SideArms.net

November 30, 2000:

[Note: The following is a reply I posted in a message board discussing the various merits of South Park v. Beavis and Butthead. It is fairly indicative of my typical rants.]

Actually, I think it's important to consider the historical context in which these shows became popular.

Beavis and Butthead was a product of the angry early '90s. The nation was in the midst of a two-year recession—the only U.S. recession in the last 15 years. Grunge was popular and punk was finding new life. MTV favored videos such as "Jeremy," a tale of a classroom suicide by a young boy.... A 20-year-old millionaire named Alanis managed to speak to a generation by singing about the anger and despair of life and love.

It was in this context that Beavis and Butthead became popular. It was a show about an unwelcome state of life. The plots revolved around cruelty and sadism intercut with the boys heckling music videos and making exclamations of praise for darker, angrier musicians.

Plus, it was funny as Hell if you didn't take it too seriously.

South Park, however, was created during the longest peacetime economic expansion in United States history. It is a culture dominated by the saccharine music of bubble-gum pop and pretentious boy-bands whose claims to fame come from good looks and synchronized dancing (Kurt Cobain and Trent Reznor and even L7 would have kicked their asses). Meanwhile, N*Joy's band plays its instruments in the shadows and from the wings.

South Park is irreverent—respecting nobody—a spoiled child of rich and middle-class suburbia. The plight of its least fortunate citizen, Kenny, is played for laughs, with hints at incredulousness regarding his condition—Kenny may be poor, but it isn't "real," just like his deaths aren't "real."

Plus it's funny as Hell.

Beavis and Butthead and South Park rely on different types of humor, both irreverent, but both clearly children of their times.

South Park manages to retain a sprit of optimism. There is a sense of friendship and community demonstrated by the many characters who all hate each other to some degree but still retain a sense of kinship; at least they all love South Park itself (and Cartman's mom).

In Beavis and Butthead, there are no friends. Beavis and Butthead don't really like each other, they don't like the neighbor kid, and they don't like Andersen or Daria. And they will never never never score.

Beavis and Butthead and South Park come from different worlds. South Park comes from a time where a 16-year-old self-proclaimed virgin schoolgirl sold millions of CDs by baring her midriff and singing about needing to be loved.

Beavis and Butthead comes from a world where Kurt Cobain cold-cocked his drummer with a microphone stand on live television as Nirvana trashed the set during an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Actually, I just pulled this theory out of my ass. I could be dead wrong, but I was on a roll.

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Last Update:  March 12, 2005.