Now I see it in a whole new light.

Before, I just thought that it was cruel for Trey Parker and Matt Stone to make fun of Scientology because it indirectly meant hurting Isaac Hayes. But now I see what you guys mean, and it's very true.

Well, Kyle said it in the cartoon wars episodes, that you have to either make EVERYTHING ok to make fun of, or nothing is.

I never saw Cartoon Wars, so OK.

I LOVE South Park!
Anyone else think that Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and even Kenny are a little too mature for the age of 8 (well, in the newer episodes...age of 9)?

I'm quite fond of this show. It's not a personal favorite, and it can sometimes get pretty tiresome, but it's pretty charming and the simple fact that it somehow manages to be crude and innocent at the same time makes it good in my book. I gotta say, the last few seasons, that focus more on "let's make fun of this particular subject", are quite enjoyable (Cartoon Wars was excellent, for instance, and so were Best Friends Forever, Two Days Before The Day After Tomorrow and such), but Season 6 is, to me, the best thing the show's ever produced. It managed to link all the episodes in a convincing storyline (the boys' life after Kenny's death, first trying various substitutes and then having his soul inside Cartman's body) and practically every episode was fantastic (with only one true dud, "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society"). A Ladder To Heaven, The Return Of The Fellowship Of The Ring To The Two Towers, Free Hat, Professor Chaos or The Simpsons Already Did It still hold up as some of the biggest laughs I've ever had.
It depends. They seem to be too mature whenever Matt and Trey use them as puppets to express themselves ("I've learned something today..."), but most of the time they actually seem incredibly realistic to me - sure, a bit heavy-handed, but well-treated overall. I've known dozens of kids who were practically like that at 8-9 (well, they didn't feed people their parents... forget Cartman), if only because, even if they're like that, they always seem to keep a certain naive feel that makes them quite charming. I personally think Matt and Trey do a far better job with the kids than with the adults, even if they're supposed to be distorsed, one-joke versions of reality. The angry mobs are getting pretty tiresome, really.

Speaking of Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society, that was one of the episodes that stuck out to me as being one of the times when they were like real little kids (another one being Stan's "and they hypnotized him with a little thing that goes whirirrr" in The Return of Chef) because they were into Bebe's boobs without really being aware that they were into Bebe's boobs. Butters almost always acts young, too. I love Butters.

Cartman does not count because he is psychotic.

I prefer to think of him as... "gifted". Yeah, that's it, gifted. ;) :D

Yeah, sometimes they don't seem to be like little eight and nine-year-olds.

Cartman's in his own class. I have a grudge against the fat boy because he's always trying to make Kyle cry or make life miserable for Kyle. But other than that, he's cool.

My sister was so devastated when she saw that Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman had hair. She was moaning about it for days.

Cartman is like a combination of Bloo and Berry. Ugh...

Plus some swearing.

I really don't like this show, but I like Cartman.

"Respect mah authoritah!" (or something like that)