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There is a form of anti-censorship, libertarian-leaning conservatism known as "South Park Republicans" and "South Park Conservatives." The creators are uneasy about stating their political views (even hesitating to declare themselves libertarians) <ref>Charlie Rose interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtLudQtIGs </ref>, though they note that of all the different groups they mock, [[Hollywood values|Hollywood Liberals]] display the most indignance. <ref> Interview on The Hour, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLyVm4Rr2eo </ref> Matt Stone has stated, "I hate conservatives, but I really (expletive) hate liberals." <ref>http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_rp-hate_conservatives.htm</ref>
There is a form of anti-censorship, libertarian-leaning conservatism known as "South Park Republicans" and "South Park Conservatives." The creators are uneasy about stating their political views (even hesitating to declare themselves libertarians) <ref>Charlie Rose interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtLudQtIGs </ref>, though they note that of all the different groups they mock, [[Hollywood values|Hollywood Liberals]] display the most indignance. <ref> Interview on The Hour, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLyVm4Rr2eo </ref> Matt Stone has stated, "I hate conservatives, but I really (expletive) hate liberals." <ref>http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_rp-hate_conservatives.htm</ref>
==Main Characters==
The vast majority of episodes focus on four native South Park boys in the third and later fourth grade, often referred to as just "the boys":
===Stan Marsh===
Stan is voiced by co-creator Trey Parker and is more or less a filter for his personality and experiences. Though possessing a foul mouth and other shortcomings that typify his age, Stan is basically a good kid, with above-average intelligence and a strong sense of morality. He is the best friend of Kyle Broflovski, a good friend of Kenny McCormick, and about the closest thing to a friend that Eric Cartman can ever expect to have. He comes from a typical middle-class household. His father Randy is a geologist and his mother Sharon is a stay-at-home mom. Typical of the adult characters on South Park, both parents are frequently irrational, but they are also shown to genuinely love their son.
===Kyle Broflovski===
What Trey Parker is to Stan, co-creator Matt Stone is to Kyle. Similar to Stan in many ways, Kyle is arguably more intelligent and moral than Stan. His father Gerald is a lawyer, and his mother is a stay-at-home mom prone to moral outrage and stereotypical "Jewish mother" mannerisms. He and his family are [[Jewish]], though religion does not seem to play a major role in Kyle's day-to-day life. Kyle will commonly give the moral of an episode at the end, often with the prelude "you know, I learned something today."
===Kenny McCormick===
Originally more of a gimmick character, Kenny was killed in every episode of seasons 1-5, and then died "permanently" at the end of 5. This "permanent death" lasted until season 7, at which point he became a regular character who still died occasionally, though as before with no consequence to future episodes. Kenny considerably poorer than the other boys, with a run-down house governed by parents who frequently abuse alcohol and engage in domestic violence. Despite this he gets along fine with his better-off friends and does not in general get made fun of for his poverty (except by Eric Cartman). He is "voiced" by Matt Stone, though this is of little consequence as everything he says is mumbled incomprehensibly from an over-sized orange parka. The other characters, however, seem to understand him.
===Eric Cartman===
Often just called "Cartman," he is arguably the main character of the show. He is obese, bigoted, narcissistic, and generally sociopathic; he was originally conceived as an eight-year-old version of Archie Bunker from [[All in the Family]]. He is very antagonistic towards Kyle, largely because of Kyle's ethnicity. Fights between the two have become a centerpiece of the show, although ironically, each has saved the other's life twice. All three of the other boys are open about their dislike for Cartman, but they still usually refer to him as their friend. Cartman has been shown to be extremely intelligent and manipulative, and he has a dark charisma that makes him a natural leader of the boys in times of adventure. Cartman's sociopathy has been traced to his upbringing by a single mother, Luanne, who treats him like a friend instead of a son and thus does not discipline him.
===Leopald "Butters" Stotch===
Though not originally a main character, Butters has seen considerable airtime since season 5 and is often considered the "breakout character" of the show. He is kind, wholesome, and trusting to a fault - in other words, he is basically the opposite of Cartman, and many episodes have been devoted to the relationship between the two. During season 6 when Kenny was absent, Butters briefly filled in as the fourth boy. This eventually fell through, but he has been shown to have a friendly relationship with the other boys since then.
==References==
==References==