(Matt) Stone (of South Park) Tells Undecided Voters to Stay Home

[sonicx]

SAN FRANCISCO - "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone has a message for all you undecided voters.

"Stay home," said Stone. "It doesn't matter who you're gonna vote for. If you really don't know who you're gonna vote for, or are uninformed, or haven't really thought about it? Just stay home."

Stone and Trey Parker have teamed up for the puppet parody "Team America: World Police," which debuted in third place at the box office this weekend with $12.3 million. A parody of 1980s action movies, the film ridicules both Democrats and Republicans.

In person, Stone has little patience for those on the political fence.

"If you really don't know or you're just going to vote for George Bush (news - web sites) because he's already in office, or you're gonna vote for John Kerry (news - web sites) because he's on the cover of Rolling Stone, don't do that. That's lame. Just stay home. That's all we ever said," Stone told the San Francisco Chronicle in Sunday's editions.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&ncid=762&e=3&u=/ap/20041018/ap_en_mo/people_matt_stone

[acmavm]

1. So a guy who makes a puppet movie (that isn't doing that well by the way)

is now lecturing people on whether or not they should go to the polls. What if they are undecided until the very last minute? (Although I think that's pretty hard to do.)

Maybe he thinks his political advice will go over better than the movie.

[Dhalgren]

12. Not taking anyone's side, one way or the other,

I find it hard to understand anyone who says they are "undecided" in this election year. If you don't know who you are for at this date, then there is something wrong with you. What are the objective scenarios for not being decided at this stage of the game? "I don't like Bush's policies or his record, but Kerry is _________," - what? "I really like the way Bush has handled things so far, but____," - what? This to me seems to be a clear choice; either the current administration has performed well enough and you are confident in their abilities and agree with their issues, or not. We need to change the direction of the country and try to correct the mistakes made by the current administration and their issues are bad for the country, or not. If you aren't against Bush at this point - or if you are not for Bush at this point - again, something is wrong with you. Just MO...

[YEM]

2. Now convinced of the idiocy of these two.

The humor was funny for a while, but now that they are older and still doing toilet jokes, it doesn't surprise me one bit just how much these two are idiots.

The true irony here is that they bust on these people for "speaking out" and getting publicity for their "political gain." And these two bozos are doing the same thing. For publicity. They needed to give the people some reason to talk about an adult film made with puppets.

[pmbryant]

3. I think this message is more likely to get those people out to vote

If I were still undecided and heard someone tell me to just stay home because I was uninformed, I think I would be angry, and would make an extra conscious effort to vote in the end.

Then again, I probably don't have much insight into the mind of the undecided voter.

--Peter

[Insomnicole]

4. Gosh, I just HATE celebrities who share their political opinions...

Oh right -- they're not liberals. So it's okay.

[lynx rufus]

5. looks like you hate 'liberals'

creepy post, dude

[sonicx]

6. it was sarcasm

[Endangered Specie]

8. Here at DU, sarcasm is a must.

[Career Prole]

34. Huh? I think you misundertstood her, perhaps? n/t

[KittyWampus]

33. Telling People NOT To Vote Is Undemocratic & UnAmerican

do they have a "right" to say this?

Sure, and the GOP has a right to put up billboards in black neighborhoods saying "don't vote"...

Democracy hinges on voter participation.

Of course, having INFORMED voters would also be a bonus.

[mrbassman03]

73. I think they are really talking to the uninformed...

Really, if you are not going to do your part and learn about the candidates, I say don't vote.

[pinkpops]

7. I agree

If you are still undecided at this point, stay home - don't flip a coin.

[sonicx]

11. 2/3 of undecideds will probably go to kerry

not because of a 'coin flip,' but because they take forever in finally realizing that the incumbent is garbage and isn't going to change in their next term.

[aquart]

20. Are you aware there other elections happening than just President?

Just asking.

[pinkpops]

22. Yes, my apologies - you are right about that.

As far as other undecides voting for Kerry, I hope they can manage to make up their mind before they get to the polls.

[Endangered Specie]

9. Don't quit your day job boys...

If you can call what they do a 'job'.

[ChrisK]

10. Wouldn't it be better to tell people to just get more informed then to...

stay home?

