UPDATED Below

Yes, you read that right.  Yawn.

To clarify that, yes I think it was insensitive.  But I am not surprised, shocked or outraged, any more then I have been by several dozen other outrageous and insensitive things South Park has done in the last year or two.

The background here, for those not aware, is that South Park recently had their Halloween show and it featured Steve Irwin, the recently deceased naturalist and star of the Crocodile Hunter show, in hell with a small sting ray poked into his bleeding chest.  Here are the essential elements of the story:

Oh my god, South Park mocks Irwin

The South Park episode called Hell On Earth 2006, which was broadcast in the US this week, shows Satan preparing to host a Hallowe’en fancy dress party.

Hundreds of dead celebrities are invited, including rapper Notorious B.I.G., Princess Diana and Hitler.

But at the party Satan receives complaints from his guests that someone is inappropriately dressed up as Irwin.

Satan confronts Irwin but the Aussie environmentalist protests it is really him, not a guest in a costume.

Come on people, this is South Park we are talking about.   The section in which Irwin is lampooned is actually a small bit, and is not the basis of the episode, not that that justifies it, but it is good to keep it in perspective.

But again, this is South Park, and they make a routine business of shock and skewering sensitivities.  I don’t even watch the show regularly, and I get it.  South Park makes its central and core philosophy that there are no topics untouchable where humor is concerned, no politically correct categories or topics that are off limit.  No Sacred Cows.  And they have succeeded in being clearly and consistently unfair to everyone.

Religion?  Chirstianity, Catholicism, Islam and even Scientology:  All have been terribly treated.  Homosexuality? Yep.  Individual stars and politicians?  Yep.  Countries?  Very much so.  Vietnam vets?  Hunting?  Gun control? All the above.

Read the list of celebrities lampooned, and you will se a completely who’s who of pop culture, all impersonated without permission, badly.

They even managed to slam Pro War advocates, Anti War protesters, Rock Stars, Country Stars, Donny and Marie Osmond,  the Founding Fathers, the Constitution and entire Foundation of America in one brilliant episode (season 7, episode 701- I’m a little Bit Country). 

The only reason South Park works is that anything and everything is an open target for the biting sarcasm and satire that infests the shows writing. 

British broadcasting watchdog Mediawatch condemned the episode as "grossly insensitive."

That describes most of the series.

The response form South Park and Comedy Central is essentially unapologetic.

South Park maker Comedy Central defends the episode. A spokesman said: "It has offended people in the past and probably will again. Regular watchers would not be shocked."

Yes, I know that Terri Irwin and Steve Irwin’s family will be offended.  I sympathize with them.

But Steve was a larger then life star in his own right who understood the somewhat exagerated nature of his own star appeal.  He even did a Fed Ex Commercial once that showed that he didn’t even take himself all that seriously, and in that he even lampooned his own death from a snake bite, for crying out loud.

See it below:

That was what I loved about Irwin.  He was larger then life and knew it, and he was not even afraid to spoof his own character.  That never deterred from his passion for animals and the environment.

I mourn his death as much as any other celebrity, and his family has my deepest condolences.   And I personally feel bad if they did take offense at this episode, though they have not yet commented.

But like I said, this is South Park we are talking about.  Frankly, it is a bit too late (the show is in its 10th season) to suddenly act shocked, or expect them to abide by normal standards.

As I said, I do not watch South Park regularly, and episodes have equally left me laughing uproariously and shaking my head in stunned disbelief (sometimes in the same episode).

This one (I have not seen it, but based on the clips) no more so then any other. 

Hot Air and Political Pitbull have more including the video clips.  You decide if the treatment Irwin got is really that much worse then any other target of the show.

Others blogging it:  Shandy King, Pajamas Media, Secular Blasphemy

UPDATE-  Ok, having watched the episode I am kinda irritated.  Here is why:

In the episode they had, among other things,  the N word, Catholic priests with little boy slaves on leashes, George Burns, Ghandi, Princesss Di, Frank Sinatra and many other popular icons shown as being in Hell,  3 mass murders acting like the 3 Stooges, Necrophilia and Cannibalism,and Satan himself dressed up as Britney Spears while having a moral crisis over his selfishness.

People…if you want to be offended, get in line.

And the irony is that the Crocodile Hunter bit was about Satan thinking someone dressed up as Irwin at the party, and deciding it was too soon for someone to do that, only to find out it really was Irwin…who was then ejected from the party for not wearing a costume.  They lampooned their own lampoon.