Comedy Central has had a decidedly European sensibility about it as of late, come to think of it. Though I've never found the religious satire of Matt Stone and Trey Parker to be particularly funny, at least they've always proven themselves to be equal opportunity offenders. Until now, that is, thanks to their censors.
Comedy Central said in a statement issued Thursday: "In light of recent world events, we feel we made the right decision." Its executives would not comment further.
As is often the case with Parker and Stone, they built "South Park" around the incident. In Wednesday's episode, the character Kyle is shown trying to persuade a Fox network executive to air an uncensored "Family Guy" even though it had an image of Mohammed.
"Either it's all OK, or none of it is," Kyle said. "Do the right thing."
The executive decides to strike a blow for free speech and agrees to show it. But at the point where Mohammed is to be seen, the screen is filled with the message: "Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network."
Fear not, though. God, Jesus, Moses and all the rest of the gang are still fair game this holiday season.
