Douche and Turd
Encyclopedia
"Douche and Turd" is the eighth episode of the eighth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 119th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
in the United States
on October 27, 2004, just before the 2004 presidential election
. In the episode, PETA
force South Park Elementary to change their school mascot, so a new election is held to determine a new mascot. Meanwhile, Stan ends up getting kicked out of South Park after refusing to vote.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
and is rated TV-MA in the United States.
at South Park Elementary, a group of local PETA
eco-terrorists
protest the use of a cow as the school's mascot
(for "the 47th time"). The school agrees to pick a new mascot, and the students are told to vote
for said new mascot. Embarrassed by the bland choices, the kids decide to fill in a joke candidate but disagree as to whether it should be a "giant douche
" or a "turd
sandwich
". Kyle
rallies his friends to fill in the giant douche, and Cartman
gathers support for the turd sandwich. Cartman wins Butters' support (by slanting the question when asking Butters which of the two choices was funnier; "a not funny giant douche, or a super funny turd sandwich"), but Kyle wins Jimmy's favor (when Jimmy decides that although both are funny, the fact that the douche is giant renders it useless, adding a parody element to the satire). The result is the two joke candidates get the most votes and the students must choose between the two in an election.
Stan
does not see the point in voting between a douche and a turd as they are exactly the same in his opinion, and declares that he will not vote at all, much to everyone's dismay. Stan is equally dismayed, wondering why anyone would care about such a pointless exercise. He talks about it with his parents at dinner, but his parents are not impressed with his apathy at all and even get into a fight over who should win when Stan explains who the two competitors are. This results in Kyle calling on Sean Combs
, who intimidates Stan with a literal Vote or Die
campaign. Meanwhile the campaign continues, with the turd sandwich supporters rallying against the giant douche supporters, using bribe
s and scare tactics
to gain support.
By the time of the election, Stan agrees to vote after being chased by Combs and his associates through the streets with guns. However, he realizes Kyle only wanted him to vote in order for giant douche to win when Kyle sees he voted turd sandwich, and demands that he change his vote. Cartman encourages this—even going so far as to offer him a five-star dinner. Disgusted with this electoral process, Stan once again refuses to vote. The school administration decides that Stan must be banished from the town for all eternity or until he decides that voting is important. He is spat on by the townspeople while his shirt is ripped off piece by piece (Kyle tries to convince him one last time to vote giant douche) before being placed on a horse, bound with a bucket over his head, and sent off into the woods.
Stan is eventually released by the PETA members when he reaches their compound and they attempt to save the horse (they believe he was making the horse let him ride it against its will). Here he finds that the humans have grown intimate with the animals to the point of zoophilia
, even a man interbreeding with an ostrich
and producing a wretched hybrid that begs to be put out of its misery. Stan is unable to fit in at PETA, explaining his trouble to the leader of PETA. The PETA's leader teaches him that an election is always between a douche and a turd, because they are the only people who suck up enough to make it that far in politics. Combs shows up at the camp to kill Stan, but is distracted by a PETA member who throws a bucket of red paint (which PETA members do throughout the entire episode) on his fur coat. This breaks that last thread of control Combs has, and he takes his rage out on the PETA camp, with him and his posse killing all the members, except the hybrid. The animals do not care whatsoever about the death of the PETA members and flee without panic or remorse. Stan manages to escape the melee and flees the camp.
Returning to South Park, Stan is finally convinced to vote and chooses turd sandwich, when the head of the PETA compound tells Stan that, "every election is between a Giant Douche and a Turd". Despite adding his vote to the tally, the giant douche still wins the vote 1410 to 36. Stan is initially dismayed that his vote did not matter, but Randy informs his son that all votes matter even if it is for the losing side. Suddenly, Mr. Garrison runs in with the news that the PETA members have been discovered murder
ed. As a result, the cow is reinstated as South Park Elementary School's mascot. Randy tells Stan that now his vote did not matter, to Stan's annoyance at having gone through so much for nothing.
of Reason magazine, this episode "pretty much sums up how most libertarians
approach politics."
Also, the episode is an allegory for the 2004 presidential election.
South Park (season 8)
Season eight of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 17, 2004. The eighth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 15, 2004.- Episodes :-External links:...
of the animated television 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...
, and the 119th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on October 27, 2004, just before the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
. In the episode, PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
force South Park Elementary to change their school mascot, so a new election is held to determine a new mascot. Meanwhile, Stan ends up getting kicked out of South Park after refusing to vote.
The episode was written by series 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...
and is rated TV-MA in the United States.
