Butt Out
Encyclopedia
"Butt Out" is episode 109 of the Comedy Central
series South Park
. It originally aired on December 3, 2003.
The episode pokes fun at the formulaic storyline of some South Park episodes (including the movie), which start with the boys getting themselves in trouble and inciting a controversy between the townsfolk and a national interest group (or a major catastrophe) while trying to avoid punishments, subsequently learning a lesson from this conflict.
and hip-hop into its routine, performs at South Park Elementary. The boys are put off by the triteness and overly sentimental nature of the performance, and after the performers proclaim they can be "just like us", they go behind the school and smoke furiously while coughing. When their school counselor Mr. Mackey approaches, the boys discard their still-lit cigarettes into a nearby dumpster, which causes a fire that burns down the entire school. When the boys are brought before the principal and their parents, the adults are initially enraged and ashamed, not at the school burning down, but at the boys smoking (in fact, the school burning down is not even acknowledged by either the principal or the parents). They then convince themselves that the blame lies with the tobacco companies, whose advertising campaigns have influenced the children. The boys happily transfer the blame to avoid punishment, but Kyle recognizes the pattern of a South Park storyline and unsuccessfully tries to get his friends to avoid the coming calamity. The town summons celebrity spokesperson Rob Reiner
to combat the spread of smoking among children in South Park. Despite the fact that Reiner is vehemently against smoking and willing to tell everyone how unhealthy it is, he is portrayed as extremely gluttonous and disrespectful to those who do not share his viewpoints, constantly eating junk food and taking pride on imposing his will on others. Cartman
, however, comes to look up to Reiner precisely because of this.
Reiner disguises himself and takes the boys on a tour of Big Tobacco's tobacco factory. The Vice-President teaches them the history of tobacco, and explains that as the dangers of smoking have been made known they placed warning labels on cigarettes so those who choose to smoke or not can make informed choices, which Kyle finds reasonable. Reiner reveals himself after snapping a picture of the boys, and throws one of the employees over the railing to the factory floor before fleeing. Reiner takes the boys back to his anti-smoking encampment and tells them he is going to introduce them to some really "decent and caring" people of his "Anti-Smoking" staff, who are shown to be pale, hunched-over and dressed in black. Reiner intends to Photoshop the photograph in order to falsely depict the executive giving cigarettes to the children. By now Kyle and Stan are disgusted with Reiner and his tactics, so when Reiner offers them the opportunity for them to appear in an anti-smoking TV commercial, they decline, but Cartman eagerly agrees.
Cartman appears in the commercial to claim he is dying of lung cancer
from second-hand smoke, but discovers at the end of the shoot that Reiner and his group intend to kill him and claim it was from lung cancer. Cartman flees to his friends, who consider taking him back to the cigarette factory. Kyle again warns that this is following a formula, and will lead to a confrontation between the town and the factory where they will have to admit they lied about why they smoked and talk about what they have learned. However, the group goes to the factory anyway and the townspeople confront them with Reiner. The townspeople turn on Reiner when he tells them his plan, and as he attempts to explain it is okay Kyle goes into a speech (which he briefly breaks almost immediately to comment to Stan, "See? I knew it.") about people needing to take responsibility for their actions, and calls Reiner a fascist for imposing his will on others. Cartman stabs Reiner with a fork, causing his "goo" to leak out and killing him. The parents then ground the four as they know they smoked of their own will, and though Stan is relieved that the ordeal is over and the four have "learned their lesson", Kyle disappointingly replies "No we didn't dude. No we didn't."
and directed by fellow co-creator Trey Parker
. Stone said the episode was inspired by a desire to spoof both California
's strict smoking ban
s and film director Rob Reiner
; Stone said, "We try not to be, 'All right, here's the point we want to make.' But things like California's smoking ban and Rob Reiner animate both of us. When we did that Rob Reiner episode, to us it was just common sense. Rob Reiner was just a great target."
