The video clip that’s floating around the Internet, supposedly the “uncensored” version of the Muhammad scene in last night’s South Park episode, is a fake. Upon close inspection, you can clearly tell that somebody did a bit of photoshopping and sound editing, trying to make it look like the real thing. I suppose it’s hypothetically possible that “somebody” is Parker and Stone, but that seems very unlikely. There is no actual new animation in the clip — it goes directly from the last frame before the screen went black (i.e., the censorship disclaimer) to the first frame afterwards. The fakers simply pasted images of Muhammad (presumably from the “Super Best Friends” episode) onto the relevant frames, moved the “salmon helmet,” and messed with the audio a bit. Here, I’ll show you what I mean…
In the real episode, this is the last frame before the screen goes dark:
You see how the “salmon hemlet” is just outside the door? Okay, now take a look at the exact same frame of Peter (with his arms outstretched — there’s only one frame like it) in the alleged “uncensored” version:
As you can see, in this version Muhammad was walking into the house while Peter opened the door and stretched his arms out, whereas in the real version, Muhammad stayed out of view and the helmet stayed motionless throughout the entire time until the screen went dark. If there were really an “uncensored” version, it would presumably show Muhammad walking into the house after the final scene that Comedy Central allowed to air. But here, Muhammad walks in with the helmet during the very same frames of animation that aired just prior to the black screen announcing that Comedy Central had censored the scene. That doesn’t make any sense, unless the clip is fake.
The fakeness is even more obvious if you listen to the audio. I’m having trouble getting the real version of the video clip onto my Audioblogger account, but here’s the link where I downloaded it from; if you watch Peter opening the door, you’ll notice that the door makes a sound as it’s opening. In the allegedly “uncensored” version, by contrast, the door makes no noise at all while opening. The fakers had to edit it out, so that they could insert the sound of Muhammad supposedly saying “jihad, jihad.”
Notice how the door makes a sound when it closes, after opening silently? Yeah, it’s not like that in the real episode. Fakery, I tell you, fakery!
As for the “jihad” business… presumably the fakers got the sound clip from one of the Al Qaeda-related episodes. I don’t believe Muhammad ever said “jihad, jihad” in the “Super Best Friends” episode. (For the uninitiated, South Park typically portrays Al Qaeda terrorists as speaking in an incoherent gobbledy-gook language that consists largely of a few actual Arabic words repeated over and over, creating sentences such as: “Jihad jihad, Mohammed jihad, Ramadan.”) [UPDATE: The audio is from the movie Team America: World Police, according to a commenter. They do use “jihad, jihad” jibberish-speak too, so that makes sense.]
But here’s the real smoking gun. I mentioned that they were messing with the salmon helmet; well, check this out. Here is the identical frame from the real version (left) and the fake version (right):
Notice anything? In the real version, the helmet is behind the door (as it should be), but in the fake version, the photoshopping actually caused the helmet to be mysteriously in front of the door for a split second! It’s only one frame, but it pretty much proves that this thing is a photoshop job.
The fake-itude doesn’t stop there, however. In the real episode, as I said, the very last frame before the screen goes black shows Peter with outstreched arms. Then, after the black-screen message announcing that Muhammad had been censored, we see an image of Peter, all by himself, holding the helmet:
In the fake version, we cut directly from the frame of Peter with outstretched arms to the image of Peter holding the helmet; there is no black screen in between, but neither is there anything added in between. Read my lips: no new animation. Instead, we (again) see the exact same image… except Muhammad is pasted into it:
Again, no new scenes have been added; they simply pasted Muhammad into the existing scenes from the real episode. Granted, they did a pretty darn good job of animating Muhammad walking into the house, but everything around him is totally unchanged, and not a single frame of video is added. (They did extend a static frame of Peter standing near the door by about a second, thus making the scene slightly longer.)
The audio-editing job was somewhat less impressive and is the easiest-to-spot giveaway that this is a fake. But kudos to the fakers for a good prank that fooled an awful lot of people, including Volokh.
