Monday, April 13, 2009

Ripping on Kanye...and many others

This last Southpark episode featured Kanye West and Carlos Mencia, and it absolutely ripped into them. They depicted Kanye as cocky, arrogant, ignorant, and extreme. When he is accused of being gay by the media, he simply goes nuts, trying to prove his heterosexuality, and claiming he is the "voice of the new generation," a quote that he has actually said. In the end, they actually have Kanye come out of the clost and admit that he is gay.

I don't mind that they ripped on Kanye, in fact I rather enjoyed it, since I have never been a fan of the man myself. However, I wonder how they can get away with this without a libel suit being filed? Southpark definately defamed his character in the show, and seeing that he is a public figure he would also have to prove neglegence and actual malice, which he most likely could. How is it that Southpark can get away with things like this? It is not the first time they have done it, either. They have defamed Paris Hilton, Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Mel Gibson, and many others. Nobody has filed suit for libel. I love Southpark, and I will keep watching it. I just hope that one day they don't push it too far...

The link to watch the whole show for free is followed:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/224099/

1 comment:

Sarah said...

it's a parody/satire, and that type of work is usually protected. also, is being "gay" defamatory? i think it would be a tough case to win on his part.