and liberalism
, particularly through the use of Rob Reiner
, the real-life American director widely known for advocating smoking restrictions. Reiner, and by extension Hollywood, adopt a holier-than-thou attitude with regard to smokers, and show a lack of understanding toward the poor and middle-class. The episode advocates accepting personal responsibility for smoking rather than blaming the tobacco industry
or external forces like Hollywood and television (which are often accused of condoning and glamorizing drug use, particularly with alcohol and tobacco); as such, tobacco executives are portrayed as reasonable and decent, while Reiner and Hollywood representatives are nasty and elitist. Another theme is Rob Reiner constantly eating, pointing out that although fast food is as dangerous as smoking, it is overlooked.
, praised the episode saying the portrayal of Reiner, Hollywood and their anti-smoking efforts, "perfectly captures the Olympian arrogance and illiberalism of liberal elites." Anderson said this was particularly illustrated by a scene in the episode in which Reiner yells at a sawmill worker for smoking in a bar, and tells him he should relax by spending time in an expensive vacation house like Reiner does. Anderson described it as a "classic sequence".
Amanda Kiser of The Battalion
praised the episode's portrayal of anti-smoking educational performances: "Watch the 'Butt Out' episode of South Park if you were not fortunate enough to witness such a spectacle as a preteen. Granted, the truth is substantially less ridiculous, but it is still incredibly, nauseatingly self-consciously hip." Richard Ives of Times Higher Education also praised this aspect of this episode: "Teachers to whom I've shown these clips sigh in recognition." The Daily Record
of Scotland
praised the episode, which they said was extremely "timely".
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. It originally aired on December 3, 2003.
The episode pokes fun at the formulaic storyline of some South Park episodes (including the movie), which start with the boys getting themselves in trouble and inciting a controversy between the townsfolk and a national interest group (or a major catastrophe) while trying to avoid punishments, subsequently learning a lesson from this conflict.
Plot
An overly upbeat anti-smoking music group called Butt Out, which incorporates elements of danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and hip-hop into its routine, performs at South Park Elementary. The boys are put off by the triteness and overly sentimental nature of the performance, and after the performers proclaim they can be "just like us", they go behind the school and smoke furiously while coughing. When their school counselor Mr. Mackey approaches, the boys discard their still-lit cigarettes into a nearby dumpster, which causes a fire that burns down the entire school. When the boys are brought before the principal and their parents, the adults are initially enraged and ashamed, not at the school burning down, but at the boys smoking (in fact, the school burning down is not even acknowledged by either the principal or the parents). They then convince themselves that the blame lies with the tobacco companies, whose advertising campaigns have influenced the children. The boys happily transfer the blame to avoid punishment, but Kyle recognizes the pattern of a South Park storyline and unsuccessfully tries to get his friends to avoid the coming calamity. The town summons celebrity spokesperson Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
to combat the spread of smoking among children in South Park. Despite the fact that Reiner is vehemently against smoking and willing to tell everyone how unhealthy it is, he is portrayed as extremely gluttonous and disrespectful to those who do not share his viewpoints, constantly eating junk food and taking pride on imposing his will on others. Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
, however, comes to look up to Reiner precisely because of this.
Reiner disguises himself and takes the boys on a tour of Big Tobacco's tobacco factory. The Vice-President teaches them the history of tobacco, and explains that as the dangers of smoking have been made known they placed warning labels on cigarettes so those who choose to smoke or not can make informed choices, which Kyle finds reasonable. Reiner reveals himself after snapping a picture of the boys, and throws one of the employees over the railing to the factory floor before fleeing. Reiner takes the boys back to his anti-smoking encampment and tells them he is going to introduce them to some really "decent and caring" people of his "Anti-Smoking" staff, who are shown to be pale, hunched-over and dressed in black. Reiner intends to Photoshop the photograph in order to falsely depict the executive giving cigarettes to the children. By now Kyle and Stan are disgusted with Reiner and his tactics, so when Reiner offers them the opportunity for them to appear in an anti-smoking TV commercial, they decline, but Cartman eagerly agrees.
