Response to : Erion - South Park & The Open Society

            "Perhaps extremists receive such unflattering portrayals on South Park because of the threat that they can sometimes pose to the very free expression that makes the show possible." p. 296, Erion, G.J., Curtis, D.V. Why do such extreme personalities and opinions cause such a fear in us all? Are we not only afraid of change, but domination? Do we recognize this fear without recognizing we are part of the severely opinionated?
              It has always been said that our ideas and our beliefs shape the world around us. Sometimes they cradle us, like a womb, and other times they destroy us, like a knife against virgin flesh. Other times, we sit untainted in the gray, avoiding the sovereigns of black and white. When we don't necessarily agree with an idea, opinion, or belief, we may come to the realization of anxiety. What if this sentiment is widely accepted? What if change occurs, and it does not support my own personal morals and values?
             Many people are scared of change. After all, we face change every day, all day, throughout our lives. Some change isn't so bad - the sun rises, the sun sets. Although, some change is devastating - the loss of a loved one. Change is inevitable. Everything is constantly moving, people are constantly thinking, and new ideas and viewpoints are born. Change can be beneficial or harmful to not only one, but many. Change can be such a scary thing to some, because we are never sure in which way it will occur, and when. It can strike at any moment, like a viscous bolt of lightning, unpredictable. And the most difficult segment of change is that you cannot always tell if it's deadly or not. You just have to wait and see. The hardest part of change is that you may not always have control.
             Some people find South Park offensive for its put-downs and crude humor. Yet, I agree with Erion and Curtis. I feel there is a democratic political philosophy buried in it all. In South Park, the characters express their constitutional right to freedom of speech, something that has made this country flourish the way it so rapidly has, with ever changing ideas. I don't mean to say The United States is the best example of a working society or economy, I mean to say I feel the attributes of The United States have proven effective when applied appropriately. We face diversity in a multitude of ways, and the fact that we have such diversity, is a beautiful thing.