I understand that it is a bit foolish to just go out and vote for this or that person because of some narrow reasons but the times have changed a good bit and we all need to take a step to remove a man and his administration thats causing chaos in this country and abroad....staying home is the equivalent of turning your back on whats happening.

The odd part is that Trey and Matt seem to think there is no difference between President Bush and Senator Kerry and all one needs to do is listen to one of the three debates and with common sense can see a difference right off....Mabye those two men see them as both rich white guys that care for no one but themselves and that is not true if you look at Kerrys record...he really has respect for people and cares about whats happening to his country...Bush on the other hand is just out for himself and his people..the rest of American can kiss his backside as far as he is concerned.

Its funny, there show has for many episodes, talked about people being lead around but the majority and how we as a people need to stand up and make up our own minds and now there doing the same thing they have seemed to hate...and thats telling others to do as they say...I respect there opinions but here is one time I have to disagree with them....they would be better to say "get out there and learn what each candidate stands for and use your own mind to decied...don't be lead around by people and the media"...seems funny that there telling folks to not use there minds and to become the thing they hate the most...a mindless American.

[slackmaster]

13. If you read between the lines that's exactly what he's saying

I can't believe how many people are upset by his remarks.

[sonicx]

14. some of the fans might take it literally and stay home

[slackmaster]

30. If they're that dense we're better off with them not voting IMO

Every person who fails to vote causes your vote and my vote to count ever so slightly more.

Anyone who lets someone else decide how he or she should vote, either by knee-jerk agreement or disagreement, is not thinking.

[ChrisK]

57. You're right Slackmaster, and I apologize for the misunderstanding.

I guess I was more taken back by the WAY it was said then what was being said in total...I'm not that wild about anyone telling others to not vote, even when there reasons for saying it do make sense, no one should go to the polls without having the clearest of reasons for voting for a candidate and know full well that he/she is the right person in there opinion

Again, sorry about that :)

[MadHound]

15. Two libertarians, carrying water for the GOP

This is just another RW tactic to suppress the vote. The 'Pugs are scared shitless at the the across the board record breaking number of new voters signing up, for they know that, despite the polls, this means their asses are going to get kicked. Thus they are using every tactic possible to try and suppress the vote.

Parker and Stone are just doing the dirty work for the GOP.

[Edmond Dantes]

48. You know, it's interesting...

One of the SP creators was featured in Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine.

[MadHound]

61. And that has to do with the price of tea in China how?

What they are saying now is fundementally wrong. Instead of encouraging people to become educated and informed on the issues, they take the slacker route, "dude, man, just don't vote, it will strain the brain."

Voter apathy is part of what got this country into the mess it is in, more will only deepen the problem.

[Edmond Dantes]

79. A fair question....

and I admit that I have mixed feelings about this one.

1. As a general matter, high voter turnout tends to favor Dems.

2. However, stupid, uneducated people (like my brother and my father) vote for Bush because they fall for the "strong" image. "At least Bush DOES something," says my brother. My mother supported Bush in 2000 because she thought he was "cute". I was horrified at what I was hearing. We vote a man into the highest office in the land because he is "cute"? Because he creates the appearance of strong action -- even though those "strong actions" are tragic mistakes?

I want to see high voter turnout of educated people because I feel pretty confident that most of them will vote for Kerry. What should I say? The same thing I said to my own brother?

"If you don't take the time to educate yourself on the candidates, then you should simply STAY HOME."

MM held SP and its creators up as an ideal: a creative way to handle situations you don't like. Do you shoot people? Cheat them? Lie to them? Or do you exercise your First Amendment rights and satirize them? I assume MM saw something he liked in the approach employed by SP's creators.

It's just free speech. And I think it will actually goad the TRULY undecided (v. the unAWARE undecided) into voting. And most of those will vote Kerry.

[aquart]

16. These guys say no one cares what Penn thinks...........

But their words of wisdom are to be heeded

They ain't making a good impression on me.

[Heyo]

23. I don't think...

..they ever said their own words should be heeded. As a matter of fact they said of their movie: "anyone who has their minds changed by this movie shouldn't be voting anyway" (paraphrasing)

Heyo

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

36. They also included Farenheit 9/11 in that quote.

It was more along the lines of "anyone wh has their minds changed by this movie, or by Moore's movie, shouldn't be voting anyway."