Cartman appears in the commercial to claim he is dying of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
from second-hand smoke, but discovers at the end of the shoot that Reiner and his group intend to kill him and claim it was from lung cancer. Cartman flees to his friends, who consider taking him back to the cigarette factory. Kyle again warns that this is following a formula, and will lead to a confrontation between the town and the factory where they will have to admit they lied about why they smoked and talk about what they have learned. However, the group goes to the factory anyway and the townspeople confront them with Reiner. The townspeople turn on Reiner when he tells them his plan, and as he attempts to explain it is okay Kyle goes into a speech (which he briefly breaks almost immediately to comment to Stan, "See? I knew it.") about people needing to take responsibility for their actions, and calls Reiner a fascist for imposing his will on others. Cartman stabs Reiner with a fork, causing his "goo" to leak out and killing him. The parents then ground the four as they know they smoked of their own will, and though Stan is relieved that the ordeal is over and the four have "learned their lesson", Kyle disappointingly replies "No we didn't dude. No we didn't."
Production
"Butt Out" was written by South Park co-creator Matt StoneMatt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
and directed by fellow co-creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
. Stone said the episode was inspired by a desire to spoof both California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's strict smoking ban
Smoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
s and film director Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
; Stone said, "We try not to be, 'All right, here's the point we want to make.' But things like California's smoking ban and Rob Reiner animate both of us. When we did that Rob Reiner episode, to us it was just common sense. Rob Reiner was just a great target."
Theme
The episode satirizes anti-smoking education presentations by external providers that come across as cheesy to the young adult demographic they target, effectively negating any message they might be trying to send across. The episode also satirizes adult pretension, a common theme in South Park episodes, in their ineffective and nonsensical responses to the smoking problem in South Park. According to Brian C. Anderson, it also lampoons the pretentiousness of the Hollywood movie industryCinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
and liberalism
Liberalism in the United States
Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...
, particularly through the use of Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
, the real-life American director widely known for advocating smoking restrictions. Reiner, and by extension Hollywood, adopt a holier-than-thou attitude with regard to smokers, and show a lack of understanding toward the poor and middle-class. The episode advocates accepting personal responsibility for smoking rather than blaming the tobacco industry
Tobacco industry
The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any warm, moist environment, which means it can be farmed on all...
or external forces like Hollywood and television (which are often accused of condoning and glamorizing drug use, particularly with alcohol and tobacco); as such, tobacco executives are portrayed as reasonable and decent, while Reiner and Hollywood representatives are nasty and elitist. Another theme is Rob Reiner constantly eating, pointing out that although fast food is as dangerous as smoking, it is overlooked.
Reception
Brian C. AndersonBrian C. Anderson
Brian C. Anderson is the editor of City Journal, a quarterly magazine, published by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.-Background:Anderson received his BA and MA from Boston College...
, praised the episode saying the portrayal of Reiner, Hollywood and their anti-smoking efforts, "perfectly captures the Olympian arrogance and illiberalism of liberal elites." Anderson said this was particularly illustrated by a scene in the episode in which Reiner yells at a sawmill worker for smoking in a bar, and tells him he should relax by spending time in an expensive vacation house like Reiner does. Anderson described it as a "classic sequence".
Amanda Kiser of The Battalion
The Battalion
The Battalion is the student newspaper of Texas A&M University. Started in 1893 as a monthly publication, it continues to this day, now as a daily paper. The first paper at Texas A&M University was the Texas Collegian published in 1878...
praised the episode's portrayal of anti-smoking educational performances: "Watch the 'Butt Out' episode of South Park if you were not fortunate enough to witness such a spectacle as a preteen. Granted, the truth is substantially less ridiculous, but it is still incredibly, nauseatingly self-consciously hip." Richard Ives of Times Higher Education also praised this aspect of this episode: "Teachers to whom I've shown these clips sigh in recognition." The Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
praised the episode, which they said was extremely "timely".