So the South park creators later admitted that this was more of a dig at Rob Reiner (at the time of this episode, both creators were, and still are, non smokers though one used to smoke) and more like you said on the self righteousness of advocacy groups.
In the commentary they say that they actually love a lot of his movies, but it was specifically his anti-smoking activism that made them angry at him, because he was making things tougher for working class people that enjoyed a good smoke at the end of the day. Maybe their hearts were in the right place, but I think their conclusion was wrong, and honestly they come across as kinda self-righteous themselves in this episodes. Equating health legislation to facism is wild (though they seem to be skeptical of the research) but the bit about slavery and the tabacco industry bringing their black friends over... that's just nuts.
@@abc123tiktok agree, I think that's why they made the anti smoking advocacy groups comically evil and the tobacco companies some kind of over the top willy wonka factory, because they knew it was a comical oversimplification and just wanted a chance to mock Reiner
@@abc123tiktok it's because if you don't have the context , you won't make that conclusion. I didn't have this context and so it really seemed to me like they were advocating for smoking. Instead of opening with a bit, it would have been better to provide the audience with more context instead of making the assumption everyone already knew.
I also think the dig at Rob Reiner also is has classist elements, given Reiner thought it was good advice to give the factory worker to go to his vacation house in Hawaii (like he does) in order to relax. Also wanted to point out that Matt and Trey were born and raised in Colorado, and the state is often lumped in mid-west/rustbelt culture wars and often declared and disparaged of being "full of hicks" by prominent liberal celebrities and activists (which is why they hate Barbara Streisand because she made such statements). So Matt and Trey do episodes like these to take back some power and call out how clueless and out-of-touch these people are.
So I lived in Florida 2003 as a high schooler. I was around during the anti-smoking campaigns. What this episode just doesn't tell you and fails to note: The anti-smoking campaigns were run by the tobacco companies they were run by philip morris and camels and Laramie The US government forced them in order to stay in business to start these anti-smoking campaigns, but by allowing them to control the narrative The cringe was 100% intentional. They knew what they were doing. They wanted anti smokers to look stupid and dorky to Teenagers and middle schoolers and claim they were doing education. When it was quite literally a smear campaign like an over exaggeration literally. Just overblow every single fact about cigarette smoking to the point of histrionics. Every campaign for anti-smoking was just throwing up gritty grunge pictures of mutilated and burnt organs all over computer video games and television ADS. It's like how the D.A.R.E program actually inundated children with the concept of drugs when before they just didn't know about them except as accessories in their peripherals. The anti smoking campaign was literally the only way to intentionally advertise smoking to kids by making anti smokers look like idiots
I have heard this before, and it does explain why they'd persist in using such an ineffective method. Normally, when people want to affect change and they see that their tactics aren't working, they'd try something else.
Dude... you just changed my entire childhood perspective... I mean both parents smoked so I was probably still gunna start but dad quit 15 years before his death and mom quit when she got covid. I still smoke but dude.. you blew my effing mind
Like when in dare when they had us put those goggles on that was supposed to simulate how bad being drunk was supposed but instead me and my buddies all were just like " oh, cool, I can't wait to get drunk now."
I genuinely believe it's less about the villainization of one group and more about the hypocrisy of condemning one bad health choice while really not caring if people live a healthy life. Rob Reiner only cared about smokers, people dying from too much unhealthy foods or heavy drugs aren't the battle for him. They also had a quick joke in the death camp of tolerance where the museum of tolerance accepts all except the smokers. For me the point that sits with me the most (that was unfortunately cut out of this video) was when Rob attacks the factory worker for smoking indoors. The worker responds that he just finished a 14 hour shift and just wants to relax. I don't smoke, I don't intend to and it's clear to me that what the guy in the episode gets is a placebo but it works for him after 14 hours of work. I don't think Matt and Trey wanted to just out right shit on anti smokers but point out a hypocrisy and how people jumped on a bandwagon. Just a small addition, between that episode and today the heart attack grill in las Vegas was founded and killed a few people but fast food isn't going anywhere. This was my first time watching you. Even though this wasn't your favorite SP episode. I look forward to going back and checking out your other reactions. You're input is very interesting and a change of pace. Appreciate it.
I get that but saying "You can't advocate for X because you dont say anything about Y" is still dumb and is just "what aboutism" at that point. Also, when you're trying to make a societal change about an a certain issue. You stay on topic and you stay focused. When you start adding more and more your cause, things become harder to read for the general population and it gets harder to get things done.
@@Mr._Idiot440there's a different between not dedicating yourself to other causes and actively participating in other self destructive behaviours while villainising one
@thebabycow If they were related, sure. But one is designed to be a super addictive substance that cause withdrawal symptoms when going without and will actively kill you and those around you while doing said activity. Vs The person is not balancing their caloric take and will probably be inefficient at some tasks while taking up more space. This whole "fat vs smokers" is cope
This episode is definitely more against self righteous anti-drug groups. I don’t know big it was in the UK, but America used to have such massive programs that went so far as to often demonize anyone who smoked. It is often attributed in the US to have introduced even younger children to stuff they would not have known about otherwise, and was found to often have little to no effect on reducing drug use. I’d honestly recommend checking out American anti-drug campaigns, could even make a fun video reacting to the ads and fact checking them, as, yes, they sometimes include outdated or even wrong information
I think that's the big disconnect with this video. I feel that if Dr. Elliot here had more information about what the landscape looked and felt like at the time, he wouldn't be so critical of it. I was not even a teenager yet at the time this episode aired, and I completely understood. Dealing with the DARE program and all the bull shit around smoking, literally as the target of these programs, this hit hard. I was constantly bombarded by teachers, assemblies, even commercials when I'm trying to watch cartoons. I get these TRUTH ads like "Cigarettes have been found to sometimes have ___ and blank ___, which are also found in cat pee and dog poop. So you're smoking cat pee and dog poop!" And even as a stupid 11 year old kid I was saying to myself "That's... that's not how that works. That's not what that means." Even stupid kids who were targeted by all of this were sitting around rolling our eyes. So again, I think had he grown up in the US, his tune would be a bit different.
@@fumoffu_lI think it’s hard for anyone outside of America to fully wrap their head around what the war on drugs was like in America going from the 80s to early 2000s, the campaigns invaded so much of our lives
I quit smoking before i was ever legally allowed to buy one. Im young enough that most people my age didnt smoke and thought it was uncool. I feel we're going to be in a cycle where in ten years theyll be hip hop anti-vaping groups visiting schools
The FDA is already making ads about vaping when it’s healthier than smoking sure the chemicals used might be harmful but still no evidence that they are as harmful as cigarettes
If i remember the DVD commentary correct, Matt used to smoke but quit, Trey never smoked but his Mom did and he sympathized with her. Even when an episode of South Park goes against my particular views, its usually still funny and helps me understand how people like me are viewed by the other side. That scene with the guy who got off a long shift and wants to smoke in a bar gave me genuine pause. I feel for that guy, even if i don't agree with him.
I had cancer when I was really young. I know I should hate Stanley’s Cup but it’s one of my favorite episodes. Especially since I’m a huge Detroit Red Wings fan and it makes them look like monsters.
I know you're looking at the episode through a British person in 2024, but the episode was supposed to just be a big fuck you to Rob Reiner who was everywhere back then, as well as saying the school presentations were stupid and often made kids want to avoid following their messages. I was only nine or ten when it came out, but where i am in Canada, around then they were implementing smoking bans around that time, and now you aren't even allowed to smoke in your vehicle if a child under 18 or 19 is in the car. The episode mostly resonated with me because i went to a Catholic school, despite already knowing i was an atheist, and would have to sit through yearly celebacy presentations, and learn about how swearing was a sin or being gay was a sin, or whatever they felt like was bad that week. I only found your channel yesterday and I've enjoyed your commentary on these episodes. Keep up the good work!
I thankfully live in a State where indoor smoking was banned in 2005. It's weird to think about when I was a kid about how places had a smoking and non smoking section. Weirder still to think about when you could do it on planes.
It is pretty clear that Parker and Stone hate Rob Reiner. I will also say that the older south park episodes do tend to be more simplistic, giving the wrong message sometimes.
They don’t write to be some sort of preachers. You coming to South Park for lessons on morals? They write what they think is funny. Forget what other people think and their feelings. if it’s funny they’re going to say it.
@@anime_cyko somewhat true, but South Park has always had an element of sincerity to their show. Always take the show with a pinch of salt, but it doesn’t mean they don’t care about the message.
I was recently playing the video game “L.A. Noire”, set in 1949, and I remember hearing on the radio while driving in the game this cigarette commercial which claimed something like “4 out of 5 doctors recommend our cigarettes”. Crazy that for so long people believed there was nothing unhealthy about smoking.
Don't worry, I love southpark too, but that does not mean I have to like every single episode equally. You can stiill be ob jective and spot flaws when there are. This episode aired 20 years ago. For a show running for this long, it's hardly impossible not to have a less good work here and there. I totally agree on this what you said. The creators of Southpark is allways "walking on thin ice", very daring in what they portray and speak out. They are not immune to have wanky opinions at times - and messages too. Not saying it's good. But they mostly do "their job" quite well.
I agree with you. I think the beginning of this episode *could have* been going somewhere good: anti-drug campaigns in schools are manipulative and encourage all-or-nothing thinking (i.e. you're either a good person or you're "a smoker"), and that may be counterproductive. Where they did go, though, was a simplistic contrarian/libertarian angle. I think the level of thinking Parker and Stone were missing here was that just because an advocacy group is self-righteous and annoying doesn't mean they're wrong. (I *hope* the line about slavery was a joke for shock value and not something they actually believe...) Edit: Also, the fat-shaming jokes about Rob Reiner were pretty horrifying.
You should watch the early Halloween episodes because one of them has cartman dressed as H!tler first then as a kk member and other members give him a piece of candy. The fat shaming is nothing compared to what they did in the past
I know a lot of the tricyclic antidepressants and fluvoxamine are not supposed to be taken if you smoke. I believe it’s something with how the medication metabolizes more quickly but I’m not an MD or work in psych
I never interpreted the message of this episode as endorsing smoking, but rather pointing out the authoritarianism of forcing others to behave in a certain way because "it's for their own good". I am probably in a minority somewhat with this opinion, but I think people have the right to act in a way that is self harmful, even if they know that action will immediately or eventually kill them. Otherwise, what person or group of persons ultimately becomes of the arbiter of everyone's choice to live in the way that they want (granted they do not impede the rights of others in the process)?
The issue that is raised with that sort of hands-off "libertarian" thinking is where to then draw the line. Like okay, we won't have any laws or legislation involving the restriction of cigarettes. Does that also apply to something like crystal meth or crack cocaine? What about nuclear weapons? Can a person who can afford to buy a warhead be legally allowed to do so? If people can agree that limitations and restrictions should be in place for *something* based on the danger of that product, then the conversation shifts away from "Can the government tell us what to do?" and it becomes "What is a reasonable line to draw between the responsibilities of a government to protect its constituents vs. personal responsibilities we all have to keep ourselves and those around us safe?"
