Funnybot

   Today, a new episode of South Park aired, however not to get ahead of myself, the second episode of the season should not be ignored.  When I first saw Funnybot, I enjoyed it, and as a fan of stand-up comedy I know I understood more than other people.  The basic premise is as follows.  Jimmy starts a comedy awards ceremony in the school and gives Germans the prize for the least funniest people.  The Germans do not take well to this and so they create Funnybot, the funniest robot in the world.  From that summary, most people should be able to guess why I mentioned my attraction to stand-up.  So, can you all see where this second paragraph is going then?
   The humor from this episode is pulled completely out of the freak-show display of stereotypical bits and jokes.  Black comedy, insult comedy, substitution jokes, etcetera, nearly all types of comedy are shined in a ridiculous and decidedly non-humorous light.  The entire episode shows funnybot as simply a machine that follows specific word patterns and inflections for humor (ever seen Dane Cook?).  When Tyler Perry shows up we all have a laugh as black people can't stop themselves from giving him money.  It is obvious that the creators are trying make a statement about how absurd some comedy has become, and I think it's safe to say that they don't like it.  At one point they very subtly reference their own show, but it is more in respect to Matt Stone and Trey Parker's confusion as to why people are still shocked by shock comedy.  The comedic forms that aren't beaten over the head with satire, or at least are beaten softer, are clearly the comedies that South Park has some respect for.
   There is a third layer to the show that is infinitely more obvious, but was unnoticed by me until I stumbled upon the fact that Comedy Central has its own comedy awards show.  While it may have actually been the centerpiece of the satire, people like me, who are out of touch with what is on TV could not notice.  About a minute of googling shows that the comedy awards show was not a success, and despite winning an award, the creators of South Park are not thrilled.  The  idea of Jimmy's award show is constantly made fun of throughout the episode, and somewhere on the internet is a quote of Trey Parker making fun of the award he and Matt Stone earned.
   I don't know much about Matt Stone or Trey Parker, other than their light-hearted and foul sense of humor. However, they hold an ire for comedy awards that I cannot understand.  Funnybot explains that excepting a comedy award requires taking comedy seriously, but a comedian can't take comedy seriously.  I would have to disagree with both of these assumptions, I would also like to argue my point, but that's just my comedy nerd acting up I'll try to ignore him.  As per usual, South Park successfully makes fun of another aspect of our culture, and while they do spend a lot of time making fun of Comedy Central's award ceremony, the fact that Comedy Central allowed this episode to air shows that they might agree.  Perhaps comedy shouldn't be taken seriously...perhaps.