Language can be a very multifaceted thing. With different meanings, associations, and contexts, people from different backgrounds bring their own perspective to the table when analyzing and understanding language. The show South Park uses language in a way intended to push the boundaries of social norms and political correctness, especially in the episode “The F Word. As discussed in Marcus Schulzke's “South Park and the Transformation of Meaning” (2012), language is not only a powerful tool but also a malleable one. Although Schulzke firmly maintains that South Park “explores the treatment of language” while making intelligent social commentary through the use of extreme and sometimes vulgar language and imagery, I believe that South Park's approach and execution in creating social commentary is too clandestine. Requiring viewers to read through the enormous amount of foul language and images to identify the producer's social commentary ends up being more dangerous, particularly for first-time viewers and children, than enlightening (Schulzke 2012, p. 22). to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? You get an original essay “The F Word” and South Park as a whole uses intense, vulgar language and imagery to such an extreme level that the intended social commentary could potentially be overlooked by a new viewer. As someone who had never seen South Park and was unaware beforehand of the producer's ambition behind such language and imagery, I was taken aback and distracted by the vulgarity. So much so that I was misled by the intention to use social and political commentary and focused more on the inappropriate jokes and comments themselves. Schulzke explains that "South Park's use of swear words is driven by shock entertainment" and "The F Word" "takes a closer look at language" which he says is "among the most sophisticated episodes" (Schulzke 2012, pages 26-27). As a first-time viewer, I was less focused on the sophisticated background commentary and more struck by the “shock entertainment” caused by the use of common “bad words” (Schulzke 2012, p. 26). Although Schulzke expresses his belief that “The F Word” deserves attention both from scholars invested in South Park and also from those interested in the transformative power of language, he does not appear to discuss the deserved attention or perception of a first-time viewer or child (Schulzke 2012, p. 30). The concept of children both in South Park and watching South Park sparks an interesting dialogue about whether this depiction of children and profane language together is appropriate and effective. when communicating the social commentary of the show. While scholars like Schulzke argue that this use of “bad words” in relation to children teaches us real media literacy and how to navigate the endless amount of “bullshit” thrown at us in our “Information Age,” at the same time, showing the children who use words such as "faggot", "shit", "damn", "dick", "asshole" and other sometimes offensive words can set a negative example and set a standard of what is acceptable in terms of their use of language among children (Schulzke 2012, p. 26). According to an article from the Johns Hopkins Health Library, “as children grow and develop, they can be easily influenced by what they see and hear, especially on television” (Television and Children). Therefore, if a child saw South Park at a young age, I believe they would not be able to fully understand or identify the underlying commentary and may begin to take how “children of.
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