Remember, early 2000's US. Abstinence only sex ed was the norm from early 2000's to mid or early 2010's. And this is just the perfect mimicry of the anti smoking, sex, and drug groups that would come through and talk to my school in 4th-8th grade. A good chunk of it is them mocking Rob Reiner. Mostly, because it wasn't widely accepted by the public that secondhand smoke was a danger until 2006, when the US Surgeon General linked it to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Up until then, outside of the medical community and the research community, few people in the US actually realized that second hand smoke was a problem. Stone and Parker also weren't as good at dealing with scientific information way back here. Thankfully they got better.
I always thought this is more of the idea that Fast Food kills too and that everyone who doesn't think about that while wanting to ban something for health reasons is a hypocrit. Hence the last "No we didn't" in the What we learned today part.
I recall recently a whole host of tobacco company CEOs testifying to Congress under threat of perjury that they were certain that smoking was not harmful in any way. What to guess how many of them were convicted of perjury? Probably the exact amount you would think.
I think that they ascribe to Libertarian ideology. This episode reflects that a lot. They say that people should be allowed to make bad decisions without being controlled by the government (with laws and such). There are holes in the ideology, and this episode inadvertently shows that too.
This is a really messy episode that I think they kinda did more to be contrarian and unpredictable than anything. The year before they did an episode called My Future Self & Me, which has a similar "the boys do a drug, the concerned parents react in a really dumb way" theme, but really put the focus and blame on the use of scare tactics rather than just honest communication. I could relate to that, because almost all drug-related education we had in my school days (in the 1990s) seemed to be built around the idea that drugs are instantly addictive and WILL always kill you, which I think everyone knew was nonsense even as kids. I guess it's hard to balance good information with teens' and pre-teens' ability to assess risks though. And also, if you want to give kids good information, you have to actually *have* that information; whereas if you want to lie to them, it's a lot easier.
It's their generally Libertarian bent, that whole "Every American has the right to kill themselves however they want." attitude. They are also pointing out what they see as the hypocrisy of eating garbage food that kills you, just like cigarettes do. And, while there is a genuine conversation to be had there, it does ignore the (fairly major) difference that second hand smoke can kill others, as well. Others who did NOT choose to smoke. And, they just really seem to hate Rob Reiner. The way he's characterized as a stereotypical "shitlib" here makes that pretty apparent.
@@stevenvaleriojr1177 - tbh, I've always thought secondhand smoke was a bit of a red herring. Like, I know it's real, but it's brought up to plead with smokers not to be so bloody selfish. And I think that's the wrong approach really. I think a better approach may be to ask if they're really making this informed personal choice freely ... when they just so happen to be addicted to the drug in question. Addiction should throw a huge spanner in the works of the whole libertarian argument, because it reduces your freedom to choose in future. Of course, if someone's truly determined, they'll find a counter-argument.
I think one of the biggest criticisms of using scare tactics to curb children's behavior is when they're alone and start to experiment and learn one bad decision doesn't immediately kill them, it just makes the child question everything and start to internalize that everything is a lie. Therefore making them inclined to make more bad decisions.
@FTZPLTC Well, I disagree that it's a red herring, since it is real and a real concern. But, I can concede that perhaps it's not the point that should be emphasized, or at least shouldn't be the only point made.
I think people should be allowed to smoke if they want. As long as the health risks are presented and its not being advertised or sold to children, people should be free to do so.
Have you seen the early Manbearpig episodes? The writers used to have some... *interesting* takes on topics that have aged like milk since (at least they course-corrected later on with MBP)
not really: thyey are right in pointing out the hypocrisy of Al Gore. people like Rob Reiner, Sean Penn and Greta Thumberg create more deniers instead of actually helping (and make my job more difficult);
They were (are?) libertarians, or close to it, and episodes like Butt Out and ManBearPig really makes it clear. All about individual freedom, not caring for or understanding the bigger picture. I love South Park, but some of their earliest takes really fall flat nowadays. The question is: what are they saying now that will age as terribly as MBP? Maybe the whole PC thing.
I don't think they had "stupid" attitudes, they just sounded stupid because they didn't have enough time in 20 minutes to develop several sides and show the hypocrisy and "evil" in both sides. Later on, they moved on to themes that were developed throughout the series up to the current hour-long special episodes, and I think it's the increased footage that allows them to beautifully parody both sides equally and also show that the "morally right thing" is somewhere in between. Or to show that there is no such thing as the right thing _________ just my opinion, maybe they really were only young fools before :)
To be fair, previously multiple anti-global warming groups had declared that global warming would result in every-one being/drowning underwater by the year 2000... With these groups constantly moving the goalposts when the apocalypse didn't happen again and again, it is easy to understand why the pair were doubtful.
The tobacco company tour part was a parody taking the piss at corporate communication that have zero ethics and just pretend everything is wonderful. The slavery misrepresentation was a very intentional satire of disingenuous PR.
Nah when you listen to the episode commentary Matt and try admit that they were just passed at rob reiner trying to ban smoking And said that when they heard that all they thought was how cool smoking was over Rob Reiner There was no satire or greater purpose They are just entitled contrarians They have done this multiple times in the episodes when people piss them off and they childishly take the opposite side out of spite.
@@mckenzie.latham91 If you were actually born in 91 and believe you had a good experience with the anti drug / smoking groups including DARE, you were either home schooled and avoided it, or you were and still are a nark. Either way, hush.
@@fumoffu_l So nothing you said changes a thing about what I said Changes nothing about the fact the whole episode is just a product of spite against a celebrity trey and Matt took offense from And how there is never a greater purpose above contrarian politics I don't care about DARE, it means nothing, the episode commentary literally is the creators admitting how offended they were by rob Reiner's anti smoking campaign It's not complicated and they aren't masterminds, just good satirists... Furthermore if you're going to blow cultural figures that hard Have the decency to wipe your mouth off before you speak to your betters child.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Exactly, Trey and Matt rightly can’t stand Rob Reiner and was just pointing out his hypocrisy in regards to health. As in why he was always eating some kind of fast food in every scene. It’s just them two taking a jab at Hollywood as everyone should. There’s a scene in this episode in which Reiner tells people who feel stressed to just go to their summer houses. Obviously this is jab at the massive disconnect between wealthy celebrities and the average citizen. This episode was hilarious. They weren’t ever endorsing smoking, they just hated rob reiner 😂😂
I still remember getting asked if we wanted to sit in a smoking or non-smoking section when we went out to eat. This episode still makes me laugh, but there are some bits that feel a bit cringe
There was literally no difference, you could still smell the smoke, they just weren't directly beside you while you were eating. I was so glad when smoking was banned indoors
rob reiner had a famous father named carl reiner. rob's first huge success was on "all in the family" as michael "meathead" stivic. he was married to penny marshall (laverne from laverne and shirley). he has become most known as a director of such films as "a few good men", "misery", "this is spinal tap", and many others. he is immensely self-righteous and the south park creators are making a parody of how telling others about decision making, while being demonstrably terrible at decision making, is hypocritical. as you suggest, they may have missed the mark with this episodes messaging. they are great at admitting their mistakes, for example they didnt believe in a climate crisis, until they did. the first episode on this subject "man-bear-pig" and the sequel 12 years later "nobody got cereal?" would make for a great 2-part reaction on your channel.
Even with the MBP stuff. I still to this day blame Al Gore for how climate change is seen, especially in the US. He made it political, he said baseless nonsense (the frog in the hot water example), and just straight up lied about insects not migrating and destroying forests (when in reality deforestation by humans was the issue, but he's a politician paid off by logging companies). He came out with that absolute shit show, and any rational thinker immediately shook their head and called him an asshole. I 100% believe we'd be in a better place if a fucking politician had stayed out of it and not been the spear head on climate change.
Rob Reiner is the son of the Carl Reiner (creator of The Dick Van Dyke show to name on of his contributions to pop culture). Rob played Mike in All in the Family. He went on to direct the cult classic “Spinal Tap” and the beloved rom-com “When Harry Met Sally” (not a fan of that particular one), The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, Misery, et al.
If I recall correctly the studies show that while second hand smoking can be harmful under very specific circumstances (like dense unventilated indoor spaces), its impact in common every day scenarios is negligible.
I find it so annoying how much smoking is still in TV and films. Like it doesn't need to be the only reason that characters have to be outside. I also work in theatre and I am often exposed to smoke coming through the open foyer doors which does worry me that it will affect my health.
In terms of how some tobacco companies got people to smoke, they used to use popular cartoon characters in commercials to endorse smoking. For example, there were commercials with Fred Flintstone smoking a cigarette and saying quote “like a breath of fresh air”. Nowadays, Fred Flintstone just endorses children’s vitamins.
Say what you will about this episode but you have to admit the gags were hilarious (the boys immediately smoking after the assembly, the grownups entering through the door even though the walls burned down, Cartman trying to nail Kyle’s door shut and failing)
Oh god, I forgot about the "no one knew cigarettes were dangerous until 1965" part. It'd be convenient to their argument for that to be true, but... I'm not buying that no one involved in making these products knew about the health risks until the exact moment that it became illegal not to print them on the packet.
@@Voidaken - See, if the episode hinted even a little bit at the idea that what's being promoted in the pro-tobacco factory tour is just tobacco industry propaganda, I'd have no problem with this. But it isn't really presented that way. But we don't need to steelman a 20 year old SP episode into being better than it is.
@@Voidaken - Why? It's literally in the show. If you look into it, there was 15 years of definitive evidence before that point. Maybe that doesn't seem that long in the grand scheme of things, but it is a long time to refuse to admit that you're selling a product that shortens lives. Maybe I just don't understand what you mean by "literal" here, because it sure as hell wasn't figurative.
@@FTZPLTC That's more than apparent, yes. Rather, you just don't know what the word means since I'm not saying it with any kind of spin. Take your quote, *read it*, and just think about what it really means rather than what you're literally interpreting it as.
yeah... I feel like this episode just ignored all the systemic reasons that one can start smoking and justifying second hand smoking were kinda weird. Some protestors/campaigners against/for things can definitely be impure but trying to put the blame away from massive billion dollar companies who have been advertising for this stuff for decades is more than a little crazy imo.
15. I was adhd and they put me in a double wide trailer to ....."self study" .....with the teens moms, super- seniors, and delinquents. There was a cute teen mom who smoked and i wanted to talk to her, so one day i walked up while she was smoking with her friends and asked for a cigarette 😂
Every smoker watching got the urge at 3:35. I remember seeing the movie Training Day in theaters and Denzel basically chain smokes the whole movie; I was dieing, lol.
I think the best way to deal with this confusion of situation, is to also to look into the episodes narration of how the writers decided to write the story and I feel like this would be a real great helpful to your videos and understand more of why this certain episode.
