Team America?

[gkg]

     the creators of South Park have lost their minds in the issue of voting.  i will not be going to see Team America, as i had previously planned, because i will not pay money toward people who so willfully discourage kids from voting.  rather than saying "if you don\'t know anything don\'t vote? - what the hell would have stopped them from saying "if you don\'t know anything - educate yourself before you vote"?!  

i\'ll tell you what - taking yourself seriously as a clever little avant-garde shite rather than a thinking member of society.  what they had to say in Rolling Stone blew my mind and i was pleased to see Penn stood up to them.  kids need role models to get them active - not role morons encouraging them to stay inert.

i guess it proves yet again that there is indeed a huge gulf between clever and intelligent.

[spencer]

I don\'t know, i think a lot of people will find it to be a funny movie, especially the kids that are anti-voting/politics.

I\'m no anarchist, but I\'m sick of fifteen year olds that repeat what their parents say and think they know anything about politics.  I think i\'ll enjoy the movie, because I\'m guessing i\'ll like what they say.  

What issue of RS was this?

And also, Sean Penn is just mad cuz he dies in the movie! haha.

[CMA]

matt stone and trey parker are the funniest guys around..it\'s sure to be hilarious, trey parker was in Bowling for columbine too.

[gkg]

i\'m not saying anything against their talents - i\'m saying they should be acting as role models rather than shooting down kids who feel they should be voting but feel nervous about it.  

no one is saying kids, or anyone else, should simply parrot what their parents or others say - i\'m saying the response should have been to encourage kids to educate themselves about the issues and participate in society.  the decisions being made now are what will shape your life for years to come Spencer.  

Chris Moss, ask Miss Katy about this - see what her opinion is.  i think it\'s a damn shame for kids to be told to drop out of the process rather encouraged to learn about it and participate in it.  all generations need to get their asses in gear and start taking responsibility for what goes on politically.

i know the movie will be good, i know it will be hella funny - but i just can\'t give money to people who deliberately discourage people from taking an active part in one of the most important aspects of life.

[Deblee]

gkg,

I totally understand what you are saying. I have a 12 year old and we have watched all of the Presidential Debates together. Last night after the 3rd one he said, I wish I could vote, I know who I would choose. I then asked him questions about how he made his choice, and what things helped him decide. While there was some of the child reasoning of "just because" there were also points he made that showed me he was listening and dong his best to learn about the issues, where the candidates stood on them, and how it might affect the world. I\'m proud that he is taking the time and interest in these things at this age, I certainly didn\'t. Like you said, we need to encourage all people to become educated about what is going on and take part, not just to abstain. Being silent can also be taken as agreement with the prevailing opinion. The right to vote is serious and we need to protect it. As a physical therapist said to me "Use it or lose it". While he was talking about muscles, I think it applies to voting too.
We all can be swayed by humor and silliness and while I love a good laugh, I also try to look at the message attached. For those who go see the movie, have a good laugh but remember to look at the bigger picture of life and choose for yourself.
I\'m stepping off my borrowed soap box now...............
deblee

[Beatnik]

Stone and Parker are always pushing the line on what is acceptable. The shock value. I am not surprised that they came up with this idea, especially with puppets.

Think about that metaphor for a moment. There is actually more sub-text than you may have realised gkg.
Besides, a barbie influenced puppet with a machine gun, wearing PINK camo!! I love the radio comericals about being rated R for profanity, violence, nudity, and sexual situations... all involving puppets! I am guessing that there is some just plain silly funny stuff for which Stone and Parker are known....

While I agree thay can and should be more responsible with their public image and influence on the young, but that IS America. They can do and say what they like, even if we don\'t. As soon as you censor one, it would be an avelanche (sp?).

If there are kids out there who to take advise from these guys on life, then maybe they are too stupid to vote in the first place.

Let\'s face facts - the IQ of the American gene pool is been on the wane... I have had the unfortunate recent experience, of attempting to train THE DUMBEST MAN I HAVE EVER MET. The scariest thing about him was that he and his wife (can\'t even imaging what she must be like) are attempting to start a family. Yes, that right they are going to BREED!

The kids today are so catered to, that when left to themselves, they don\'t have a clue what to do. They went from Mommy and me classes to a completely scheduled and regimented life all chaufered by Mom. They have continuously been given accolades for just PARTICIPATION, they expect it on every level. Since they were small they have been told they are "special".  In my generation, "special" meant riding the short yellow bus to a "special" school. It was not something to aspire to. They will be a generation to watch when they come out into the real world. The amount of depression and shock for not receiving a standing round of applause for passing wind will surly have its effect. Basically these kids have a ZERO work ethic.