Kinda makes a difference, doesn't it? Leaving out Moore's movie would make sense, but when they include F9/11, which, although partisan, had a LOT of facts in it, it changes the entire quote. They attempt to equate their movie with F9/11, which is a ridiculous stance to take.

[drdtroit]

17. Matt Stone is obviously as ignorant and sophomoric

as his "alleged" comedy.

[Aiptasia]

18. I prefer the daily show analysis

Like on the eve of the first debate, I prefer the analysis that they gave about undecided voters on The Daily Show with John Stuart...

It was a funny skit, they set up a mock interview with about ten undecided voters, and the female reporter (forget her name) just screamed at them (with expletives deleted) saying things like "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T MAKE UP YOUR MIND?!?! WHAT ARE YOU, F--KING RETARDED?!?!"

I think Trey and Matt call it like they see it, and you need to take "Team America" as satire from gen-x slackers. Matt Stone had some very positive things to say in "Bowling for Columbine" about gun control, and people tend to overlook the animation contribution that he helped Michael Moore with on his film, even if his puppet does strap on a bomb and blow himself up in the new movie. Remember the puppets are in character just as much as any actor, and it's just a movie with d*ck jokes. I'd agree with the last paragraph in the top post, that if you're just going to vote for one or the other candidate based on a popularity contest, you need to sit your ass home and grow a brain.

I'm not saying you have to like em or "team america," just remember to take everything with a grain of salt. If we can't keep an open mind and allow a few mistakes, we might as well call ourselves republicans.

[Morning Dew]

25. I don't think Parker and Stone did the animation in Columbine

and they're pissed that it came right after one of their interviews making it look like they did do the animation.

[Edmond Dantes]

49. that animation was from the South Park movie

[Morning Dew]

69. This is what I found in reference to their "beef" with MM

http://www.canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041013/TPLIFE12/210130334/-1/LIFE&template=printart


"We have a very specific beef with Michael Moore," Stone said.

"I did an interview, and he didn't mischaracterize me or anything I said in the movie. But what he did do was put this cartoon right after me that made it look like we did that cartoon."

Parker and Stone still harbour hard feelings about that sassy, anti-gun cartoon because they feel it was done in South Park style.

They believe the proximity to Stone's interview misled some fans into thinking they had done the cartoon, even though Moore never said they did.

[Edmond Dantes]

78. Assuming we are speaking of 2 different animated clips ...

only one of which I recall (the "Mountain Town" clip from the SP movie):

>>Parker and Stone still harbour hard feelings about that sassy, anti-gun cartoon because they feel it was done in South Park style.

I wonder about the accuracy of this report. Parker/Stone's SP TV Series has emulated the animation styles of both the old "Looney Tunes" and also "The Simpsons". Hard to believe they would get so worked up over MM satirizing SP when SP satirizes other cartoons. Parker/Stone are now public figures and are subject to the same type of satirization to which they subject other public figures.

I recall only one SP clip -- "Mountain Town" -- from the movie. Perhaps the reason why is that any other animation emulating the SP style was so obviously a satire of SP.

[mrbassman03]

74. No it wasn't, what the hell are you talking about?

It was made for Bowling for Columbine. As an owner of the South Park movie, I can tell you that that clip appears nowhere in it.

[Edmond Dantes]

77. Perhaps my memory is fuzzy, however,

it is my recollection that one of MM's movies (and I thought it was Bowling for Columbine) featured a South Park cartoon clip and an interview with one of the 2 SP creators. The animated clip was shown, I believe, for purposes of demonstrating that some folks from Colorado find creative, nonaggressive ways to express themselves.

The animated clip was a SP aberration in that it showed the character Stan (I believe) singing his way through the town of South Park in a merry way, reminiscent of "Singing in the Rain" or "My Fair Lady" or "Mary Poppins". This was at the very beginning of the SP movie, as I recall. The rest of the movie reverted to the more familiar crass SP with which we are all familiar.

The clip is at the very beginning of the SP movie, I am fairly certain -- as I was struck by its aberrational quality.

If I am wrong, I do apologize. But I believe I am correct.

You own the SP DVD? Or you have rights to the actual movie? Sometimes edits are made when shown on TV for commercials, e.g. I rented the SP DVD -- SP: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

From amazon.com review: And did we mention it's a musical? From the opening production number "Mountain Town" to the cheerful antiprofanity sing-along "It's Easy, MMMKay" to Satan's faux-Disney ballad "Up There," Parker (who wrote or cowrote all the songs) brilliantly shoots down every earnest musical from Beauty and the Beast to Les Misérables.