It’s clozapine. Substances in the smoke (not the nicotine one would suspect) induce clozapine metabolism. If a smoker on clozapine stops smoking and/or goes to a smoke-free facility, their dosage may need to be decreased because the metabolism of the drug slows down. That higher dose they’re currently on could lead to toxicity. Yes? Bonus points?
This was back when Matt and Trey were very libertarian in their rhetoric (they still kinda are today) but being younger back then, I think they took offense to any movement that told people ''what to do''. Message-wise, it is one of their weirder episodes.
It's one of their classics and people still love it. They're not political activists and shouldn't really be judged as if they were running a campaign or something. People back then knew that they were watching a comedy show and that the creators and their audiences could actually have differing opinions and that the creators weren't "weird" for having a worldview. Smoke if you want, don't smoke, but don't police the opinions of others. Also, second-smoking is always viewed from some kind of absolutist perspective, as if you will get lung cancer from one plane trip or cinema where a couple of people are smoking cigarettes in the "Smoking" section. That cannot happen even by a stretch of the imagination. Tobacco smoke isn't some caesium or something. The body recovers between passive exposures probably within 12-24 hours. This is exactly why smoking/non-smoking sections were created, as scientists already knew roughly how much second-hand smoke is required for health problems to arise. In fact, they probably over-estimated, just in case. Labels were added, anti-smoking campaigns were started, smoking booths were built. If you grow up in a household with smoking family members that puff away all day, then you're at obviously at a risk, especially if you're a kid. Matt and Trey added enough nuance to the episode by noting both sides of the issue and acknowledging the irony of fast-food addicts (who are probably easier to hook since it's legal to advertise and feed junk food to them from early childhood). You're not at a risk if you smell some unpleasant cigarette smoke in a cafe every morning. The anti-smoking movement has gotten out of hand -- and I say this as someone who has never even held a cigarette in their hand -- and activists will probably ban people smoking on balconies one wonderful day. There is no nuance to anything anymore and people are generally more radicalized in their beliefs, but what am I saying, it is 2024 and not 2004, after all. Do people really need a disclaimer telling them that this TV show is not a political ad? OP looks like a decent psychiatrist, but I instantly get sociopathic vibes from anyone who fails to understand obvious humor and irony, and who cross-analyzes these things instead. I'm sure most of his reactions to other South Park episodes are similarly serious and I am immediately suspicious of the somewhat condescending tone of people judging South Park, of all things.
Cigarettes smoke contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon which induce CYP1A2 in liver which help to eliminate several antipsychotic drug which include, mainly SGA (Clozapine and Olanzapine) and possibly FGA (Haloperidol) . Good video I enjoy it.
This episode is more of a critique of how ridiculous a lot of the anti-smoking campaigns were in the early 2000's and prior, they really used to use the most extreme examples to try and spread fear around smoking, and for good reasons but it's fair to say some of it was a bit overboard. Matt Stone and Trey Parker definitely have put their own political views into South Park before, but I don't think this is one of them, as always South Park is a parody, don't take everything they say literally. Also smoking is incredibly bad, and I disagree that people should be allowed to, I believe a total ban is warranted, the long term effects heavily outweigh the short term, and it hurts others too. People didn't stop smoking because of the health risks, they stopped because of the social stigma, and I feel as though if we did the same thing to other products like alcohol, and drugs, it'd be incredibly positive for society.
You can tell Trey and Matt's stance has shifted over the years if you compare this episode and Bloody Mary to Freemium Isn't Free and The End of Obesity
@@Grigsy even for those times when clear air acts were being passed across the country to limit smoking spaces. I grew up in those times and let me tell you, the stench of cigarettes that penetrated every building, especially airports, was sickening. I still agree that people deserve to have a choice, but right now we still have a plethora of targeted advertising towards certain demographics (black, Hispanic, native American, and LGBTQ just to name a few), legislation needs to pass so we don't get advertising for ANY drug or altering substance. (The world laughs at American drug advertising and thinks it's beyond insane that we have prescription medication ads at all. ) But yeah during this time period with people visibly having less issues because of smoking regulations, these guys were extremely wrong to say pushing the issue for people to not put others in harms way with secondhand smoke (more needs to be done for other respiratory issues like vehicle emissions) it's gross. When they get it right they get it right. When they get it wrong they are DEAD wrong.
@@georgelutchendorf9519 You can't just diminish its commentary by saying "it's a comedy" because it isn't just a comedy, it's a political comedy making a political point that expresses ideas and opinions and other people are going to debate those ideas and opinions and disagree.
They were really libertarian back then, so you're absolutely right about their attitudes of an individual freedoms over society. This is probably one of the least aged well episode
I literally don't remember this episode, so I might not have seen it somehow, but yeah, the episode feels mean spirited and missing the greater point to tear at Rob Reiner and Advocacy Groups but also they were putting manufacturers in a more positive light and the language of association was so off. Fascism? Abortion rights? So weird. This is all from a never smoker. Nothing about it ever appealed to me, it smelled gross, people I actively disliked smoked a ton in my youth, and in my honestate of New Jersey, smoking was very expensive and yet so temporary. I preferred to spend my money on video games and other longer term lasting habits that actually had a benefit. I also did track and other activities. So much seemed better to me than smoking or drinking. We all have vices of course, some problematic (sex was mine), but I stayed a teetotaler throughout.
Rob Reiner, son of famous writer/comedian Carl Reiner, who became an actor whose big break was in the 70s sitcom All in the Family as Michael Stivick aka "Meathead" the husband to Archie and Edith Bunker's daughter Gloria. Rob Reiner played other hippie-esque roles on television in the 70s and eventually went on to act in movies, write scripts, produce and direct & be an activist for left/moderate sociopolitical and environmental causes Any Way he became obese in the late nineties and a bit of a dick towards anyone not totally onboard with his views, thus why Parker & Stone lampoon him on South Park. Dear sweet gorgeous young man... South Park is satirical and parody so most of its comedic vitriol is aimed at BOTH sides of an issue. Have you not seen their 1999 South Park movie: Bigger, Longer & Uncut? or seen their Broadway/West End smash musical: Book of Mormon??? Pure satire! Some of the BEST Drag Queens from RPDR get this: Bianca Del Rio, Bob TDQ, Alaska, The Vivian, Katya, Jimbo... Love ya right back! Ciao Bello!
Another interesting episode that I’d enjoy your take on is the season 5 episode “Kenny Dies”. A much more serious tone than other episodes, it deals with issues such as stem cell research, and the difficulty of having a friend or loved one who’s battling a terminal illness.
@@Nargeon He openly calls out Trumps fascist speeches He calls out Trump's unpresdiential behaviour And focuses on all of his convictions and court issues which show him to be a long time con man, criminal and scumbag For some reason focussing on these things in a former president of the United States Is considered obsessive and somehow not important to focus on Which is probably why we got a multiple convicted con man, criminal and fascist focused president in the first place.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Yeah, but who gives a fuck what some actor/director thinks about politics? He has some absolutely amazing films, he should focus on that. Tweeting about him, multiple times a day, for years, is obsessive.
A very scary comment would be that 9 out of 10 doctors agree that smoking is harmful because that mean 10% of all doctors think smoking isn't harmful and that would be a very scary thing
It’s interesting how right you were to think the people in the comments would be upset because “I like this episode so I don’t agree with you” and completely disregard what you disliked here. You didn’t say this was “pro smoking” and you admitted that the creators were “anti-hypocrisy” what you DISLIKED was that they seemed to be using hypocrisy to dismiss the REAL benefits of this kind of legal change in order to further some bitter, non-nuanced message that these laws suck, sorry if I too am putting words in your mouth
Nearly every woman in my family was a regular or heavy smoker before the bands came in in the mid 2000s. Almost 20 years later, almost all of them have either given up smoking, or have severely reduced how often they smoke. Because the act of having to go outside, through a real spanner in the usual habit, which allows them to slowly break some of the cycle. Basically, it was just more of a pain in the arse to try and smoke. All of them are happy that this happened, even though at the time they weren’t. Even the ones who continued to smoke are happy that they don’t smoke as much as they did. There’s also a lot to be said for kids coming home absolutely terrified that there aunts or mothers or grandmothers might end up with cancer. That’s a good motivating factor when your grandchild is staring you in the face in bits that you might die.
Other people have mentioned they aren't smokers. But it doesn't matter whether they were or weren't. At this point in time South Park has a confusing penchant for either delivering social commentary OR attacking their greatest enemy - caring about stuff. S&P constantly write about how bad people are if they have deeply held opinions, even if they agree with those people. They have mostly gotten over it now, but the amount of episodes that are derailed because they wanted to promote apathy is frustrating.
I guess edginess just fades with age and experience. This edginess is something that can be seen online, too - with (mostly young guys) playing "devil's advocate" to argue against social issues, just for the sake of it. Even if they don't have a stake in the matter or don't actually believe in the thing they're arguing for. For some people, it's just fun to upset others - trolling. To create something like South Park (remember how scandalous it was in the early days), you have to have at least some of that in you, I think, and that's how you get episodes like this one.
2002-2003 was when they banned smoking/Non smoking session in New Jersey. I believe Pennsylvania and NY followed suit in 2004. I’m not familiar with the other states because I was only 9 😅😅
there's a decent amount of early south park where Matt Stone and Trey Parker would usually pick a known celebrity they dont really like, then make a whole episode about them, mocking them, and then making a plot around that. they did it with Barbara Streisand, Sally Struthers, Tom Cruise, that one mom with the overweight child honey booboo i think the kid was known as. later seasons, they did it with multiple politicians, Kanye West, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, though obviously later seasons they tuned the level of it way down. they've even done an epsiode mocking religion twice, one was just an episode on mormonism the other was a whole arc with islam, after they got angry letters (maybe death threats included) from portraying the prophet Muhammad.
Medicinal cigarrettes of the sort that were popular during the XIX century; were commonly made out of other plants different than nicotinia virginianna. Eucalyptus cigarretes rolled in leaves are still popular in many places like India, and attributed some medicinal propperties (tho it would probably be more effective to use eucalyptus in a myriad of other ways). Some other traditional asthma remedies included way more exotic and dangerous mixes rolled into the cigarrete, like datura leaves. I believe the use of smoking for treating respiratory conditions may stem from the custom of burning plants with antibacterial properties in orther to clean miasmas from the environment. Which may have admitedly have some marginal incidental side effect in helping with hygene practises for some things; but ofc is totally counter productive in things like allergy induced athsma
Really enjoy your videos! I’m currently watching the South Park episode “Insheeption” and it touches on the topic hoarding. Would love to see you do a video on it!
