South Park – Sussexes hoist with their own petard

South Park, the US take-no-hostages animated satire show has skewered the Sussexes. ‘The Dumb Prince and His Stupid Wife’, represented as nightmare celebrity neighbours, are on a Worldwide Privacy Tour, featuring his autobiography Waaagh.

 Not only are their faux pleas for privacy mocked so are the audience who proclaim them boring while demanding more information constantly.

 South Park launched in 1997 and responds ‘at speed to gossip and global events with timely filth and fury.’ Everything from  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which essentially argues that an ageing Putin declared war over his failure to get an erection; to Kanye West’s newfound anti-Semitism. Celebrities by the yard are insulted and torn apart. Religious faiths of all shades targeted.  The Tom Cruise episode Trapped in the Closet sees Cruise, John Travolta and R Kelly spend much of the show in the closet. Cruise threatened to sue. Russell Crowe on the other hand took his pasting with good humour.

  The show launched on 13 August 1997 with a Leo Sun opposition Jupiter in Aquarius; with a showbizzy Mars in last degree Libra square Neptune and Neptune square Saturn – to give it an edge of cruelty and sting to the barbs.

  The creators, Trey Parker, 19 October 1969, and Matt Stone 26 May 1971, are predominantly Air sign types – sharp thinkers, quick witted and good communicators.  Trey Parker is a Sun Jupiter in Libra trine an Aquarius Moon with Mercury, Venus, Uranus also in Libra.  Matt Stone is a Sun Gemini conjunct Saturn in late Taurus trine Uranus trine Mars in contrary Aquarius, with his Sun Saturn opposition Jupiter Neptune. Very little Water in either chart and none in the South Park chart.

  Of the pair, Prince Harry looks most rattled by the onslaught. Meghan is having a rough ride through the year but tr Jupiter moving across her Midheaven into 2024 looks successful. Being a publicity-addict she may be flattered that she is up there with Tom Cruise, Oprah and Russell Crowe. If anything her relations with Parker and Stone look more fraught in 2024 – though if it did come to a lawsuit that might also take time.

 But Harry looks incensed now with Matt Stone, aggravated by Parker and enraged by South Park. There will be a few blips of fallout this year between himself and South Park. Harry has only one Air sign in his chart so won’t be remotely on their wavelength.

Nothing like well-done satire to deflate hot air balloons.

22 thoughts on “South Park – Sussexes hoist with their own petard”

  1. I’m not a South Park watcher but this sounds like good fun. And a way to then forget the whole lot of Royals – now that the Queen is gone, if the entire family (with all their hangers-on) were never heard from again, might be a good thing. I’d realized this after my own royalist mother, after assiduously following the funeral then all the internecine squabbles, suddenly didn’t want to watch anything more about any of them, and I found myself with the same ‘royal fatigue’.

  2. It is extremely difficult in America to sue for the sort of things they want, because freedom of the press is sacrosanct. Even here in the UK the Sussex’s only could make copyright infringement stick and the invasion of privacy was to do with publishing something private like their address.

    I do not know what it was, but the DM knew that they were crossing a red line. So in essence they weren’t found to be lying. Which is reflected in the £1 damages that the DM was made to pay in one of these trials.

    Personally I think our courts have better things to do than keeping on giving that precious couple trial dates. Prince Harry and the Home Office are still in dispute over whether he and his family are entitled to security paid for by the British taxpayer.

    Admittedly he has offered to pay for this himself. But the Home Office has point blank refused. On the basis that the protection isn’t for hire. So he is now suing them.

    Personally I think they should be put in a very long queue that lasts twenty years before a trial date can be arranged. But then I guess that wouldn’t be considered justice. I wish all the best to the makers of South Park!

  3. The episode was brutal, and some of it perhaps a little over the line ( insta loving b**** wife) perhaps?.

    But the message was really on point. Fighting against the intrusion of the press is a worthy cause, but they are losing the battle by approaching it in a hypocritical way: the world wide privacy tour, “we want our private-say” while we talk about people who cant defend themselves. Or claiming they are silenced but write a book about every grievance, give out interviews, go on magazine covers, have a netflix series etc.. Secondly, you can’t control and manipulate how people see you with constant rebranding. They’ve had an opportunity to tell their side of the story and they are aghast people (some do though) are not seeing them as victims, but as privileged, narcissistic whiners. She had a whole podcast where the theme was a stereotype (not an archetype) that she has been accused of (diva, difficult, ambitious, etc) where she tried to show the public she didnt meet the stereotype by bringing in someone who she actually think did. Everything has backfired.