MM showed an excerpt from the opening number "Mountain Town". Are we referring to 2 different SP clips?

[ghostsofgiants]

80. No

What he's talking about isn't a South Park clip at all. He is talking about the segment in Bowling where they run down a sort of quick history of the United States. The animation style and the look of the characters is somewhat similar to that of South Park and it appears in Bowling shortly after Matt Stone (I think, could've been Trey, I can't tell them apart) had his interview, making it appear as though they made the cartoon.

So disregard any memories of a South Park clip you might have, because they are completely irrelevant in this discussion (despite the fact that we're talking about its creators).

[Edmond Dantes]

81. Ok. Never mind!! :-)

Thanks for clarification.

I do question, however, whether any reasonable person would confuse MM's SP parody with the actual SP animation-- especially since the genuine SP animation was shown as well. The contrast should have been readily apparent. I don't even remember that portion of MM's movie (the SP parody) -- only the genuine SP clip from the movie. That the parody was shown immediately following the interview with SP creator is irrelevant -- in my professional (legal) opinion.

SP has spoofed Simpsons and Looney Tunes -- why can't MM spoof SP?

Well, I'll bail out here. I'm not into bashing MM. And I do enjoy SP and think its creators are brilliant. I suspect that parts of this thread/controversy are somewhat contrived for purposes of badmouthing MM. But maybe I'm paranoid... .

[Teaser]

19. (Tea)ser (of DU) Tells Matt Stone...

to go fsck himself.

[BJ]

21. I agree with Stone and Parker.

If you're the kind of guy or gal who thinks..."Well, I like John Kerry's positions on health care and the economy...but I like how pREsident Bush handling The War On Terr'r...so I'm voting for Bush because I think he'll change after the election and probably use some of Kerry's ideas."

[mrbassman03]

75. Or the type to...

vote based on pronunciation of words. I am all for literacy, but basing a presidential decision on it? WTF...

[SheepyMcSheepster]

24. i don't really see how their comments are "carrying water" for the Repubs

they are saying if you are going to vote, educate yourself. if you are not informed enough to make a decision based on the real issues then you shouldn't really vote as you have no reason for doing so other than someone told you to vote for a particular canidate. it appears to me that these comments cut both ways, it is pointed to people who would vote for either canidate with out being informed.

[Mike Daniels]

29. Agreed

I read the comments the same way.

It's funny that his comments are getting so much attention here. I remember a thread a few weeks back that had a poster saying that there ought to be a political awareness test that voters need to pass before they can vote. The idea got a mid-level range of support as well.

Sounds like basically the same thing that Stone and Parker are saying. If you aren't informed about the issues....

[daleo]

37. The idea is that undecided usually go against the incumbent

Supposedly, the historical experience is that voters that are still undecided late in the campaign tend to vote against the incumbent when and if they do vote (by about 80% I have heard, from exit polling). So, suppressing the undecided vote favors the incumbent, in this case Bush. I don't know if that is actually Parker and Trey's intent (I doubt it), but that would be the net effect of people following their advice.

I agree with people who say it is incoherent for politically oriented cartoonists (that is what they really are) to critisize actors for publicising their political views. It is like actors saying cartoonists shouldn't express any opinions about movies.

[Freddie Stubbs]

41. And the incumbent President's party usually loses seats in Congress during

midterm elections. But the opposite has happened in the last two midterm elections.

[daleo]

45. Well, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior

That's sort of an axiom of the social sciences (and horse racing). But, as you point out, there is no guarantee of this from election to election.

[Freddie Stubbs]

58. But this is not like most past elections

Normally Bush would be losing by a landslide with an economy like this one. But he isn't. It's still close. The political landscape has definitely changed. We are not in Kansas anymore.

[recon54]

26. I saw the movie yesterday and I wouldn't say it ridiculed both Dems & Reps

Its critique of the left was incredibly sharp and personal, naming actors by name, ridiculing their positions with moderate success, its commentary on the right was one that was vague in a cowardly way.

