South Park vs. Tom Cruise and Scientology (Part Deux)

South Park has come along way over the past couple of years. At its start it was nothing more than raunchy bathroom humor (the pinnacle of that being Mr. Hankey, a magical piece of poop that emerges from the toilet during Christmas to give presents to boys and girls with diets rich in fiber). But since then South Park has grown, and it seems to have supplanted the Simpson’s as the best cultural commentary one can find on TV. This is not so much a result of episodes that are all that funny or well written. Some of its most famous episodes, like the Mel Gibson, Wal-Mart, or Scientology episodes still suffer from extreme adolescence. What makes South Park so effective is that it a holistic experience. It is part television show, part news-maker itself.

South Park also tends to take on unpopular groups that are ripe for satire. This is why few can help but get behind its attack on Scientology and Tom Cruise. While satirizing Tom Cruise's potential homosexuality (and who can blame them given Cruise's bizzare relationship with Katie Holmes), the episode features an animated rendition of Scientology's secret teachings. Not only is the whole Xenu and Thetan soul bit ridiculous, but it is obviously the root of the dangerous and irrational teachings that motivate the minions of this cult. Best exemplifying these teachings are a litany of incidents involving Tom Cruise that include this famous shouting match between Cruise and Matt Lauer on the Today Show where Cruise claimed "vitamins and exercise" was the best cure for severe psychiatric disorders (or there is the interview where Cruise called psychiatry a "Nazi science"). Clearly this was not only a group ripe for parody but also well deserving of it.

But in response to the parody Scientologists and Cruise have done nothing but drum up more attention and support for South Park. Cruise went so far as to repeatedly threaten to sue anyone who broadcast the episode in Britain (this is because Britain's standards for libel, slander, and defamation are much lower than those in the United States). Apparently, he also threatened to—if Comedy Central re-ran the episode—stop promoting Mission Impossible: III, which is being produced by a parent company of Comedy Central. The creators of South Park had this hilarious response to these efforts:

So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!

- Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu."

What's clear is that Parker and Stone (and South Park) have gotten the best of Scientology and Cruise. They have drummed up enormous attention for their show while mocking a bizarre religion, and all in the name of free-speech! (If only Tom Cruise could promote his movies with similar effectiveness.)

Kudos to South Park for taking on Scientology, and having so much fun doing it, if only all controversies stemming from cartoons that satirized religion were such good clean fun.

-Mr. Alec

PS To watch the actual scientology episode click here.