Research Activity

Michael Gabriel

Mass Communications 102

Research Activity

“As you watch TV, read articles or listen to songs, write down your impression of methods or concepts that you find interesting. For example, why do you think a character is interesting, or what do you think about a technique used in a movie, music video or a commercial.”

Media today influences our lives more than anything else in the world. There are many methods that media uses to get us to listen, watch, or read whatever the product is trying to get across. These medias have a tendency to almost take over our lives and we schedule are lives around them.

A television show that I pretty much make sure I watch every week is South Park on Comedy Central. I find this show absolutely hilarious! I make sure that I schedule doing my homework around this show and I cannot wait until the next show comes on. South Park has many characters but the show is mainly based around four grade school students named Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny.
www.allsp.com

Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny are all friends even though they all have different personalities and backgrounds. Stan is a laid back child that always tries and find the morals behind all of the experiences they have, even though some of the adventures these kids have are insane. Kyle is an uptight person that always fights with Cartman about everything. Cartman is probably the biggest jerk ever. He is the one that has all the ideas that normally get them into trouble. Kenny is poor and normally always dies in every episode. These characters are hilarious in every way.

Like many guys, I keep watching this show because it has very crude humor. I never know how they will push the envelope in the following episodes. For example an episode had to with Tom Cruise being "trapped in closet." This episode was so funny because it made fun of Scientology and Tom Cruise because he believed that Stan was a god reincarnated. Stan told Tom Cruise that he did not like any of his movies and Tom freaked out and locked himself in Stan's closet. The stupidity in this show makes it so funny. Even though there is a lot of stupidity in South Park, the people who write this show actually get the correct information of what they are teasing.

I also find South Park to be hilarious because of the things that Cartman does. For example in a past episode Cartman pretends to have Turrets Syndrome so he can swear at everyone he wants. Cartman is not a nice person but he always ends up making the show funny. Cartman will say things (especially to Kyle) that no one would have to guts to say. Cartman is what makes South Park so funny.

South Park is an example of a comedy that forces people to keep watching it because of what will happen in the next episode. Anyone who watches television is wanting to be entertained. Television is the main form of entertainment and the plot of the show intrigues everyone that watches the program. Every show has a method to get certain people to watch the program and South Park's method is to intrigue younger adults with stupid humor.