If you're going to go after Tim Robbins and Samuel Jackson, give me Rumsfeld, give me Ashcroft on the other side, not some faux and equally fictitious A-Team.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

28. what strikes me is i almost felt like they tried to portray "hollywood"

like the the media portrays liberal hollywood, an exaggeration of being naive,dangerous and out of line.

i might be making stretch, but if you will notice the first two indroductions to the "hollywood liberals" was done via a newscast that "team america" was watching. it seemed to me that the hollywood liberals were a charicture the way they are portrayed in the media.

edit: and yeah, some members of the current admin would have been nice to see in that movie.

[SquireJons]

47. They do the same thing on South Park n/t

[HuckleB]

52. The movie has a clear agenda.

When you spend all your time bashing actors, who, uh, ended up being right about the Iraq War, and you offer nothing up from the right-wing talking heads, your agenda becomes very clear. Nevermind the ridiculous, narcissistic hypocyrisy offered by Stone and Parker. They can make comments like this, but if Sean Penn responds in kind, then he's suddenly "humorless." Give me a break.

Nevermind that they clearly spelled out their viewpoint for the movien in the Guardian: http://film.guardian.co.uk/salon/0,14779,1325616,00.html

"Stone: That's such a strong political statement.

Parker: And it really kinda is! Because that's the thing that we realized when we were making the movie. It was always the hardest thing. We wanted to deal with this emotion of being hated as an American. That was the thing that was intriguing to us, and having Gary (the main character) deal with that emotion. And so, him becoming ashamed to be a part of Team America and being ashamed of himself, he comes to realize that, just as he got his brother killed by gorillas - he didn't kill his brother; he was a dick, he wasn't an asshole - so too does America have this role in the world as a dick. Cops are dicks, you fucking hate cops, but you need 'em."

[JohnOneillsMemory]

82. Saw the movie. Read this interview. They don't know the US is The Asshole

that fucks up so many people's lives and the planet.
They DO think that America is a bad but neccessary world cop.

They are wrong. So goddamn wrong. And they scorn rich actors for not 'being grateful' for their own tiny lives while the world burns.
---------------
More of this pertinent interview:

>snip<

Heather Havrilesky
Tuesday October 12, 2004


Team America: The dolls of war

Forget Fahrenheit 9/11. Team America: World Police is easily the most riveting political satire of the year, if not the most entertaining, the silliest and the dirtiest.
This unhinged parody of '80s action movies focuses on a gung-ho team of American special agents, played by marionettes, who are hell-bent on ridding the world of terrorists, even if it means toppling the Eiffel Tower and mowing down innocent civilians in the process. Featuring terrorists who mumble "Jihad" and "Mohammed" and puppets engaging in sexual positions never before seen at the Cineplex, Team America constitutes a generational litmus test like none before it. At the screening I attended, younger viewers laughed hysterically and emerged with huge grins on their faces, older viewers sat in silence and walked slowly from their seats, scowling. But your ultimate reaction to this film will no doubt depend entirely on 1) how many bad formulaic action movies you sat through in the '80s; 2) whether the word "fuck" makes you uncomfortable; and 3) how excited you are to see miniature replicas of self-righteous celebrities get their heads blown to smithereens.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, have created a visually stunning, wildly goofy but undeniably incisive critique of American culture and our role as global cops. Wall-to-wall absurdity from the first shot, it doesn't pull any punches, and even its Scooby Doo-like ending will have you laughing louder than you have at any of the limp comic offerings of the last few years.

Unless, of course, you hate it.

>Still, do you ever feel like you cover your asses too much by taking on targets on opposing sides?

Parker: I don't think so, because we do take somewhat of a stand at the end. I mean, I believe we do make a point at the end of the movie. Some people consider that point to be fairly right-wing, and some people consider it to be fairly left-wing ...

>What do you think that point is?

Parker: The thing is, obviously, we're not setting out to make a movie going, Look, America, this is how you should run things, this is how it should be. Because then we'd be no better than the fucking actors we hate. But the only thing that we assert is that there's a difference between dicks and assholes. That's the biggest thing that we assert.

Stone: That's such a strong political statement.

Parker: And it really kinda is! Because that's the thing that we realized when we were making the movie. It was always the hardest thing. We wanted to deal with this emotion of being hated as an American. That was the thing that was intriguing to us, and having Gary (the main character) deal with that emotion. And so, him becoming ashamed to be a part of Team America and being ashamed of himself, he comes to realize that, just as he got his brother killed by gorillas - he didn't kill his brother; he was a dick, he wasn't an asshole - so too does America have this role in the world as a dick. Cops are dicks, you fucking hate cops, but you need 'em.

