Now this really pisses me off (thanks to Ryan for the link). SBS has decided not to show the South Park episode entitled Bloody Mary to avoid offending a bunch of delusional ignoramuses who, despite the overwhelming success of the scientific world view, stubbornly persist in their belief of fairy tales.

SBS has said that it has pulled the episode because of the Mohammad cartoon violence. Great! Give those rioting fucking lunatics a pat on the head and a dog biscuit. Islamic violence has once again had its desired effect. Terrorism has curtailed our civil rights, and now violent protests have curtailed our right to watch whatever the fuck we want. But hang on a minute, this excuse doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny. The episode in question is offensive to Catholicism, not Islam. Rick Friesen, chief operating officer of C4 (who recently aired the episode in NZ, then apologized and promised not to air it again, like a good little boy) explains the possible connection:

"We have detected a shift in the public's perspective on matters of a religious nature. As a result, we have reviewed our internal processes for dealing with religious programs, particularly in relation to religious satire."

His “Public Perspective Shift Detector^TM” must have been going off like crazy when those riots were going on, but I still don’t see the connection. The Catholics might hold delusional beliefs, but to their credit, they are extremely unlikely to air their grievances in a violent manner. The real reason for SBS not showing the episode, and the NZ station promising not the reshow it, is that a whole bunch of people complained. As is very often the case, however, the vast majority of the complainants are those who have not seen the episode (many of the complaints were made prior to the screening) and never intended to view it. That’s right, these people are offended by the mere possibility of being offended. Well boo hoo, you fucking crybabies.

Lyndsay Freer, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in NZ sheds more light:

"In a secular society some people are not able to understand the depth of feeling, loyalty and love that others have towards those things that make them who they are – their culture, tradition, their religious faith or nationality,"

Wrong Lyndsay, we understand it very well, and we see it as a big fucking road block in the way of societal progress. How does this grab you? In a secular society, some people are not able to understand how to use a remote control to change the fucking channel. Or this? In a secular society, some people are not able to understand that their precious beliefs are not protected from criticism or ridicule.

After receiving an apology from Rick Friesen as well as a promise not to air the episode again, the Church said that the broadcaster’s regret did not appear genuine. Damn right Rick, get your ass into that confession booth. Kneel before the almighty magic dude and beg for forgiveness. God loves you, but you’ll burn in hell for all eternity for this blasphemy. Hallelujah.