This episode is not about saying smoking is fine but just how extreme people are about those who smoke. They vilify smokers like crazy even if they are in in control enough of smocking, in contrast to lax opinions of people who drink or eat garbage or eat too much. I do agree south park could be a bit less extreme with portrayals of both smoking and anti smoking groups. And they didnt mention why people do smoke, which is the majority of cases is not "it's just my choice". While it seems Matt and Trey underestimate addiction, other episodes prove it wrong - primarily with behavior of Kenny(poor family) and Randy. So my guess they understabd well addictive behavior but think anybody can just think to.change their behavior. Which i kind of agree, but taking that step to trully think is sometimes very hard with all the thoughts happening.
I thought there must have been an ironic element to this, given how ridiculously overwraught the messaging and song were, but I checked the commentary, and they were well and truly sincere. I remember liking this one back in the day, but I was right there with you on this one. It's funny how you mention the social aspects, because their view was that smoking was one of the few things working class people look forward to, and that most people who went to bars were smokers anyway. And that while Matt Stone wasn't a smoker, he used to hang out in the smoking areas because that's where all the cool people were.
The ginger episode is the worst one Matt and Trey both fully confirm they are sickened by ginger kids And actually believe they have no soul They are so unapologetic about hating ginger kids Trey admits that the joke where the one guy tells the kids to marry Asian because Asians do not carry the ginger gene Was based on Trey himself. He literally admitted one reason he married an Asian was so he would never have ginger kids
@@mckenzie.latham91 I think they were joking / taking the piss in that instance, even if Trey's hangup is based in truth. There wasn't the righteous indignation I got from the Butt Out one.
@@DakNJaxter I don't think so, they are very forward on the commentary, There's no hint of joking, not even in their tone And there would be no reason for any indignation because it's not an ego afflicted person they are talking about It's a group of people who just digust them... Again people need to realize these guys Aren't infalliable and have some very bad takes because of their persoanl ideolgies (contrarians)
@@DakNJaxterWell we will never know beyond speculation Because as stated he made sure he would never have a ginger kid So all you have is willfully speculation Yet when I hear someone literally say that they literally used genetics to ensure they never got the "wrong" combination of genes in their offspring I don't ignore the complications of that cause of celebrity envy.
With South Park, a lot of the earlier season episodes are more simplified. It's like Matt and Trey chose an issue to make an episode on, but they only show one side of the situation, choosing whichever side they deem either more important, or whatever would make a more entertaining episode. This one is mainly speaking out on the hypocrisy of anti-smoking groups that act like smoking is so horrible because it's unhealthy, but seem to completely not care about any other health issues. They don't promote good health, they just demonize smokers. The message at the end of "let smokers smoke" isn't trying to say "you shouldn't care about secondhand smoke," it's saying you shouldn't shame people for smoking. While people who smoke should refrain from doing it around other people, smoking doesn't make them a bad person.
Geniuenly one of my favourite channels on youtube, if you contnue just being you, which is a great doctor and educator you will make it big on here I fully believe it.
When I saw this episode for the first time, I didn’t think of it as biased because I just had to wait till the commercials to find out how bad smoking was for me all that information as far as I was concerned was ubiquitous
OMG!! This is making me go back literally 20 years to my neuropsych senior meta research. I am going to try really hard to remember off the top of my head. I think it's atypical antipsychotic medications that are associated with lower rates of smoking specifically in the schizophrenic population, because essentially they bind to the nicotinic receptors, and so those patient feel less of a need to self medicate to deal with auditory hallucinations via nicotine?
I was taught that the "calming' effects were the result of Nesbit's Paradox. I think that it's important for people to understand that there is a high comorbidity between types of mental illness and smoking.
yeah one can harm other people with pasive smoke but also one can harm other people with an axe to the head while drunk, i ve seen alot of those on the 5 pm news
In the United States, there was a program called D.A.R.E. and it was a mandatory class I had in middle school tries to persuade middle schoolers from partaking and drugs and alcohol with scare tactics. I’m not sure if it’s still relevant program and the school systems anymore so I “ took the classes” back in 1998 👵🏻
I had to take it in 5th and 6th grade and I was BORN in 1998 cx im pretty sure they don’t do it anymore though since all it seemed to do was make people more likely to use drugs since 1) they were clearly lying about weed. Just, all around, everything they said was lies. Which is gonna make some people think “well what else did they lie to me about?” And 2) I’ve heard that apparently the DARE program putting so much emphasis on the peer pressure we apparently were all going to face to do drugs made kids think that everyone actually was doing drugs and so, ironically, the constant warnings of “peer pressure” themselves functioned as peer pressure. Also I won my grade’s DARE essay contest and smoked weed the first time a month later, so just goes to show all it taught me was how to BS an essay and say what I knew they wanted to hear…which I guess is a skill so, uh, thanks for that DARE program? Although I’m pretty sure I would’ve learned that anyway just from having to write essays in general. And also BSing essays is a lot harder than writing an essay on something I actually care about/agree with which turned out to be what most papers I had to write ended up being anyway so I guess never mind, I learned nothing. Also where were all these people offering me free drugs that DARE promised? Oh right, that’s not a thing that happens because drugs are expensive, idk why they kept telling 10/11 year olds that in a couple years we were just gonna be surrounded by people offering us free drugs at every opportunity cx
@@katcel16 it felt similar to those abstinence assemblies, too. I remember one during my 10th grade and everyone was so bored and responding to the speakers’ questions. 😪😪😪
I love South Park but yeah Matt and Trey have definitely had some takes that aged very poorly. Another example is in the season 5 episode “Cripple Fight”, their message is that private clubs such as Scouts of America should have the right to exclude people just because they’re gay. Their stance is not out of homophobia but out of their libertarian mindset. It’s actually a hilarious episode but damn that awful take at the end really sours it.
South Park loves to ragebait. Especially in the older episodes. That's their way of giving the finger to literally everyone. Smoking in bars was banned in 2005 in Finland. I was 18 in 2002. I don't miss the smoke filled bars of 2002-2004 one bit.
I rarely smoke. I really only ever ask a stranger once in a while for a cigarette if they're willing to give me one. Aside from that, I don't even bother. I just stick to coffee.
Clozapine, Olanzipine and the related drugs are effected through CYP1A2 in the liver (as are dozens of things) cigarette smoke increases the activity of the enzyme. I take tacrolimus which has the same sort of effect through grapefruit and pomegranate but throuogh CYP3A4 not CYP1A2
The big bit that doesn't get touched on is that (at least in America) those anti smoking performers are employees of cigarette companies. Often intentionally putting on cringe inducing acts to get that resistance reaction.
I had originally left a much shorter comment but then I read through a number of other comments talking about how this episode is supposed to be depicting the hypocrisy of these sorts of awareness groups and I just have to say that because a person or group takes a stand on one issue but not on another related issue does not make them a hypocrite. People do not have infinite time, energy and money to take a stand on every related issue so there is nothing morally wrong or hypocritical if a person or group of people choose to spread awareness about one issue that they are passionate about and not another. I know next to nothing about Rob Reiner so maybe this hypocrisy does apply specifically to him but that is not the impression this episode gives and not the impression I got from the comments I read. Anyways I’d love to see you react to the first Manbearpig episode, I think it’s season 10 episode 6.
Is it Seroquel / Quetiapine? I ask because I take it, and I know it's a dopamine blocker, and nicotine messes with dopamine levels. I also smoked for a short while before I put on Seroquel, and after I started taking it, I didn't get anything from cigarettes, unless I smoked a lot of them. Like, the blockers made it so if I didn't have 2-3 cigarettes I felt nothing, which ultimately lead to me quitting because it wasn't worth smoking that much for the same effect. That and the fact that with the medication helping me so much, the overall urge to smoke went down.
Well if Google is to be be believed I suppose I'm wrong: "No interactions were found between nicotine and Seroquel. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider."
Isn't the success of anti smoking policy largely overshadowed by vaping, which gained traction as a direct result, reducing the age people are exposed to nicotine and ultimately exposing more people? We already had the ability to avoid smoking establishments, so the lives saved from second hand smoke are largely over estimated while the lives lost to vaping are consistently under estimated.
It was just a personal dig at Rob Reiner, who just hapened to be an anti-tobacco lobbyist. It has very little to do with tobacco, it being a mcguffin around what was actually focus of the episode - lobbyism and Rob Reiner. Soldier 1998 with Kurt Russell as PTSD study when? xD
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
So the South park creators later admitted that this was more of a dig at Rob Reiner (at the time of this episode, both creators were, and still are, non smokers though one used to smoke) and more like you said on the self righteousness of advocacy groups.
In the commentary they say that they actually love a lot of his movies, but it was specifically his anti-smoking activism that made them angry at him, because he was making things tougher for working class people that enjoyed a good smoke at the end of the day.
Maybe their hearts were in the right place, but I think their conclusion was wrong, and honestly they come across as kinda self-righteous themselves in this episodes. Equating health legislation to facism is wild (though they seem to be skeptical of the research) but the bit about slavery and the tabacco industry bringing their black friends over... that's just nuts.
Ya I thought it was pretty obvious. I would be surprised if anyone thought they really advocating smoking.
@@abc123tiktok agree, I think that's why they made the anti smoking advocacy groups comically evil and the tobacco companies some kind of over the top willy wonka factory, because they knew it was a comical oversimplification and just wanted a chance to mock Reiner
@@abc123tiktok it's because if you don't have the context , you won't make that conclusion. I didn't have this context and so it really seemed to me like they were advocating for smoking. Instead of opening with a bit, it would have been better to provide the audience with more context instead of making the assumption everyone already knew.
I also think the dig at Rob Reiner also is has classist elements, given Reiner thought it was good advice to give the factory worker to go to his vacation house in Hawaii (like he does) in order to relax. Also wanted to point out that Matt and Trey were born and raised in Colorado, and the state is often lumped in mid-west/rustbelt culture wars and often declared and disparaged of being "full of hicks" by prominent liberal celebrities and activists (which is why they hate Barbara Streisand because she made such statements). So Matt and Trey do episodes like these to take back some power and call out how clueless and out-of-touch these people are.
So I lived in Florida 2003 as a high schooler. I was around during the anti-smoking campaigns.
What this episode just doesn't tell you and fails to note: The anti-smoking campaigns were run by the tobacco companies they were run by philip morris and camels and Laramie
The US government forced them in order to stay in business to start these anti-smoking campaigns, but by allowing them to control the narrative The cringe was 100% intentional. They knew what they were doing. They wanted anti smokers to look stupid and dorky to Teenagers and middle schoolers and claim they were doing education. When it was quite literally a smear campaign like an over exaggeration literally. Just overblow every single fact about cigarette smoking to the point of histrionics. Every campaign for anti-smoking was just throwing up gritty grunge pictures of mutilated and burnt organs all over computer video games and television ADS.
It's like how the D.A.R.E program actually inundated children with the concept of drugs when before they just didn't know about them except as accessories in their peripherals.
The anti smoking campaign was literally the only way to intentionally advertise smoking to kids by making anti smokers look like idiots
Laramie High Tars were my daddy's cigarette since he was in the war....at home...on Fox.
Oh damn, that's fascinating if true.