>Thanks to all the assholes - or criminals. Or in the case of the movie, terrorists.

Parker: Right. Because there are assholes - terrorists - you gotta have dicks - people who hunt down terrorists. And I think that that is a pretty strong thing to assert, actually ... at least the pussies think so.

>The pussies being the whiny liberals. But you obviously make fun of dicks - or ugly Americans - for the first half of the movie.

Stone: Well, it's just Gary coming to terms with the fact that it's an imperfect world, basically. And this is Gary going, "This is as much sense as I can make of it."

Parker: Dicks are bad, and it sucks to be a dick, but it's way worse to be an asshole, and because there are assholes, we need dicks. So shut the fuck up, all you pussies!

Stone: That does seem like a funny way to put it.

>What do you think creates a person who naturally offends by accident?

Stone: When that person is just really charismatic and cool!

Parker: No, I think we just deal with everything with humor. Everything. We say all the time, "I know that if one of us got cancer tomorrow, we would be joking about it." It's just the way we deal with stuff. A lot of people with no sense of humor think that that means that you just basically don't care about anyone or anything, and it's not true.

Ultimately, I think we're both pretty optimistic people, too. A lot of this movie came out of, you're laughing at people because you're sort of saying, "Dude, relax." You have the Michael Moores of the world and all these people telling you, "These people are evil and America's going to be destroyed in a matter of five years!" And it's just, to us, not that dire. It's like, you know what? Our lives are pretty fucking great. And a lot of the lives we see around us are pretty fucking great, and everything's gonna be OK. That's just our basic philosophy.

>What about the people who'd say, Well, you've got to get out of your bubble and check out the world and see how fucked up things are for everyone else.

Stone: It's about optimism, though. That's the big thing about the movie; that end message is about American optimism. And that's the difference between America and the rest of the world, because if you go to Europe, people are not optimistic about the future there. And Americans do have a naive optimism about that - it's not just us, and the fact that we live in this L.A. bubble - I think all Americans have this naive optimism and have for a long time. And a lot of times it's naive, and it's unfounded, and it's even wrong, but it's somehow that optimism that keeps America looking forward and trying to make the world better. And I really do think that's something that's unique to America that doesn't exist in a lot of the world.

>And it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Stone: Exactly. A lot of times it fuels the good things. Sure, it's stupid, and a lot of times it's a big smile while eating a big shit sandwich, but you just keep going, you know?

Parker: But another thing that goes along with the optimism part of it is basically the idea of, well, if I'm not going to have a fucking great time and I'm not going to really appreciate and enjoy and say life is great, then there really is no hope. Because all of the hope for the world is that there can be a great life, and to me, I'm proof of that, that there can be a great life. And yes, it's all about trying to dole that out to as many people as possible, but it's also about, when you have a great country, and it all works, and your life is awesome, then be able to say so! But for some reason, it's almost taboo to say, My fucking life is awesome, and I have a great time, and I have a sweet house and a nice car. People are like , "Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

Stone: Especially the richest people in the world, which we know some of in this town, you know? "The world is fucked up!"

Parker: Look, we were below middle class growing up, and I had a dream that someday things were gonna be better, and I assume that's the way it is in Third World countries. So, if you're not going to enjoy the dream, then there's no hope for anything.

Stone: I think that when Trey wrote "America! Fuck, Yeah!" - that song? That, to me, encapsulates it. We could talk for hours about America's overzealous stance overseas, but there's also, you know, "America! Fuck, Yeah!" too. And somehow that song encapsulates an hourlong conversation. When people ask me, "What's your attitude about America?" I think of Trey's song. That's the perfect way to put it. It's awesome, and you have to admit it's also a little cheesily testosterone-driven at the same time ...

>A little cheesily testosterone-driven?

Stone: Yeah. But. It's awesome.

[hippiechick]

27. It makes sense, actually ...

... because most people, when undecided and uninformed but faced with a choice, will say 'Eh, I'll pick what I know vs. what I don't know' and choose the familiar, ie, Bush.

:hippie:

[slackmaster]

31. Incumbency does carry some weight

Sad but true. I think sometimes people who aren't happy with the way things are going wimp out at the last minute and choose the incumbent.

