News - The latest episode of South Park to cause controversy (as if it doesn't happen every other week) attempts to redefine the word 'fag'. It's the highest rated episode of the 13th series so far, but has caused a stir with GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). What do you think?

When attention seeking Harley riders come to the town of South Park, the boys make it known that their kind isn't wanted, by pooing on their motorbikes, and inserting a flag with 'You're fags' written on it, into the offending faecal matter.

The local gays, headed by Big Gay Al and Mr Slave, initially take offense at the language, until it is understood that the boys mean 'fag' as a general term of offensive, and not to mean 'gay'.



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The town accepts the new definition of 'fag' as an annoying Harley rider, but they have to convince the Dictionary to change their entry, so that it will be accepted by the whole country.

Although most corners of queer criticism accept that the makers of South Park have good intentions, not all are convinced of the argument. GLAAD say:

"Though this seems to represent a well-intentioned effort by the creators of South Park to delegitimize a vulgar anti-gay slur, the fact is that the word is and remains a hateful slur that is often part of the harassment, bullying and violence that gay people, and gay youth in particular, experience on a daily basis in this country. It is an epithet that has real consequences for real people's lives. Just this year, an 11-year-old Massachusetts student named Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, unable to endure the unrelenting anti-gay bullying and name-calling he experienced at school, committed suicide.

The creators of South Park are right on one important point: more and more people are using the F-word as an all-purpose insult. However, it is irresponsible and wrong to suggest that it is a benign insult or that promoting its use has no consequences for those who are the targets of anti-gay bullying and violence. This is a slur whose meaning remains rooted in homophobia. And while many South Park viewers will understand the sophisticated satire and critique in last night's episode, others won't – and if even a small number of those take from this a message that using the "F-word" is OK, it worsens the hostile climate that many in our community continue to face."

This episode recalls earlier examinations of offensive terms, like season 5's 'shit' episode (no it was good, I'm referring to the word). A counter was onscreen, reaching 162 'shits' before the end of the episode, suggesting that the frequency a word is used correlates with how offensive it is - in this case 'more' is 'less'. But a different take was used for the 'N-word', where after many attempts to understand why black people could say it, but white's couldn't, they had to accept that they just 'didn't get it', which according to Token (the token black character) was exactly the point.

So is it hypocritical to suggest that a derisive gay term can be owned by anyone? Well no, because the word 'fag' has already undergone so many permutations in the history of English. See the Harley riders discovering this for themselves, below.



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The main argument for this episode being offensive seems to be that 'some people still use 'fag' against gay people, and won't get the satirical point of the episode. To me, this is the worst kind of censorship. The episode is not attacking a community (well possibly Harley riders, but no one seems to mind that). To complain on the basis that 'they might not get it' is insulting, obtuse and against the nature of satire, comedy, almost any kind of art, and quite frankly science.

I'll admit, I've always been a South Park fan and find it quite easy to defend them. I think they're still the most contemporary, political, satirical show on TV after 13 years. - I've already read plenty of disagreements on this matter - so feel free to join in.

This episode shows us a possible future (I won't say 'utopia', that's a bit far) where there exists a severely reduced number of derogatory terms for homosexuals because nobody sees the point. Isn't that a bit nice?