I have heard this before, and it does explain why they'd persist in using such an ineffective method. Normally, when people want to affect change and they see that their tactics aren't working, they'd try something else.
Dude... you just changed my entire childhood perspective... I mean both parents smoked so I was probably still gunna start but dad quit 15 years before his death and mom quit when she got covid. I still smoke but dude.. you blew my effing mind
Like when in dare when they had us put those goggles on that was supposed to simulate how bad being drunk was supposed but instead me and my buddies all were just like " oh, cool, I can't wait to get drunk now."
I never saw this as a pro-smoking episode. I saw it as anti-hypocrisy.
I genuinely believe it's less about the villainization of one group and more about the hypocrisy of condemning one bad health choice while really not caring if people live a healthy life. Rob Reiner only cared about smokers, people dying from too much unhealthy foods or heavy drugs aren't the battle for him. They also had a quick joke in the death camp of tolerance where the museum of tolerance accepts all except the smokers.
For me the point that sits with me the most (that was unfortunately cut out of this video) was when Rob attacks the factory worker for smoking indoors. The worker responds that he just finished a 14 hour shift and just wants to relax. I don't smoke, I don't intend to and it's clear to me that what the guy in the episode gets is a placebo but it works for him after 14 hours of work. I don't think Matt and Trey wanted to just out right shit on anti smokers but point out a hypocrisy and how people jumped on a bandwagon.
Just a small addition, between that episode and today the heart attack grill in las Vegas was founded and killed a few people but fast food isn't going anywhere.
This was my first time watching you. Even though this wasn't your favorite SP episode. I look forward to going back and checking out your other reactions. You're input is very interesting and a change of pace. Appreciate it.
I get that but saying "You can't advocate for X because you dont say anything about Y" is still dumb and is just "what aboutism" at that point.
Also, when you're trying to make a societal change about an a certain issue. You stay on topic and you stay focused. When you start adding more and more your cause, things become harder to read for the general population and it gets harder to get things done.
@@Mr._Idiot440there's a different between not dedicating yourself to other causes and actively participating in other self destructive behaviours while villainising one
@thebabycow If they were related, sure. But one is designed to be a super addictive substance that cause withdrawal symptoms when going without and will actively kill you and those around you while doing said activity.
Vs
The person is not balancing their caloric take and will probably be inefficient at some tasks while taking up more space. This whole "fat vs smokers" is cope
This episode is definitely more against self righteous anti-drug groups. I don’t know big it was in the UK, but America used to have such massive programs that went so far as to often demonize anyone who smoked. It is often attributed in the US to have introduced even younger children to stuff they would not have known about otherwise, and was found to often have little to no effect on reducing drug use. I’d honestly recommend checking out American anti-drug campaigns, could even make a fun video reacting to the ads and fact checking them, as, yes, they sometimes include outdated or even wrong information
I think that's the big disconnect with this video. I feel that if Dr. Elliot here had more information about what the landscape looked and felt like at the time, he wouldn't be so critical of it.
I was not even a teenager yet at the time this episode aired, and I completely understood. Dealing with the DARE program and all the bull shit around smoking, literally as the target of these programs, this hit hard. I was constantly bombarded by teachers, assemblies, even commercials when I'm trying to watch cartoons. I get these TRUTH ads like "Cigarettes have been found to sometimes have ___ and blank ___, which are also found in cat pee and dog poop. So you're smoking cat pee and dog poop!" And even as a stupid 11 year old kid I was saying to myself "That's... that's not how that works. That's not what that means." Even stupid kids who were targeted by all of this were sitting around rolling our eyes.
So again, I think had he grown up in the US, his tune would be a bit different.
@@fumoffu_lI think it’s hard for anyone outside of America to fully wrap their head around what the war on drugs was like in America going from the 80s to early 2000s, the campaigns invaded so much of our lives
I quit smoking before i was ever legally allowed to buy one. Im young enough that most people my age didnt smoke and thought it was uncool.
I feel we're going to be in a cycle where in ten years theyll be hip hop anti-vaping groups visiting schools
The FDA is already making ads about vaping when it’s healthier than smoking sure the chemicals used might be harmful but still no evidence that they are as harmful as cigarettes
If i remember the DVD commentary correct, Matt used to smoke but quit, Trey never smoked but his Mom did and he sympathized with her.
Even when an episode of South Park goes against my particular views, its usually still funny and helps me understand how people like me are viewed by the other side. That scene with the guy who got off a long shift and wants to smoke in a bar gave me genuine pause. I feel for that guy, even if i don't agree with him.
I had cancer when I was really young. I know I should hate Stanley’s Cup but it’s one of my favorite episodes. Especially since I’m a huge Detroit Red Wings fan and it makes them look like monsters.
I know you're looking at the episode through a British person in 2024, but the episode was supposed to just be a big fuck you to Rob Reiner who was everywhere back then, as well as saying the school presentations were stupid and often made kids want to avoid following their messages. I was only nine or ten when it came out, but where i am in Canada, around then they were implementing smoking bans around that time, and now you aren't even allowed to smoke in your vehicle if a child under 18 or 19 is in the car. The episode mostly resonated with me because i went to a Catholic school, despite already knowing i was an atheist, and would have to sit through yearly celebacy presentations, and learn about how swearing was a sin or being gay was a sin, or whatever they felt like was bad that week.
I only found your channel yesterday and I've enjoyed your commentary on these episodes. Keep up the good work!
I thankfully live in a State where indoor smoking was banned in 2005. It's weird to think about when I was a kid about how places had a smoking and non smoking section. Weirder still to think about when you could do it on planes.
My mother was a heavy smoker and she would constantly blow smoke directly in my face.
I hated it 😢
You mean back when things were cool
It is pretty clear that Parker and Stone hate Rob Reiner. I will also say that the older south park episodes do tend to be more simplistic, giving the wrong message sometimes.
They did an episode on alcoholism where they concluded that people who suffer from addiction just need more discipline. Eeeesh😢
They don’t write to be some sort of preachers. You coming to South Park for lessons on morals? They write what they think is funny. Forget what other people think and their feelings. if it’s funny they’re going to say it.
@@anime_cyko somewhat true, but South Park has always had an element of sincerity to their show. Always take the show with a pinch of salt, but it doesn’t mean they don’t care about the message.
@@legzfalloffgirl5148 wow, it completely flew over your head...
they were more naïve, like the gnomes episode, but the message here is not "wrong" they are pointing out a hypocritical person, that's it
I was recently playing the video game “L.A. Noire”, set in 1949, and I remember hearing on the radio while driving in the game this cigarette commercial which claimed something like “4 out of 5 doctors recommend our cigarettes”. Crazy that for so long people believed there was nothing unhealthy about smoking.
Don't worry, I love southpark too, but that does not mean I have to like every single episode equally. You can stiill be ob jective and spot flaws when there are. This episode aired 20 years ago. For a show running for this long, it's hardly impossible not to have a less good work here and there.
I totally agree on this what you said.
The creators of Southpark is allways "walking on thin ice", very daring in what they portray and speak out. They are not immune to have wanky opinions at times - and messages too.
Not saying it's good. But they mostly do "their job" quite well.
I agree 💯
I agree with you. I think the beginning of this episode *could have* been going somewhere good: anti-drug campaigns in schools are manipulative and encourage all-or-nothing thinking (i.e. you're either a good person or you're "a smoker"), and that may be counterproductive. Where they did go, though, was a simplistic contrarian/libertarian angle. I think the level of thinking Parker and Stone were missing here was that just because an advocacy group is self-righteous and annoying doesn't mean they're wrong.
(I *hope* the line about slavery was a joke for shock value and not something they actually believe...)
Edit: Also, the fat-shaming jokes about Rob Reiner were pretty horrifying.
You should watch the early Halloween episodes because one of them has cartman dressed as H!tler first then as a kk member and other members give him a piece of candy. The fat shaming is nothing compared to what they did in the past
They never said the advocacy group was wrong.
Also how is shaming rob horrifying when he does the exact same thing?
imo fat shaming isn't really that bad in an episode about health
You are right, they should have shamed him harder!
@@alan62036 didn't they call them fascists for wanting people to stop smocking?
I know a lot of the tricyclic antidepressants and fluvoxamine are not supposed to be taken if you smoke. I believe it’s something with how the medication metabolizes more quickly but I’m not an MD or work in psych
I never interpreted the message of this episode as endorsing smoking, but rather pointing out the authoritarianism of forcing others to behave in a certain way because "it's for their own good". I am probably in a minority somewhat with this opinion, but I think people have the right to act in a way that is self harmful, even if they know that action will immediately or eventually kill them. Otherwise, what person or group of persons ultimately becomes of the arbiter of everyone's choice to live in the way that they want (granted they do not impede the rights of others in the process)?
The issue that is raised with that sort of hands-off "libertarian" thinking is where to then draw the line. Like okay, we won't have any laws or legislation involving the restriction of cigarettes. Does that also apply to something like crystal meth or crack cocaine? What about nuclear weapons? Can a person who can afford to buy a warhead be legally allowed to do so? If people can agree that limitations and restrictions should be in place for *something* based on the danger of that product, then the conversation shifts away from "Can the government tell us what to do?" and it becomes "What is a reasonable line to draw between the responsibilities of a government to protect its constituents vs. personal responsibilities we all have to keep ourselves and those around us safe?"
Yeah, secondhand smoke trashes that argument.
Remember, early 2000's US. Abstinence only sex ed was the norm from early 2000's to mid or early 2010's. And this is just the perfect mimicry of the anti smoking, sex, and drug groups that would come through and talk to my school in 4th-8th grade.
A good chunk of it is them mocking Rob Reiner. Mostly, because it wasn't widely accepted by the public that secondhand smoke was a danger until 2006, when the US Surgeon General linked it to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Up until then, outside of the medical community and the research community, few people in the US actually realized that second hand smoke was a problem.
Stone and Parker also weren't as good at dealing with scientific information way back here. Thankfully they got better.
The beauty of South Park is they don't mind if you have a differing take. The show just wants you to have one, either way.
1:16 Yeah i also be cringing like that when we had assemblies like that in school,
Doctor, I’m still waiting for you to react to the South Park Special on the US healthcare system on Paramount+
I always thought this is more of the idea that Fast Food kills too and that everyone who doesn't think about that while wanting to ban something for health reasons is a hypocrit.
Hence the last "No we didn't" in the What we learned today part.
I recall recently a whole host of tobacco company CEOs testifying to Congress under threat of perjury that they were certain that smoking was not harmful in any way.
What to guess how many of them were convicted of perjury? Probably the exact amount you would think.
Tobacco creates euphoria?? All I ever got from it was dizziness and nausea
Skill issue
I think the euphoria comes when you're addicted and haven't had a cigarette in a while?
It's ok is not that euphoric. Like some other substances is not really worth it.
I think that they ascribe to Libertarian ideology. This episode reflects that a lot. They say that people should be allowed to make bad decisions without being controlled by the government (with laws and such). There are holes in the ideology, and this episode inadvertently shows that too.
