(S10E09) Almost immediately after the events of 9/11, conspiracy theories began to crop up, and probably faster than ever before now that we had the internet and a way to instantaneously transmit gross misinformation and conclusions rife with logical fallacies. I think Cartman best summed up this episode with a line from his song about finding the truth behind 9/11: "I can't base my logic on proof."
While Mr. Macke tries to find out which boy took a crap in one of the urinals, Cartman decides to finally get to the bottom of 9/11. He presents his finding in class, and by using tortured logic, doctored photos and actually 9/11 conspiracy theories that are easily debunked by anyone with the ability to think rationally, he proves to the class that it was in fact Kyle who was behind it all along. What's especially funny about this is that Cartman hates Kyle, and obviously began his research wanting to prove Kyle's involvement. The same bass-ackward approach is exactly what causes anti-Semites to blame 9/11 on a Jewish plot, and every kid from a liberal arts college with a DSL connection and a gravity bong to blame the event on a government plot meant to increase public favor for invading the Middle East. When Cartman points out that one fourth of the population believe there was a conspiracy behind 9/11, Stan wisely points out that one fourth of the population is probably retarded.
It would be easy to milk comedy out of all the insane theories that continue to thrive in the face of boring, mundane facts, but Matt and Trey always manage to take it to another level, this time creating a hysterical meta episode in which 9/11 and the mystery of the urinal turd begin to intersect, and more and more people, including two mystery-solving brothers who get "raging clues" and even the President himself, become involved. The episode becomes completely convoluted by the end, but somehow in the twisted world of South Park it seems to make sense that the US government would have a vested interest in the poo Stan laid in the urinal when all the other toilets were occupied. The whole episode didn't make a lot of sense, which is precisely the point.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-12-2006 @ 12:42AM
Chad said...
Kyle - (Head cocked to the side said in a high-pitched voice) Really?
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10-12-2006 @ 12:44AM
Evil Pedro said...
I thought it was a funny episode. South park gets funnier every year in my mind
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10-12-2006 @ 7:18AM
Chris W said...
Man, I love this show. I remember early on, when it was mostly dick jokes. After the movie came out, they realized they could do more with it, and their social commentary became really spot on. There are still dick jokes, but now they "mean" something.
All right, that sounded stupid, but still a great show that I always look forward to watching. Can't remember the last time I saw a new episode I didn't like.
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10-12-2006 @ 7:43AM
Cage said...
SOUTH PARK KICKS ASS !!!
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10-12-2006 @ 8:37AM
Meg said...
My boyfriend and I were both really, I guess confused would be the best word for our reaction, for most of the episode. But once it was revealed who laid the bomb, and who really was behind 9/11, we laughed for about 2 hours straight. I love Matt and Trey. They have the most wonderful way of pointing out all things stupid. We will be saying "really?" and "What, are you retarded?" for many months to come.
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10-12-2006 @ 10:14AM
Harry said...
I loved Cartman's "Who had the most to gain from 9/11? KYLE!"
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10-12-2006 @ 10:49AM
Design said...
#1 I totally agree, that part got me laughing the hardest the whole show.
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10-12-2006 @ 10:52AM
Brett said...
The internet has a lot of crap in it but so does the official 9/11 story. Your right, "conspiracy theories" did start cropping up immediately. Because immediately it was found out that the administration was liing about bush in the school. Saying they pulled him out of the class room right away when in fact he sat there while his country is under attack! Taking a cartoon like this and trying to "debunk" conspiracy theorist as retards is clearly not the case if you actually take the time and look at things for yourself.
Show me what doctored photos 9/11 conspiracy theorist use. Email: n1gh1wa1ker@gmail.com
Some 9/11 conspiracy theories can be debunked, sure. But there is plenty of irrefutable evidence that shows aither government complicity in the attacks or that they planned them from the ground up. What do anti-semites have to do with conspiracy theorist? 2 different groups of people. Thats like calling all americans Neo-Nazis because .5% of them are. It doesn't take a "liberal college kid with a DSL connection and a gravity bong" to use their own mind and think for themselves does it? "one fourth of the population is probably retarded." Good argument...
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10-12-2006 @ 11:00AM
Adam said...
"Show me what doctored photos 9/11 conspiracy theorist use"
I was refering to Cartman drawing a picture of Kyle over the smoke from the Twin Towers.
The "anti-Semites" remark was a reference to those who felt the events were part of a Jewish conspiracy. I was making the point that people often try to prove their theories with a conclusion already in mind based on personal prejudice. This is clearly stated in my review, and alluded to in the episode by Cartman blaming Kyle by altering the evidence to prove his insane theory.
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10-12-2006 @ 11:59AM
Adam said...
I re-worded the "college kid" part of my review slightly after realizing I wrote "liberal" when I meant to refer to a "liberal arts college."
Okay, now I feel better. Carry on.
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10-12-2006 @ 1:01PM
kenm said...
Oh boy...
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10-12-2006 @ 1:54PM
Karen said...
Oh, man. Just a few days ago I watched the documentary "Protocols of Zion," which looks at the rise of contemporary anti-Semitism and was inspired by the filmmaker hearing people talk about how 4000 Jews avoided death on 9/11 because they were told not to come to work. So watching this episode was like an astonishing coda to that experience.
This was just brilliant. And yes, Chad (commenter #1)--without DOUBT the best part was Kyle's ever-more bemused delivery of "Really?!?"
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10-12-2006 @ 2:29PM
Max said...
Adam,
I just have to say that you make me feel really old by not mentioning that the "mystery-solving brothers" are based on the Hardy Boys. Seriously, am I the only 27 year old who read those books as a kid?
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10-12-2006 @ 2:53PM
Doctor Touching said...
"But there is plenty of irrefutable evidence that shows aither government complicity in the attacks or that they planned them from the ground up."
No there isn't.
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10-12-2006 @ 2:59PM
Adam said...
Hey, I'm actually older than you, Max (I'm 30). I guess mentioning the Hardy Boys reference slipped my mind. Heck, my father read those books. Never checked 'em out myself.
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10-12-2006 @ 6:17PM
NicAntoine said...
You believe what you want to believe. As will be the case with most people, whomever affected you the most in your past will impact your negativve and/or positive outlook on the world. Unfortunately, there will never be a definitive answer for anything. Unfortunately, everyone has an opinion. Logic is a slave to our emotions.
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10-12-2006 @ 11:11PM
Keith McDuffee said...
Actually don't they call them the "Hardly Boys" in the episode anyway?
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10-13-2006 @ 12:17PM
Chesty said...
"...Yeah, at least one-fourth."
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10-14-2006 @ 2:47AM
hh said...
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/54070/The_Daily_Show.html
listen to the last 10 seconds... i wonder if that's where they got kyle's "Really???" ;)
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10-15-2006 @ 1:17AM
James Gribble said...
The SouthPark Boys point out yet another political truth. The best words on the 9/11 conspiracy, come from Gore Vidal (who has very different politics from my own).
Q: What do you think of the conspiracy theories about September 11?
Vidal: I’m willing to believe practically any mischief on the part of the Bush people. No, I don’t think they did it, as some conspiracy people think. Why? Because it was too intelligently done. This is beyond the competence of Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld. They couldn’t pull off a caper like 9/11. They are too clumsy.
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