Manbearpig is out there!

Al Gore in one of his totally-not-satirical appearances on South Park 

Ladies and gentlemen. There is a threat that threatens our world threateningly.

That threat is the threat of

MANBEARPIG!!

Don't worry there folks, because the great Al Gore is on the case, to save the world yet again. He's back again, and this time he's super serial!

If that mass of pop culture references that I just spouted went over your head, you need to watch more South Park. Seriously, its good for you. Just make sure you don't have any pets or children under 18 around.

The show is notorious for its gravely offensive humour and foul language. In a single episode of South Park, viewers are likely to see some celebrity grossly satirized, some social movement or religion mocked, or the young character Kenny killed in a graphic way (don't worry, he gets better). Often, an episode will feature all three, and then some.

This kind of content is the reason why many people abhor the show and its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. However, I'd argue this is why the show is so successful. Parker and Stone aren't afraid to show anything in their series. I'm super serial, guys. South Park openly mocks EVERYONE!

And by everyone, I mean everyone.

South Park isn't the only show that features offensive satire. However, they mostly all fall short in the subjects they're willing to lampoon compared to this show. Stewart & Clark (2011) laud South Park for it's "anti-authority, anti-elitism, and anti-hypocrisy themes" (p. 323). They argue that the show is popular because it is 'populist' in nature.

So what does this mean for environmental communication? Well, it should be no secret that environmentalists are commonly derided for being elitist snobs. Stewart & Clark open their essay by saying that "a significant threat to the success of the environmental movement is the behavior of its most outspoken supporters those who have embraced it 'in a quasi-theological way'" (p. 320).
In other words, elements of the environmentalist movement have adopted a certain sanctimonious nature that rubs nearly everyone else on the planet the wrong way.

South Park parodies these kinds of people, hoping, as Stewart & Clark argue, that proponents of environmentalism will wake up and realize the behaviors that turn people away from their message. They call this use of humour a "comic corrective" (p. 334), using parody to redirect purpose towards usefulness.

So, next time, you notice somebody acting like Al Gore, wearing figurative capes for figurative quests for some seemingly ridiculous cause like Manbearpig, point it out to them. You might actually wake them up to their unrealistic snobbery, and help them connect to their fellow human. Maybe then they can make a real difference.