This is a really messy episode that I think they kinda did more to be contrarian and unpredictable than anything. The year before they did an episode called My Future Self & Me, which has a similar "the boys do a drug, the concerned parents react in a really dumb way" theme, but really put the focus and blame on the use of scare tactics rather than just honest communication.
I could relate to that, because almost all drug-related education we had in my school days (in the 1990s) seemed to be built around the idea that drugs are instantly addictive and WILL always kill you, which I think everyone knew was nonsense even as kids. I guess it's hard to balance good information with teens' and pre-teens' ability to assess risks though. And also, if you want to give kids good information, you have to actually *have* that information; whereas if you want to lie to them, it's a lot easier.
It's their generally Libertarian bent, that whole "Every American has the right to kill themselves however they want." attitude.
They are also pointing out what they see as the hypocrisy of eating garbage food that kills you, just like cigarettes do. And, while there is a genuine conversation to be had there, it does ignore the (fairly major) difference that second hand smoke can kill others, as well. Others who did NOT choose to smoke.
And, they just really seem to hate Rob Reiner. The way he's characterized as a stereotypical "shitlib" here makes that pretty apparent.
@@stevenvaleriojr1177 - tbh, I've always thought secondhand smoke was a bit of a red herring. Like, I know it's real, but it's brought up to plead with smokers not to be so bloody selfish. And I think that's the wrong approach really. I think a better approach may be to ask if they're really making this informed personal choice freely ... when they just so happen to be addicted to the drug in question.
Addiction should throw a huge spanner in the works of the whole libertarian argument, because it reduces your freedom to choose in future. Of course, if someone's truly determined, they'll find a counter-argument.
I think one of the biggest criticisms of using scare tactics to curb children's behavior is when they're alone and start to experiment and learn one bad decision doesn't immediately kill them, it just makes the child question everything and start to internalize that everything is a lie. Therefore making them inclined to make more bad decisions.
@FTZPLTC Well, I disagree that it's a red herring, since it is real and a real concern. But, I can concede that perhaps it's not the point that should be emphasized, or at least shouldn't be the only point made.
@@stevenvaleriojr1177 people on the left deserve to be criticized for their hypocrisy and tendency to be preachy.
I think people should be allowed to smoke if they want. As long as the health risks are presented and its not being advertised or sold to children, people should be free to do so.
...just not around other (nonsmoking) people. Because I don't want to get cancer from your choices.
Have you seen the early Manbearpig episodes? The writers used to have some... *interesting* takes on topics that have aged like milk since (at least they course-corrected later on with MBP)
not really: thyey are right in pointing out the hypocrisy of Al Gore. people like Rob Reiner, Sean Penn and Greta Thumberg create more deniers instead of actually helping (and make my job more difficult);
They were (are?) libertarians, or close to it, and episodes like Butt Out and ManBearPig really makes it clear.
All about individual freedom, not caring for or understanding the bigger picture.
I love South Park, but some of their earliest takes really fall flat nowadays.
The question is: what are they saying now that will age as terribly as MBP?
Maybe the whole PC thing.
I don't think they had "stupid" attitudes, they just sounded stupid because they didn't have enough time in 20 minutes to develop several sides and show the hypocrisy and "evil" in both sides.
Later on, they moved on to themes that were developed throughout the series up to the current hour-long special episodes, and I think it's the increased footage that allows them to beautifully parody both sides equally and also show that the "morally right thing" is somewhere in between. Or to show that there is no such thing as the right thing
_________
just my opinion, maybe they really were only young fools before :)
To be fair, previously multiple anti-global warming groups had declared that global warming would result in every-one being/drowning underwater by the year 2000... With these groups constantly moving the goalposts when the apocalypse didn't happen again and again, it is easy to understand why the pair were doubtful.
@@sabrakt100% this. It's easy to stand against everything and for nothing
Hey Doctor Elliott, is Medical Marijuana legal?
The tobacco company tour part was a parody taking the piss at corporate communication that have zero ethics and just pretend everything is wonderful. The slavery misrepresentation was a very intentional satire of disingenuous PR.
Nah when you listen to the episode commentary
Matt and try admit that they were just passed at rob reiner trying to ban smoking
And said that when they heard that all they thought was how cool smoking was over Rob Reiner
There was no satire or greater purpose
They are just entitled contrarians
They have done this multiple times in the episodes when people piss them off and they childishly take the opposite side out of spite.
@@mckenzie.latham91 If you were actually born in 91 and believe you had a good experience with the anti drug / smoking groups including DARE, you were either home schooled and avoided it, or you were and still are a nark. Either way, hush.
@@fumoffu_l So nothing you said changes a thing about what I said
Changes nothing about the fact the whole episode is just a product of spite against a celebrity trey and Matt took offense from
And how there is never a greater purpose above contrarian politics
I don't care about DARE, it means nothing, the episode commentary literally is the creators admitting how offended they were by rob Reiner's anti smoking campaign
It's not complicated and they aren't masterminds, just good satirists...
Furthermore if you're going to blow cultural figures that hard
Have the decency to wipe your mouth off before you speak to your betters child.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Exactly, Trey and Matt rightly can’t stand Rob Reiner and was just pointing out his hypocrisy in regards to health. As in why he was always eating some kind of fast food in every scene.
It’s just them two taking a jab at Hollywood as everyone should. There’s a scene in this episode in which Reiner tells people who feel stressed to just go to their summer houses.
Obviously this is jab at the massive disconnect between wealthy celebrities and the average citizen.
This episode was hilarious. They weren’t ever endorsing smoking, they just hated rob reiner 😂😂
I still remember getting asked if we wanted to sit in a smoking or non-smoking section when we went out to eat. This episode still makes me laugh, but there are some bits that feel a bit cringe
I was on a road trip going through Wyoming a few years ago and they STILL had a smoking section in their restaurants.
I remember getting asked that in Virginia in 2007 and was shell shocked. Even back then most places had banned smoking in restaurants and/or indoors
There was literally no difference, you could still smell the smoke, they just weren't directly beside you while you were eating. I was so glad when smoking was banned indoors
@@Tconlon251_2 Damn, my state used to be so cool.
You should absolutely not 'give that cigarette butt a throw'. That is how fires start, as the boys learned.
rob reiner had a famous father named carl reiner. rob's first huge success was on "all in the family" as michael "meathead" stivic. he was married to penny marshall (laverne from laverne and shirley). he has become most known as a director of such films as "a few good men", "misery", "this is spinal tap", and many others. he is immensely self-righteous and the south park creators are making a parody of how telling others about decision making, while being demonstrably terrible at decision making, is hypocritical. as you suggest, they may have missed the mark with this episodes messaging. they are great at admitting their mistakes, for example they didnt believe in a climate crisis, until they did. the first episode on this subject "man-bear-pig" and the sequel 12 years later "nobody got cereal?" would make for a great 2-part reaction on your channel.
Even with the MBP stuff. I still to this day blame Al Gore for how climate change is seen, especially in the US. He made it political, he said baseless nonsense (the frog in the hot water example), and just straight up lied about insects not migrating and destroying forests (when in reality deforestation by humans was the issue, but he's a politician paid off by logging companies).
He came out with that absolute shit show, and any rational thinker immediately shook their head and called him an asshole. I 100% believe we'd be in a better place if a fucking politician had stayed out of it and not been the spear head on climate change.
Rob Reiner is the son of the Carl Reiner (creator of The Dick Van Dyke show to name on of his contributions to pop culture). Rob played Mike in All in the Family.
He went on to direct the cult classic “Spinal Tap” and the beloved rom-com “When Harry Met Sally” (not a fan of that particular one), The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, Misery, et al.
If I recall correctly the studies show that while second hand smoking can be harmful under very specific circumstances (like dense unventilated indoor spaces), its impact in common every day scenarios is negligible.
I find it so annoying how much smoking is still in TV and films. Like it doesn't need to be the only reason that characters have to be outside. I also work in theatre and I am often exposed to smoke coming through the open foyer doors which does worry me that it will affect my health.
In terms of how some tobacco companies got people to smoke, they used to use popular cartoon characters in commercials to endorse smoking. For example, there were commercials with Fred Flintstone smoking a cigarette and saying quote “like a breath of fresh air”. Nowadays, Fred Flintstone just endorses children’s vitamins.
I was thinking bupropion because it helps with smoking cessation but I guess that wasn't your question 😂
Say what you will about this episode but you have to admit the gags were hilarious
(the boys immediately smoking after the assembly, the grownups entering through the door even though the walls burned down, Cartman trying to nail Kyle’s door shut and failing)
If tobacco didn't have the history it does, if cigarettes just suddenly appeared for the first time right now they'd be a schedule I drug.
Ok?
Oh god, I forgot about the "no one knew cigarettes were dangerous until 1965" part. It'd be convenient to their argument for that to be true, but... I'm not buying that no one involved in making these products knew about the health risks until the exact moment that it became illegal not to print them on the packet.
Then you're into reading it quite literally to a braindead point.
@@Voidaken - See, if the episode hinted even a little bit at the idea that what's being promoted in the pro-tobacco factory tour is just tobacco industry propaganda, I'd have no problem with this. But it isn't really presented that way.
But we don't need to steelman a 20 year old SP episode into being better than it is.
@@FTZPLTC All that has nothing to do with and still doesn't change the fact you're being redundantly literal with the quote you used.
@@Voidaken - Why? It's literally in the show.
If you look into it, there was 15 years of definitive evidence before that point. Maybe that doesn't seem that long in the grand scheme of things, but it is a long time to refuse to admit that you're selling a product that shortens lives.
Maybe I just don't understand what you mean by "literal" here, because it sure as hell wasn't figurative.
@@FTZPLTC That's more than apparent, yes. Rather, you just don't know what the word means since I'm not saying it with any kind of spin.
Take your quote, *read it*, and just think about what it really means rather than what you're literally interpreting it as.
Id love to see your reaction to Southpaek season 13 episode 12 the F word. It’s about the f slur and how words meaning change over time
yeah... I feel like this episode just ignored all the systemic reasons that one can start smoking and justifying second hand smoking were kinda weird. Some protestors/campaigners against/for things can definitely be impure but trying to put the blame away from massive billion dollar companies who have been advertising for this stuff for decades is more than a little crazy imo.
15. I was adhd and they put me in a double wide trailer to ....."self study" .....with the teens moms, super- seniors, and delinquents. There was a cute teen mom who smoked and i wanted to talk to her, so one day i walked up while she was smoking with her friends and asked for a cigarette 😂
They aren't making fun of anti smoking groups but the extremist people can be
Every smoker watching got the urge at 3:35. I remember seeing the movie Training Day in theaters and Denzel basically chain smokes the whole movie; I was dieing, lol.
I think the best way to deal with this confusion of situation, is to also to look into the episodes narration of how the writers decided to write the story and I feel like this would be a real great helpful to your videos and understand more of why this certain episode.