    Even the race issue was tackled in a really quick blink and you miss it bit of dialogue. One of the south park kids is cross because the privacy protests and the fireworks are too loud so he screams at the couple. They retaliate by throwing something and breaking the boys window. With their efforts to get the attention of the boy fruitless, she ends up saying that the boys disrespects her (doesnt give her attention) because she is ethnic. Harry replies: “you are ethnic”?

    The ending was actually quite sweet towards Harry…he realises his wife loves the publicity he actually hates, realises that the constant rebranding makes you a product not a person and walks away from this mess they are creating..only to realise his wife won’t follow him because behind the image she creates of herself (humanitarian, etc) there’s nothing, its just publicity.

    The huge problem for them is that the creators didnt make a completely implausible parody of both. The episode is actually very perceptive and has a very moral message: stop manipulating others to believe the image you want to portray. If you want privacy and normal lives..seek them. An unflattering but invented parody could be easily brushed off, but the creators articulated what many people think after hearing their side of the story, and it’s not nice. I hope they take a step back and instead of being upset they have a good think about it.

    • ‘Are Harry and Meghan planning to sue makers of South Park? Royal commentators claim lawyers for duke and duchess are ‘casting an eye’ over animated sitcom after it savaged them in ‘The Worldwide Privacy Tour’ episode’ (Headline on Daily Mail showbiz page 20 Feb)

      Oh dear! Here we go again! But I do agree with @bmc that using the term ‘b**** wife’ was over the line.

  4. What? Only 9 comments. Perhaps the obvious biases are becoming, well, obvious. Don’t let this beautiful young couple rent so much space in your heart and head.

    • Said with the logic and word salad of a true Sussex fan. Whereas the reality of no-one commenting shows they aren’t renting space in many heads.

      I have to wonder what the astrology of people who “stan” is. Why they’re so supportive of people who wouldn’t give them the time of day in real life.

      • I don’t know, GD but I also find it odd. I watched the episode last night and one of the messages SP was getting across was how weary the world has grown of these two privileged victims. Hiw the world has grown weary of privileged people posing as victims when their behaviour is actually unkind and narcissistic. It’s not just this self-absorbed middle-aged couple – we just want them all to go away.

  5. Thank you Marjorie for a super, fun and interesting post. I know South Park isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it always brings a smile to my face.

  7. There’s a rumor that there will be a second episode. Wonder if that episode will tackle the surrogacy rumors? The internet is rife with those rumors—with memes, photos (of a moving bump or it being outsized) and videos. Yet, the highly litigious couple have never sued anyone regarding those rumors. If South Park explores that one—wow! Fireworks!

  8. The South Park chart has a grand trine in fire Sun Leo, Aries Saturn, Sag moon turning into a kite with the Aqua Jupiter. Have never watched the show but when you figure in the Virgo Mercury/Venus for critical thought, it probably describes the big and bold satirical humour very well.

    • I’ve noticed that aspects between Jupiter and Uranus, Mercury and Uranus or placements such as Jupiter/Mercury in Aquarius often appear in the astrology of satire as well as stand up comedy. Jupiter with Uranus of course would give a humour which would tend towards the absurd. Private Eye’s first publication (25/10/1961) for instance has a Jupiter/Uranus quincunx. Ricky Gervais has a Yod with focal point Jupiter in Aquarius with Mercury sextile Pluto. Ian Hislop has Jupiter trine Uranus and Mercury quincunx Jupiter.

      • Thanks VF

        As someone with quite an integral Jupiter, it’s obvious to say it’s philosophical about life; but that also tends to cause it not too take anything too seriously. Things only matters if they have meaning. The Uranus/Aqua placements will also tend towards detachment and standing back observing life and pointing out what is broken.

        An afterthought to my earlier comment, the Saturn part of that grand trine (especially in aspect to Sag moon – honesty) is revealing the reality of how what they say is contradicted by what they do.

        As for Ian Hislop, have been impressed by how sharp he is and good at pointing out the contradictions of politicians – having watched a couple of interviews on Youtube with him.

      • That’s interesting as I have Jupiter/Uranus midpoint on my Gemini Ascendent. Plus Uranus/Mercury midpoint on my South Node in Leo, which is, of course, opposite my Aquarian North Node! Friends say I have a quick wit and often make them laugh at life and politics. Furthermore, I can laugh at myself and see my own faults.

        • Yes, I think as you say, it’s connected with the Aquarian detachment, GD. I see Jonathan Swift is Aqua rising with Jupiter sextile Uranus. My husband has the opposition between Jupiter and Uranus, Helen and likewise exudes good humour, plus he has an uncanny ability to make crying babies laugh just by looking at them!

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