Just my humble opinion.....


Beatnik  

[doomride]

Why do they have to be role models?It\'s a free country,they can be whatever they want...it\'s a great movie and they are "entertainers"...that\'s all....

[gkg]

you know, i take exception to the generational thing - my kids are a part of that generation and they have a strong work ethic.  it\'s like saying all of us from the 60s and 70s believed in nothing but free love and acid.

i understand the thought behind saying they don\'t have to be role models, but here\'s the deal with celebrity - if you make a public statement about something, you are asking people to consider your opinion seriously = that means you\'re becoming a role model.  if they had simply said they had no comment on the issue of voting, that would have been saying they don\'t want to be role models.  they took on the mantle, intensionally or not, by taking a public position on the matter.  i have no desire to censor them - i am simply taking exception to their position.

they made what i see to be a grave error in judgement by trying to offer a rationalization for not becoming involved in the vote.  it is each American\'s future - regardless of who they vote for and what issues they support - it is insane to tell someone not to bother to participate.  to boil it down - it would be like saying, don\'t go shopping, we\'ll give you what we decide you need.  don\'t pick a major, we\'ll send you to the school we want you to go to, to study what we feel is the right thing.  don\'t check out all the music available, we\'ll give you what we want you to hear.   don\'t bother to read, we\'ll tell you what the facts are.  

they are saying, don\'t bother to educate yourself and vote, the rest of the country will decide your future for you.

[gkg]

on the censorship thing - calling for removal of the movie would be censorship.  that\'s not what i\'m doing.  i am saying i will not see the movie - i am boycotting it - because i cannot in good conscience support them and their position on voting.

if people want to watch it - fine - but i think they should be aware of what the makers have stated on voting.  someone asked me if i want a bunch if  ignorant kids voting - you know - no, i don\'t want any ignorant people to vote - i want them to get educated on the issues so they are no longer ignorant when they take up their ballots.  i want [glb]everyone[/glb] to exercise their right to vote, while we still have it.

[zuzu]

... but here\'s the deal with celebrity - if you make a public statement about something, you are asking people to consider your opinion seriously = that means you\'re becoming a role model.

and folks that have seen the movie know that one of the major premises of the film is just how entirely absurd that phenomenon is.

[Beatnik]

gkg - I never said that your generation was alll free love and acid. While your kids, under your strong guidance may have a great work ethic, I cannot tell you how many I see that don\'t. Here in Scottsdale AZ (Snotsdale for those of you who have never been) it is a common occurance to see teenage kids driving around in Mom & Dads $60,000 Hummer, with credit cards that have a higher credit limit than I do. They are snide, rude and elitist. The area here has a very "Me first - Cause I have more money" attitude. That is where these kids get it from. They feel entitled to put down adults that are complete strangers. My husband and I were at one of the new malls here, and we were sitting on one of the MANY benches, discussing where we wanted to have dinner. This group of teens came over and told us we should move, so the entire group could take up 2 benches. I was so insulted I point blank went off. These kids were actually shocked that they had pissed us off. They think they own the world.

Now I remember when I was a teen. I may have rolled my eyes at adults, but I would never have said anything like that to anyone, whether I knew them or not. As a teen I thought I knew everything, but I never thought I owned the world and could tell other people what to do.

This and other instances have created my opinion of the generation now coming of age. They think they will get accolades for participation - wait untill they hit the real world. We will all see it as they learn what work is for the first time in their lives. I look forward to the kick in the teeth they will get. I got one, that is the real world, that is growing up.

My husband and I plan on selling our home and getting out of Scottsdale when he is finished with school. Gee, no wonder I am happy at 34 without a monster like that  in our home.

Beatnik  

[gkg]

ah Beatnik, sweetie, that\'s not a generational thing.  although the toys are perhaps more visible to you now than in the past, and credit cards much more rampant in general, i know those creatures you speak of - i went to boarding school with a whole passle of them.  not just American, either, there were girls from all sorts of countries and they largely had one thing in common - whether they were Catholic or not, most of the girls were able to attend the school because they came from money.  they largely acted just the way the kids you describe behave... like spoiled little shits.  it\'s not just wealthy people and their kids though - i have seen plenty of kids being that way because for some weird reason their parents feel they owe their kids all the toys and "stuff" they can possibly provide.  

thank you mass marketing (read - TV) for guilting parents into over extending and spoiling their kids... and make it seem like their due.