It’s clozapine. Substances in the smoke (not the nicotine one would suspect) induce clozapine metabolism.
If a smoker on clozapine stops smoking and/or goes to a smoke-free facility, their dosage may need to be decreased because the metabolism of the drug slows down. That higher dose they’re currently on could lead to toxicity.
Yes? Bonus points?
This was back when Matt and Trey were very libertarian in their rhetoric (they still kinda are today) but being younger back then, I think they took offense to any movement that told people ''what to do''. Message-wise, it is one of their weirder episodes.
It's one of their classics and people still love it. They're not political activists and shouldn't really be judged as if they were running a campaign or something. People back then knew that they were watching a comedy show and that the creators and their audiences could actually have differing opinions and that the creators weren't "weird" for having a worldview. Smoke if you want, don't smoke, but don't police the opinions of others.
Also, second-smoking is always viewed from some kind of absolutist perspective, as if you will get lung cancer from one plane trip or cinema where a couple of people are smoking cigarettes in the "Smoking" section. That cannot happen even by a stretch of the imagination. Tobacco smoke isn't some caesium or something. The body recovers between passive exposures probably within 12-24 hours.
This is exactly why smoking/non-smoking sections were created, as scientists already knew roughly how much second-hand smoke is required for health problems to arise. In fact, they probably over-estimated, just in case. Labels were added, anti-smoking campaigns were started, smoking booths were built. If you grow up in a household with smoking family members that puff away all day, then you're at obviously at a risk, especially if you're a kid. Matt and Trey added enough nuance to the episode by noting both sides of the issue and acknowledging the irony of fast-food addicts (who are probably easier to hook since it's legal to advertise and feed junk food to them from early childhood).
You're not at a risk if you smell some unpleasant cigarette smoke in a cafe every morning. The anti-smoking movement has gotten out of hand -- and I say this as someone who has never even held a cigarette in their hand -- and activists will probably ban people smoking on balconies one wonderful day.
There is no nuance to anything anymore and people are generally more radicalized in their beliefs, but what am I saying, it is 2024 and not 2004, after all. Do people really need a disclaimer telling them that this TV show is not a political ad?
OP looks like a decent psychiatrist, but I instantly get sociopathic vibes from anyone who fails to understand obvious humor and irony, and who cross-analyzes these things instead. I'm sure most of his reactions to other South Park episodes are similarly serious and I am immediately suspicious of the somewhat condescending tone of people judging South Park, of all things.
Cigarettes smoke contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon which induce CYP1A2 in liver which help to eliminate several antipsychotic drug which include, mainly SGA (Clozapine and Olanzapine) and possibly FGA (Haloperidol) . Good video I enjoy it.
This episode is more of a critique of how ridiculous a lot of the anti-smoking campaigns were in the early 2000's and prior, they really used to use the most extreme examples to try and spread fear around smoking, and for good reasons but it's fair to say some of it was a bit overboard. Matt Stone and Trey Parker definitely have put their own political views into South Park before, but I don't think this is one of them, as always South Park is a parody, don't take everything they say literally.
Also smoking is incredibly bad, and I disagree that people should be allowed to, I believe a total ban is warranted, the long term effects heavily outweigh the short term, and it hurts others too. People didn't stop smoking because of the health risks, they stopped because of the social stigma, and I feel as though if we did the same thing to other products like alcohol, and drugs, it'd be incredibly positive for society.
You can tell Trey and Matt's stance has shifted over the years if you compare this episode and Bloody Mary to Freemium Isn't Free and The End of Obesity
Libertarians hit the real world and realize these things are inherently predatory.
I work in tobacco cessation. This feels very wrong.
This was the 90s/early 00s.
@@Grigsy even for those times when clear air acts were being passed across the country to limit smoking spaces. I grew up in those times and let me tell you, the stench of cigarettes that penetrated every building, especially airports, was sickening. I still agree that people deserve to have a choice, but right now we still have a plethora of targeted advertising towards certain demographics (black, Hispanic, native American, and LGBTQ just to name a few), legislation needs to pass so we don't get advertising for ANY drug or altering substance. (The world laughs at American drug advertising and thinks it's beyond insane that we have prescription medication ads at all. )
But yeah during this time period with people visibly having less issues because of smoking regulations, these guys were extremely wrong to say pushing the issue for people to not put others in harms way with secondhand smoke (more needs to be done for other respiratory issues like vehicle emissions) it's gross. When they get it right they get it right. When they get it wrong they are DEAD wrong.
@@spinningpeanut it's a comedy. Lighten up.
Good lord...
@@georgelutchendorf9519 You can't just diminish its commentary by saying "it's a comedy" because it isn't just a comedy, it's a political comedy making a political point that expresses ideas and opinions and other people are going to debate those ideas and opinions and disagree.
Nope, you're right this is one of the biggest misses nearly as bad as man bear pig
Bribing and lobying is a massive issue generally.
Man bear pig is great but its definitely the most embarrassing take to look back on
They did two apology episodes later on. I really respected that.
They were really libertarian back then, so you're absolutely right about their attitudes of an individual freedoms over society.
This is probably one of the least aged well episode
I literally don't remember this episode, so I might not have seen it somehow, but yeah, the episode feels mean spirited and missing the greater point to tear at Rob Reiner and Advocacy Groups but also they were putting manufacturers in a more positive light and the language of association was so off. Fascism? Abortion rights? So weird.
This is all from a never smoker. Nothing about it ever appealed to me, it smelled gross, people I actively disliked smoked a ton in my youth, and in my honestate of New Jersey, smoking was very expensive and yet so temporary. I preferred to spend my money on video games and other longer term lasting habits that actually had a benefit. I also did track and other activities. So much seemed better to me than smoking or drinking. We all have vices of course, some problematic (sex was mine), but I stayed a teetotaler throughout.
15:00 I think Family Guy tought me the word you mean. I think they used it in one annoyed sentence "Somebody should tell this cigarette to shut up".
'Two old men ranting and shouting at clouds'. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can't be mad at you for this. It is too funny.
'Like two old men ranting and shouting at clouds'. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can't be mad at this.
Rob Reiner, son of famous writer/comedian Carl Reiner, who became an actor whose big break was in the 70s sitcom All in the Family as Michael Stivick aka "Meathead" the husband to Archie and Edith Bunker's daughter Gloria. Rob Reiner played other hippie-esque roles on television in the 70s and eventually went on to act in movies, write scripts, produce and direct & be an activist for left/moderate sociopolitical and environmental causes Any Way he became obese in the late nineties and a bit of a dick towards anyone not totally onboard with his views, thus why Parker & Stone lampoon him on South Park. Dear sweet gorgeous young man... South Park is satirical and parody so most of its comedic vitriol is aimed at BOTH sides of an issue. Have you not seen their 1999 South Park movie: Bigger, Longer & Uncut? or seen their Broadway/West End smash musical: Book of Mormon??? Pure satire! Some of the BEST Drag Queens from RPDR get this: Bianca Del Rio, Bob TDQ, Alaska, The Vivian, Katya, Jimbo... Love ya right back! Ciao Bello!
Another interesting episode that I’d enjoy your take on is the season 5 episode “Kenny Dies”. A much more serious tone than other episodes, it deals with issues such as stem cell research, and the difficulty of having a friend or loved one who’s battling a terminal illness.
Rob Reiner is the Son of Legendary Comedian Carl Reiner.
He’s been obsessed with Trump for the last 8 years lol
obsessed in what way?
@@Nargeon His X account will show you what I mean lol.
@@Nargeon He openly calls out Trumps fascist speeches
He calls out Trump's unpresdiential behaviour
And focuses on all of his convictions and court issues which show him to be a long time con man, criminal and scumbag
For some reason focussing on these things in a former president of the United States
Is considered obsessive and somehow not important to focus on
Which is probably why we got a multiple convicted con man, criminal and fascist focused president in the first place.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Yeah, but who gives a fuck what some actor/director thinks about politics?
He has some absolutely amazing films, he should focus on that.
Tweeting about him, multiple times a day, for years, is obsessive.
@@mckenzie.latham91 You’re saying “We got” as if you’re an American 🥲😂
Yeah, sometimes Matt and Trey's libertarianism spills over into outright lies, and this episode was one of those times.
A very scary comment would be that 9 out of 10 doctors agree that smoking is harmful because that mean 10% of all doctors think smoking isn't harmful and that would be a very scary thing
It’s interesting how right you were to think the people in the comments would be upset because “I like this episode so I don’t agree with you” and completely disregard what you disliked here. You didn’t say this was “pro smoking” and you admitted that the creators were “anti-hypocrisy” what you DISLIKED was that they seemed to be using hypocrisy to dismiss the REAL benefits of this kind of legal change in order to further some bitter, non-nuanced message that these laws suck, sorry if I too am putting words in your mouth
Rob Reiner directed The Princess Bride. He also played Archie Bunker's son-in-law in All in the Family.
Rob Reiner is a famous director - Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally!
I don’t know if you’ve seen Baby Reindeer yet, but I’d looooove to hear what you have to say about that show.
Nearly every woman in my family was a regular or heavy smoker before the bands came in in the mid 2000s. Almost 20 years later, almost all of them have either given up smoking, or have severely reduced how often they smoke. Because the act of having to go outside, through a real spanner in the usual habit, which allows them to slowly break some of the cycle. Basically, it was just more of a pain in the arse to try and smoke. All of them are happy that this happened, even though at the time they weren’t. Even the ones who continued to smoke are happy that they don’t smoke as much as they did. There’s also a lot to be said for kids coming home absolutely terrified that there aunts or mothers or grandmothers might end up with cancer. That’s a good motivating factor when your grandchild is staring you in the face in bits that you might die.
Other people have mentioned they aren't smokers. But it doesn't matter whether they were or weren't. At this point in time South Park has a confusing penchant for either delivering social commentary OR attacking their greatest enemy - caring about stuff.
S&P constantly write about how bad people are if they have deeply held opinions, even if they agree with those people. They have mostly gotten over it now, but the amount of episodes that are derailed because they wanted to promote apathy is frustrating.
I guess edginess just fades with age and experience. This edginess is something that can be seen online, too - with (mostly young guys) playing "devil's advocate" to argue against social issues, just for the sake of it. Even if they don't have a stake in the matter or don't actually believe in the thing they're arguing for. For some people, it's just fun to upset others - trolling. To create something like South Park (remember how scandalous it was in the early days), you have to have at least some of that in you, I think, and that's how you get episodes like this one.
2002-2003 was when they banned smoking/Non smoking session in New Jersey. I believe Pennsylvania and NY followed suit in 2004. I’m not familiar with the other states because I was only 9 😅😅
The picture over his shoulder looks like an elephant standing next to a sheep that gets sniffed by a giant face. Just couldn't look away 😅
If that's how he feels on this episode, can't imagine how he would feel about the episode "De@thcamp of Tolerance."
