South Park and the Power of the Absurdist Perspective
The moral case for embracing the absurdity of life.
Life is absurd.
If you take even a few moments to think about it, the whole concept of living doesn't make any sense. The number of contradictions in existence can literally boggle the mind. Existing at all feels insane. There's no reason why we should be the way we are instead of some other way. Yet so many people are certain that they can either make it better or worse based almost entirely on their own actions. They construct society in a way that tries to make the world conform to their preconceived notions of how the world works. But they're always surprised when it doesn't work out the way they want it to. Or something does but it doesn't find its way the way they want.
It's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Which is exactly what some people do. They laugh at the way the world works. Perhaps more importantly however, they find ways to make other people laugh by seeing the truth of the insanity. Pointing out other ways of thinking about the world helps us to see beyond our own narrow view point. It reveals the absurdity of our own lives. Some people see the insanity and find ways to lash out against it. To attack the absurdity of life in order to make it conform to others. But even in the face of that kind of attack, laughter can cut through if it's done properly.
South Park is a master of pointing out the absurdity of life. Whether it's politics, religion, or something as simple as friendship, there's nothing they won't touch. No part of life that is sacred to them. Even the pandemic isn't off limits. After all, if any aspect of society has been absurd, it's the pandemic and in particular the response to it. Which is part of what makes their post-CoVid special so interesting. The way in which it pokes holes in virtually everything and everyone's response to the pandemic.
What is most beneficial about thinking in this way however is the way in which it allows you to be a better person. Never resting on a particular idea or perspective on how to go about things. If you did, there'd be a lot less to laugh about. Your world would become smaller. Less interesting to think about. Because if you can't make fun of the absurdity, all you're left with is anger and cynicism and taking things way too seriously then they need to be.
And living in a less absurd world can only really lead to a bad place. A place most people are either unwilling or try to deny they're going. So it's better to embrace the absurdity of it all. To see the cracks in the way things are, either in other people or in yourself.
Do yourself a favour and explore the absurdity of existence by checking out South Park as soon as you can. And in particular the Post-CoVid special. We could all use a little laugh.
Find the show on the South Park Studios website, HBO Max in America and CTV in Canada.
Good breakdown of the show. The humour of South Park has always appealed to me as someone who also saw the absurdity in life from a young age. I live in a town very similar to South Park; a small rural mountain town filled with morons. All the stereotypes fit my life, from the rednecks to the one black kid.