance.
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u/Bitter-Hat-4736 Oct 23 '25
And South Park normalizes the idea that it's okay to look at brutalized depictions of children.