No better way to get kids to smoke that to have geeks say it is not cool.

I was once actually a member of a group that went around to the elementary schools doing these kinds of assemblies.

In one of our "Drugs are Bad, Mmm'kay" skits, I played a drug dealer known as "Cool Man Dude" (I kid you not). The kids thought that Cool Man Dude was awesome, and asked for my autograph afterwards, etc. One kid even asked me if I "had the need for weed."

A couple months later we went back to the same school doing another set of skits (Self-Esteem or some crap like that). I went on stage as a completely different character, but I got recognized by one of the kids. "Hey, isn't that Cool Man Dude?" The skit was completely drowned out by the kids cheering for Cool Man Dude.

Someone needs a new user title.

das

I loved this episode!

Funny thing is, I'm not a smoker and never was. But I've always been annoyed at the huge anti-smoking marketing. Which isn't to say that it doesn't do people good. There are side effects to smoking which people, especially kids, should know about. But it's gone too far in my book. Some people want to smoke, so let them. If they're too stupid not to bother to check the side effets or read the damn warning label, screw them.

As for second hand smoke, I don't know how bad it is. I've read conflicting reports on the health issues. But if you don't like second hand smoke, I can certainly understand not wanting to be around it. At the very least it smells up your clothes and is quite annoying. So it shouldn't be allowed in certain places (i.e. planes, restaurants should have non-smoking areas, and so forth). But no need to prevent it everywhere (like bars).

I also find it odd about the huge outcry on smoking, when as the episode pointed out, fatty food is similarly a health risk which gets a fraction of the attention.

South Park is indoctrinating an entire generation of children with the message that wildly out of control Political Correctedness is retarted and that personal responsibility and privacy are virtues.

They even have a name for young people who are growing up with SP and are absorbing its libertarian message - South Park Republicans.
Andrew Sullivan often refrences it.

I heard the term before and always wanted to say...oh you mean Repubicans who do not realize they are libertarians. I was such a person as recently as 5 years ago.

I think its less that they adhere to libertiarian values but more that Southpark has convinced them that liberal values are too far to the edge for them.
But we can talk about this in Other.

I thought this episode had some funny moments, and I am a non-smoker. I agree with their portrayal about the anti-smoking campaign which is beyond annoying. However the way they showed Big Tobacco was a little too rosy as well. I do appreciate the personal responsibility angle though.

I don't know how many times I've been so very close to start smoking just out of spite for all of the those annoying anti smoking campaigns. I loved the episode.

The show has evolved into the political topic of the week and I for one like the way the show has grown.

Now if you really want to see a show that rips into the anti smoking campaign watch Penn and Teller's Bullshit. They were all over them and showed some pretty interesting facts.

do you think anti-smoking people really care about people's HEALTH? if cigarette smoke didn't smell, this issue wouldn't be on anybody's radar.

Some of us are also alergic to the smoke. As disgusting as it could get, I'm not going to have an asthmatic episode because you eat too much.

das

Re: allergies, I'm willing to ban smoking if cats were wiped off the face of the earth.

People don't generally bring their cats into restaurants, bars, and other public places.

Probably because the owner would not allow cats to be there. Fancy that, a rule established by an owner.

I thought this ep was hilarious. I've never touched a cigarette and probably never will but still hate the whole "anti-smoking" craze. Your not allowed to smoke in most public places. People just like to butt into other peoples business. That part with Reiner in the bar starting to cough even though the guy was a hundred feet away was great. Then scolding him for harming his health all the while stuffing his face with greasy food.

Rob Reiner and Butt Out was the funniest part of this episode. This has been the most one-sided episode of South Park yet.

It's a funny show, but I don't like the idea that it's brainwashing little kids.

little kids? what's the average age of a south park viewer anyway?

doubt a lot of five year olds are tuned in.

I meant the preteen, early teen kids.

Yeah - heaven forbid that preteens develop libertarian beliefs. Maybe they'll realize there is someone out there besides Republicrats.

I started watching the show when it first came on back in 3rd or 4th grade. So don't think kids aren't watching, because they are. But that's at the fault of the parents.

Yes, I think that is a major part of at least the anti-smoking ads. Which is what I see. And part of what this episode makes fun of. I know individuals don't really care, but I think the ideas of the omnipresent ads is to prevent kids from smoking and looking out for the children. Not all that different from the other drug as on TV, which South Park also has made fun of.

I thought the first 10 minutes were absolutely hilarious. The rest...not so much. The whole "message" just got a little too heavy-handed to be humorous.

I was rolling at the lame "Butt Out" assembly. That was spot-on. I loved how it drove the kids to smoke and how the parents jumped to blame the tobacco companies. The pot-shots at Rob Reiner were also kind of funny, but after awhile I just felt like they were being too one-sided. Usually SP is great at making fun of both sides of an issue equally. Ok, I can laugh at voracious anti-smokers. But please don't try and paint Big Tobacco as innocuous. They have done some outrageous things that deserved to be mocked a little.

I thought the funniest line was "For 2 billion dollars, I'd handle my grandfather's balls!"

The freestyle rap session during Butt Out had me rolling on the floor. Especially when it was the girl's turn to rap and all she did was emit a series of piercing screeches. I thought I was going to wet myself.

...but look at the benefit of cigarettes. You eat less and you have something to hold in your hand

Same here - her little choo choo train lame-o robot movements were classic! It was like a snippitt from JJ Fad's "Cars That Go Boom" where one of them tries to beat-box.

I'm in the "I Hate Cigarette Smoke" camp from the perspective of eliminating it in public places. If bar or restaurant owners want to allow, I don't think the gov should step in and tell them how to run their business. As long as non-smokers know the establishment allows smoking, the patron can choose whether or not to enter the place. Same applies for smokers and non-smoking places.