[sonicx]

32. only a few wimp out - incumbents get about 20-40% of undecideds

becuase if someone is undecided at this point after 4 years of seeing, hearing, and experiencing the same guy, then they probably aren't going to be convinced in this short election cycle.

[Lorien]

35. Actually, I agree with him

if you're going to go into the voting both THAT uninformed, you're not really participating in democracy. This is why * has done so well; most people don't bother to think about what's gone on in this country (in part because the media has it's eyes on celebrities), they just say to themselves "Bush looks like a fun guy, and Kerry has wrinkles and weird hair. I'll vote for the fun guy". :eyes:

[Robbie67]

43. So do I

If people walk into a voting booth without a true understanding of what they're voting for, they shouldn't vote. Hell, that would ensure a Kerry landslide.

[matcom]

38. agree 100%

if you are "undecided" now you ARE "uninformed". stay home indeed

[RainDog]

39. Yeah, why should that rich white boy care? Fuck the rest of us

he's got his. fuck the rest of us. stay home. don't care, don't try to get informed.

the truth is that undecideds are more likely to vote for a challenger than an incumbent.

the truth is that the religious right is mobilizing their crusaders to wage war on our very foundations.

while Stone is welcome to state his opinion, so am I.

he is so blatantly selfish and uncaring for really simple things like, oh, civil rights and the upcoming patriot act extension, not to mention the war against women that the religious right is waging...the dumbing down of science, the hostility toward reason vs faith....

But why should that matter to Stone if he can get laid?

[freepotter]

40. Tucker Carlson (Rep-Idiot) had same message

I watched Tucker Carlson's Idiot Show on PBS for the first and last time yesterday, and he had an almost word for word message. Basically, "If you're undecided, do us all a favor and stay home." It was his closing comment, and was longer and more derisive of the undecided folks, but was nearly identical to Stone's and Parker's comment. It makes sense that the neo-cons would try this rant since most of the polls are showing those voter who finally do decide to be going with Kerry. Listen for the same bs coming from the right in the next couple of weeks.

[Freddie Stubbs]

42. So did Ted Rall

TRIUMPH OF THE STULTOCRACY

NEW YORK--"Kerry doesn't know what the working-class people do; he hasn't done any physical labor all his life," Sharon Alfman, a 51-year-old cook in New Lexington, Ohio, told a New York Times reporter. It's true. Kerry is a rich boy. But then she added: "Bush's values are middle-class family values."
George W. Bush earned $727,000 last year. Estimates of his net worth range between $9 and $26 million. Middle class he most assuredly is not. Working class he never has been. Like fellow Skull and Bones member John Kerry, man of the people he never will be. But it matters that Sharon Altman thinks he is. Unless you too are a voter living in a swing state like Ohio, her vote counts more than yours.

Demonstrating that stupefying ignorance can be bipartisan, another Ohioan interviewed for the same article said she is against the war in Iraq because, like 42 percent of her fellow Americans, she thinks Iraq was behind 9/11: "We shouldn't be over there building them back up because they didn't build our towers back up." She is wrong on so many levels that it makes my brain hurt.

Both women are entitled to their unawareness. We can't pass a law to force them to read the paper. But neither of these people ought to force their fellow citizens to suffer the consequences of their being so uninformed. Voting should be a privilege earned by an intellectually engaged citizen, not a right given to any adult with a pulse.

more: http://www.uexpress.com/tedrall/?uc_full_date=20040921

[eyepaddle]

44. I know this is a tough statement, but

If you are THAT uniformed your vote shouldn't count. Before I get lit up, I wanna make it clear that my last statement is hyperbole, but I find it tragic that we unitentioanlly reward foolisheness by giving fools equal voice to people who care enough to pay attention.

And for the record, no, I really can't think of a solution to this problem either.......c'est la vie

[MADem]

64. Uh, I do not think Kerry told Gilligan

...to fire up the engines in the Nam. I do not think, as a DIVO in his previous assignment, that he sat on a deck chair watching his division operate the deck crawlers. Kerry was a USN junior officer, trust me, he did real work, and a lot of it was shitty, rotten, hard work with long, long hours.

[SquireJons]

46. I don't trust Matt Stone's political agenda, but he's right

The uninformed should not vote. No one's saying that it should be illegal for someone to vote, but if you can't be bothered to find out about the issues and candidates, then don't vote damn it. That's a recipe for disaster.

