In a refreshing reminder of how pleasantly "out-of-it" some people are, when I told a South Park fan about a recent episode which spoofs Glenn Beck, an immediate question arose.

"Who is Glenn Beck?"

I don't watch him (on the few occasions I tried, the commercials thwarted me), but I tried to stick to the facts consisting of tidbits I have read and overheard. He's an entertainer whose politics are to the right, who describes himself as a libertarian, and who seems to enjoy regaling listeners with conspiracy theories.

Actually, Glenn Beck hardly seem to have been terribly upset by the South Park episode. His reaction is to laugh at himself (which I think is in his favor):

At the end he expresses the wish that someone would "get the facts right," but I think that's asking the impossible. We live in world where there are too many facts to be gotten, much less gotten right. Besides, today's facts are not tomorrow's. What is important is that Beck is getting is free advertising with an audience that otherwise might never turn him on. (But for South Park, I would never have bothered with the YouTube link nor written this post.)

From Chris Yogerst's "Generation South Park" series:

South Park is indeed a largely libertarian show. Yet Gen Y Conservatism has a solid foot standing in the libertarian movement. This sense of neutrality allows both South Park and Gen Y Conservatives alike to raise questions about ideas and people in any political movement, including their own. It allows ideas of freedom to be considered by those who aren't listening to talk radio and Fox News.

[...]

...in true South Park fashion the end gives us a drastic spin that shows the brilliance of the show. Cartman is no longer Beck when Wendy is no longer a stand in for Obama which occurs when Wendy turns into a comically socialist Sarah Palin figure.

This type of political commentary allows South Park's true views to fly under the radar in order to engage both the Left and Right. Gen Y Conservatism does the same thing.

Damned if I know.