Trey Parker and Matt Stone lean hard toward Libertarian values.
I agree with your assessment of this episode.
there's a decent amount of early south park where Matt Stone and Trey Parker would usually pick a known celebrity they dont really like, then make a whole episode about them, mocking them, and then making a plot around that. they did it with Barbara Streisand, Sally Struthers, Tom Cruise, that one mom with the overweight child honey booboo i think the kid was known as. later seasons, they did it with multiple politicians, Kanye West, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, though obviously later seasons they tuned the level of it way down. they've even done an epsiode mocking religion twice, one was just an episode on mormonism the other was a whole arc with islam, after they got angry letters (maybe death threats included) from portraying the prophet Muhammad.
Is the antidepressant interacting badly with tobacco Wellbutrin? I know it was prescribed for depression then later for smoking cessation.
Medicinal cigarrettes of the sort that were popular during the XIX century; were commonly made out of other plants different than nicotinia virginianna.
Eucalyptus cigarretes rolled in leaves are still popular in many places like India, and attributed some medicinal propperties (tho it would probably be more effective to use eucalyptus in a myriad of other ways). Some other traditional asthma remedies included way more exotic and dangerous mixes rolled into the cigarrete, like datura leaves.
I believe the use of smoking for treating respiratory conditions may stem from the custom of burning plants with antibacterial properties in orther to clean miasmas from the environment. Which may have admitedly have some marginal incidental side effect in helping with hygene practises for some things; but ofc is totally counter productive in things like allergy induced athsma
Really enjoy your videos!
I’m currently watching the South Park episode “Insheeption” and it touches on the topic hoarding.
Would love to see you do a video on it!
This episode is not about saying smoking is fine but just how extreme people are about those who smoke. They vilify smokers like crazy even if they are in in control enough of smocking, in contrast to lax opinions of people who drink or eat garbage or eat too much. I do agree south park could be a bit less extreme with portrayals of both smoking and anti smoking groups. And they didnt mention why people do smoke, which is the majority of cases is not "it's just my choice".
While it seems Matt and Trey underestimate addiction, other episodes prove it wrong - primarily with behavior of Kenny(poor family) and Randy. So my guess they understabd well addictive behavior but think anybody can just think to.change their behavior. Which i kind of agree, but taking that step to trully think is sometimes very hard with all the thoughts happening.
I thought there must have been an ironic element to this, given how ridiculously overwraught the messaging and song were, but I checked the commentary, and they were well and truly sincere. I remember liking this one back in the day, but I was right there with you on this one.
It's funny how you mention the social aspects, because their view was that smoking was one of the few things working class people look forward to, and that most people who went to bars were smokers anyway. And that while Matt Stone wasn't a smoker, he used to hang out in the smoking areas because that's where all the cool people were.
The ginger episode is the worst one
Matt and Trey both fully confirm they are sickened by ginger kids
And actually believe they have no soul
They are so unapologetic about hating ginger kids
Trey admits that the joke where the one guy tells the kids to marry Asian because Asians do not carry the ginger gene
Was based on Trey himself. He literally admitted one reason he married an Asian was so he would never have ginger kids
@@mckenzie.latham91 I think they were joking / taking the piss in that instance, even if Trey's hangup is based in truth. There wasn't the righteous indignation I got from the Butt Out one.
@@DakNJaxter I don't think so, they are very forward on the commentary,
There's no hint of joking, not even in their tone
And there would be no reason for any indignation because it's not an ego afflicted person they are talking about
It's a group of people who just digust them...
Again people need to realize these guys
Aren't infalliable and have some very bad takes because of their persoanl ideolgies (contrarians)
@@mckenzie.latham91 They were just being dry. I don't think if Trey had a ginger kid he would literally 'just have to leave it somewhere'.
@@DakNJaxterWell we will never know beyond speculation
Because as stated he made sure he would never have a ginger kid
So all you have is willfully speculation
Yet when I hear someone literally say that they literally used genetics to ensure they never got the "wrong" combination of genes in their offspring
I don't ignore the complications of that cause of celebrity envy.
Love these South Park analyses
With South Park, a lot of the earlier season episodes are more simplified. It's like Matt and Trey chose an issue to make an episode on, but they only show one side of the situation, choosing whichever side they deem either more important, or whatever would make a more entertaining episode. This one is mainly speaking out on the hypocrisy of anti-smoking groups that act like smoking is so horrible because it's unhealthy, but seem to completely not care about any other health issues. They don't promote good health, they just demonize smokers. The message at the end of "let smokers smoke" isn't trying to say "you shouldn't care about secondhand smoke," it's saying you shouldn't shame people for smoking. While people who smoke should refrain from doing it around other people, smoking doesn't make them a bad person.
Geniuenly one of my favourite channels on youtube, if you contnue just being you, which is a great doctor and educator you will make it big on here I fully believe it.
I grew up when smoking was legal in my country at the age of 16. This was pretty wild locking back.
Poland?
@@Joedirt3349 Germany but close enough 😀
When I saw this episode for the first time, I didn’t think of it as biased because I just had to wait till the commercials to find out how bad smoking was for me all that information as far as I was concerned was ubiquitous
I remember working in fast food in the late 90's and people could still smoke in the restaurant and the breakroom. Heck I smoked back then as well.
OMG!! This is making me go back literally 20 years to my neuropsych senior meta research. I am going to try really hard to remember off the top of my head. I think it's atypical antipsychotic medications that are associated with lower rates of smoking specifically in the schizophrenic population, because essentially they bind to the nicotinic receptors, and so those patient feel less of a need to self medicate to deal with auditory hallucinations via nicotine?
I was taught that the "calming' effects were the result of Nesbit's Paradox. I think that it's important for people to understand that there is a high comorbidity between types of mental illness and smoking.
yeah one can harm other people with pasive smoke but also one can harm other people with an axe to the head while drunk, i ve seen alot of those on the 5 pm news
In the United States, there was a program called D.A.R.E. and it was a mandatory class I had in middle school tries to persuade middle schoolers from partaking and drugs and alcohol with scare tactics. I’m not sure if it’s still relevant program and the school systems anymore so I “ took the classes” back in 1998 👵🏻
I had to take it in 5th and 6th grade and I was BORN in 1998 cx im pretty sure they don’t do it anymore though since all it seemed to do was make people more likely to use drugs since 1) they were clearly lying about weed. Just, all around, everything they said was lies. Which is gonna make some people think “well what else did they lie to me about?” And 2) I’ve heard that apparently the DARE program putting so much emphasis on the peer pressure we apparently were all going to face to do drugs made kids think that everyone actually was doing drugs and so, ironically, the constant warnings of “peer pressure” themselves functioned as peer pressure.
Also I won my grade’s DARE essay contest and smoked weed the first time a month later, so just goes to show all it taught me was how to BS an essay and say what I knew they wanted to hear…which I guess is a skill so, uh, thanks for that DARE program? Although I’m pretty sure I would’ve learned that anyway just from having to write essays in general. And also BSing essays is a lot harder than writing an essay on something I actually care about/agree with which turned out to be what most papers I had to write ended up being anyway so I guess never mind, I learned nothing. Also where were all these people offering me free drugs that DARE promised? Oh right, that’s not a thing that happens because drugs are expensive, idk why they kept telling 10/11 year olds that in a couple years we were just gonna be surrounded by people offering us free drugs at every opportunity cx
@@katcel16 it felt similar to those abstinence assemblies, too. I remember one during my 10th grade and everyone was so bored and responding to the speakers’ questions. 😪😪😪
Drugs Are Really Expensive. 😂
@@ThatGuy-mu2rr Mmm-Kay 👨🏫
@@LilacSongx217x 😂
This episode feels like Trey and Matt really need people to know how cool Libertarians are.
Remember kids, cigarettes are bad, m’kay?
I love South Park but yeah Matt and Trey have definitely had some takes that aged very poorly.
Another example is in the season 5 episode “Cripple Fight”, their message is that private clubs such as Scouts of America should have the right to exclude people just because they’re gay. Their stance is not out of homophobia but out of their libertarian mindset. It’s actually a hilarious episode but damn that awful take at the end really sours it.
South Park Never Misses The Point 👉
South Park loves to ragebait. Especially in the older episodes. That's their way of giving the finger to literally everyone. Smoking in bars was banned in 2005 in Finland. I was 18 in 2002. I don't miss the smoke filled bars of 2002-2004 one bit.
I rarely smoke. I really only ever ask a stranger once in a while for a cigarette if they're willing to give me one. Aside from that, I don't even bother. I just stick to coffee.
Clozapine, Olanzipine and the related drugs are effected through CYP1A2 in the liver (as are dozens of things) cigarette smoke increases the activity of the enzyme. I take tacrolimus which has the same sort of effect through grapefruit and pomegranate but throuogh CYP3A4 not CYP1A2
The big bit that doesn't get touched on is that (at least in America) those anti smoking performers are employees of cigarette companies. Often intentionally putting on cringe inducing acts to get that resistance reaction.
Olanzapine and Clozapine are the main ones, I take Olanzapine (Zyprexa) as a person diagnosed with Bipolar 1
I had originally left a much shorter comment but then I read through a number of other comments talking about how this episode is supposed to be depicting the hypocrisy of these sorts of awareness groups and I just have to say that because a person or group takes a stand on one issue but not on another related issue does not make them a hypocrite. People do not have infinite time, energy and money to take a stand on every related issue so there is nothing morally wrong or hypocritical if a person or group of people choose to spread awareness about one issue that they are passionate about and not another. I know next to nothing about Rob Reiner so maybe this hypocrisy does apply specifically to him but that is not the impression this episode gives and not the impression I got from the comments I read. Anyways I’d love to see you react to the first Manbearpig episode, I think it’s season 10 episode 6.
Is it Seroquel / Quetiapine?
I ask because I take it, and I know it's a dopamine blocker, and nicotine messes with dopamine levels. I also smoked for a short while before I put on Seroquel, and after I started taking it, I didn't get anything from cigarettes, unless I smoked a lot of them. Like, the blockers made it so if I didn't have 2-3 cigarettes I felt nothing, which ultimately lead to me quitting because it wasn't worth smoking that much for the same effect. That and the fact that with the medication helping me so much, the overall urge to smoke went down.
Well if Google is to be be believed I suppose I'm wrong:
"No interactions were found between nicotine and Seroquel. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider."
Isn't the success of anti smoking policy largely overshadowed by vaping, which gained traction as a direct result, reducing the age people are exposed to nicotine and ultimately exposing more people? We already had the ability to avoid smoking establishments, so the lives saved from second hand smoke are largely over estimated while the lives lost to vaping are consistently under estimated.
It was just a personal dig at Rob Reiner, who just hapened to be an anti-tobacco lobbyist.
It has very little to do with tobacco, it being a mcguffin around what was actually focus of the episode - lobbyism and Rob Reiner.
Soldier 1998 with Kurt Russell as PTSD study when? xD