Plot
During a pep rallyPep rally
Pep rallies are events that occur primarily in the United States and Canada. A pep rally is a gathering of people, typically students of middle school, high school and college age, before a sports event. The purpose of such a gathering is to encourage school spirit and to support members of the...
at South Park Elementary, a group of local PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
eco-terrorists
Eco-terrorism
Eco-terrorism usually refers to acts of violence or sabotage committed in support of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes against persons or their property....
protest the use of a cow as the school's mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
(for "the 47th time"). The school agrees to pick a new mascot, and the students are told to vote
Voting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
for said new mascot. Embarrassed by the bland choices, the kids decide to fill in a joke candidate but disagree as to whether it should be a "giant douche
Douche
A douche is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself.Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of...
" or a "turd
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
". Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
rallies his friends to fill in the giant douche, and 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...
gathers support for the turd sandwich. Cartman wins Butters' support (by slanting the question when asking Butters which of the two choices was funnier; "a not funny giant douche, or a super funny turd sandwich"), but Kyle wins Jimmy's favor (when Jimmy decides that although both are funny, the fact that the douche is giant renders it useless, adding a parody element to the satire). The result is the two joke candidates get the most votes and the students must choose between the two in an election.
Stan
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
does not see the point in voting between a douche and a turd as they are exactly the same in his opinion, and declares that he will not vote at all, much to everyone's dismay. Stan is equally dismayed, wondering why anyone would care about such a pointless exercise. He talks about it with his parents at dinner, but his parents are not impressed with his apathy at all and even get into a fight over who should win when Stan explains who the two competitors are. This results in Kyle calling on Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, who intimidates Stan with a literal Vote or Die
Citizen Change
Citizen Change is a political service group, founded by music mogul P. Diddy, and backed by Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and 50 Cent. The stated aim was to get young people to vote....
campaign. Meanwhile the campaign continues, with the turd sandwich supporters rallying against the giant douche supporters, using bribe
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
s and scare tactics
Scare Tactics
Scare Tactics is a hidden camera/comedy television show, produced by Hallock Healey Entertainment. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginning July 9, 2008. The first season of the show was hosted by Shannen Doherty....
to gain support.
By the time of the election, Stan agrees to vote after being chased by Combs and his associates through the streets with guns. However, he realizes Kyle only wanted him to vote in order for giant douche to win when Kyle sees he voted turd sandwich, and demands that he change his vote. Cartman encourages this—even going so far as to offer him a five-star dinner. Disgusted with this electoral process, Stan once again refuses to vote. The school administration decides that Stan must be banished from the town for all eternity or until he decides that voting is important. He is spat on by the townspeople while his shirt is ripped off piece by piece (Kyle tries to convince him one last time to vote giant douche) before being placed on a horse, bound with a bucket over his head, and sent off into the woods.
Stan is eventually released by the PETA members when he reaches their compound and they attempt to save the horse (they believe he was making the horse let him ride it against its will). Here he finds that the humans have grown intimate with the animals to the point of zoophilia
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
, even a man interbreeding with an ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
and producing a wretched hybrid that begs to be put out of its misery. Stan is unable to fit in at PETA, explaining his trouble to the leader of PETA. The PETA's leader teaches him that an election is always between a douche and a turd, because they are the only people who suck up enough to make it that far in politics. Combs shows up at the camp to kill Stan, but is distracted by a PETA member who throws a bucket of red paint (which PETA members do throughout the entire episode) on his fur coat. This breaks that last thread of control Combs has, and he takes his rage out on the PETA camp, with him and his posse killing all the members, except the hybrid. The animals do not care whatsoever about the death of the PETA members and flee without panic or remorse. Stan manages to escape the melee and flees the camp.
Returning to South Park, Stan is finally convinced to vote and chooses turd sandwich, when the head of the PETA compound tells Stan that, "every election is between a Giant Douche and a Turd". Despite adding his vote to the tally, the giant douche still wins the vote 1410 to 36. Stan is initially dismayed that his vote did not matter, but Randy informs his son that all votes matter even if it is for the losing side. Suddenly, Mr. Garrison runs in with the news that the PETA members have been discovered murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed. As a result, the cow is reinstated as South Park Elementary School's mascot. Randy tells Stan that now his vote did not matter, to Stan's annoyance at having gone through so much for nothing.
Politics
According to Nick GillespieNick Gillespie
Nick Gillespie is the editor of Reason.com and Reason.tv and was the editor in chief of Reason magazine from 2000 to 2008...
of Reason magazine, this episode "pretty much sums up how most libertarians
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
approach politics."
Also, the episode is an allegory for the 2004 presidential election.
External links
- Douche and Turd Full episode at South Park Studios
- Douche and Turd Episode guide at South Park Studios