I knew a girl in college who was going to vote for Hart because he was cute. That pisses me off as much as the dumb asses who will vote for * because he's "strong." Jesus H. Christ, strong rhymes with wrong this time and everybody knows it. But many will vote for our own version of Jonestown anyways... and they don't even know why.

Voting should be taken seriously.

[HuckleB]

50. Another shameless attempt to garner publicity.

Their movie sucks, and now the word of mouth is out about it, so it's going nowhere unless they cause more controversy. These two are one-trick ponies, and that 's not to say that the one trick wasn't funny. But one-trick ponies do get tiresome and boring.

The guy's a Republican to boot. So let's be clear about his real motivations for saying this.

[Sean Reynolds]

51. I agree....people shouldn't vote if they're uninformed.

It does more harm than good. That's probably how we ended up with crappy presidents in the past. Too risky I say.

[illumn8d]

53. Agree whole-heartedly

Unless someone is really conflicted with one single issue so much that they can't choose one of these guys yet...what's it going to take? The choice is pretty clear regardless of which side it's on at this point.

[genius]

54. He's backing Bush

[Freddie Stubbs]

56. Do you have a link for that?

:shrug:

[genius]

59. There have been several threads on it in the past.

You might ask the question in the general underground. People had a link before and they will probably post one again if you ask.

[Freddie Stubbs]

66. No one in GD had any proof either

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1103351&mesg_id=1103351

Just because a lie is posted on DU doesn't mean that it is true.

[Democat]

55. Stone and Parker are Republicans who won't admit it

Some people here won't admit that those guys are Republicans, at least for this election cycle.

[HuckleB]

63. Yes. Supposedly, they did admit it to People for the American Way...

And it was reported that they are Republicans in one of our local weeklies a while back.

[SoCalDem]

70. Republicans in media, like to call themselves "independents"

They do this so they can "have it both ways"..They are cowards..:)

[Carolab]

60. Kerry should ask them

why they are undecided. He should invite them to send the campaign their e-mails with their questions or set up a few electronic town halls on the Kerry website to answer their questions.

[smallprint]

62. Wow-- I am surprised and disappointed

Voting is a right, not a privilege. Telling people not to vote is undemocratic, period. I don't want to hear excuses like "Oh those undecideds are too stupid to have a vote"-- fuck that. That is the attitude of all antidemocratic forces-- "we can't let group X vote because they don't understand their own interests, only WE (the elite) can decide that." Give me a fricking break.

[Dr Fate]

65. I've seen nothing to indicate that these two are very "informed"...

I have not seen their new movie though- perhaps I am wrong - for all I know their satire is very pointed.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

83. Movie was funny BUT Parker and Stone 'got theirs so quit whining.'

Their's is an extremely Republican attitude and it is spelled out in the interview here:

(Parker)...all of the hope for the world is that there can be a great life, and to me, I'm proof of that, that there can be a great life. And yes, it's all about trying to dole that out to as many people as possible, but it's also about, when you have a great country, and it all works, and your life is awesome, then be able to say so! But for some reason, it's almost taboo to say, My fucking life is awesome, and I have a great time, and I have a sweet house and a nice car. People are like , "Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

Stone: Especially the richest people in the world, which we know some of in this town (L.A.), you know? "The world is fucked up!"

Parker: Look, we were below middle class growing up, and I had a dream that someday things were gonna be better, and I assume that's the way it is in Third World countries. So, if you're not going to enjoy the dream, then there's no hope for anything.

[Sven77]

67. dont forget these guys made "That's My Bush"

dont forget these guys made "That's My Bush". a crappy show that didnt last long at all.

[rocktivity]

68. I think he's being sarcastic

but I also think he's confusing "undecided" with "uninformed."

:headbang:
rocknation

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

71. Undecideds vote in favor of the challenger. So Parker/Stone, whether

wittingly or not, are suppressing Dem voter turnout. Screw them.

[nytemare]

72. An undecided voter is like a person who can't decide...

If they would rather have a free steak dinner at a Steak and Ale or if they would rather overpay for 10 burgers at Krystal's and only get 6 burgers, then have the burgers give you food poisoning.

[sofa king]

76. Matt, I dedicate this one to you.