On the other hand, kudos also to the folks at SP Scriptorium, who figured this out right away, asking: “Still, shouldn’t Muhammad look like a Family Guy character and not a South Park one? I’m thinking Photoshop here…”
So, the “uncensored” video is fake. But is this whole controversy fake? I think maybe so. I’m still not convinced Comedy Central isn’t playing a massive prank on us all.
Below, you can view this post as it originally appeared, before I realized the clip was fake.
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ORIGINAL POST
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Via Volokh (hat tip: I Heart Jeric), here’s a screenshot of the censored scene; video clip to follow shortly.
But the person at SP Scriptorium, where it was originally posted, asks, “Still, shouldn’t Muhammad look like a Family Guy character and not a South Park one? I’m thinking Photoshop here…” It would be a pretty damn good Photoshop job, considering there’s a whole video clip that goes with it, and it looks seamless. [UPDATE: On the other hand, the audio isn’t exactly seamless.] I assume it’s real… and its existence makes me wonder, yet again, if this is just a publicity stunt, with Comedy Central in on the joke. Otherwise, how would this clip have gotten out onto the Internet so quickly? I suppose Parker and Stone or some other disgruntled employee could have leaked it… but isn’t it equally plausible that this is a very well-orchestrated stunt by South Park and Comedy Central?
UPDATE: Here’s the video clip:
You can download it from SP Scriptorium.
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Categories: South Park, Video clips
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April 13th, 2006 at 6:18:12 pm
I don’t think the apperance of Mohammad would indicate that it’s a fake, since I have a feeling that they would want Mohammad to look just as he did the last time he was on the show, to further emphasize that he’s been featured on the show before (and is in the opening) and that was no big deal.
April 13th, 2006 at 6:21:44 pm
Also, I just noticed that the helmet changes sizes between the two shots (notice the two screenshots here) but the fish stays the same size. Photoshopping, or just crappy animation to make fun of Family Guy?
April 13th, 2006 at 6:23:07 pm
It’s definitely fake. I’m working on an update.
April 13th, 2006 at 6:25:26 pm
um, excuse me, would the law offices of woodward, bernstein and loy give this scandal a marketable title so that i may refrence it in casual conversation without having to explain the backstory…
April 13th, 2006 at 6:27:02 pm
Ok, upon closer examination, maybe it doesn’t change size, but notice Mohammad’s left hand (if that’s what it’s supposed to be). It’s outlined like the rest of the Family Guy animation. And after Peter shuts the door and walks away, it’s there again (though we could assume it’s Peter’s hand….but still…)
April 13th, 2006 at 6:28:52 pm
What is the copyright liability for something like the Cartoon Wars skit. I know matters of public concern and comment have fair wiggle room at spoofing, but they used a lot of likely copyrights family guy images (even if slight bastardizations). Anyone know ?
April 13th, 2006 at 6:51:10 pm
My opinion is that in all likelihood there was an accord reached between South Park and Comedy Central.
From the Irony perspective this is totally dripping — cartoon talking about censorship and fighting against it is itself censored. With slates that follow south park production values.
As I said, if your true goal was to censor you re-jigger your commercials so you cut to commercial right when what you want to eliminate is going to come on. And come back after the offending material. What you don’t do is say your censoring it unless that is part of the ironical joke.
However, that does not necessarily contradict the statements made by Comedy Central. And South Park could have been blasting them for censorship in this two part episode. Comedy Central might have told them they could not air an unknown episode — which pissed off Parker and Stone leading them to develop this episode which blasts the hell out of Comedy Central. (and they could well have threatened to quit over it they did not get something out of the deal (say a two part highly publicized episode about stupid censorship on TV that with a heavy whack at Comedy Central)).
Comedy Central censoring them does not preclude this episode having been aired as written. However, if that were the case they wrote something else that Comedy Central would not air — making the statements made about Comedy Central in the slates accurate as well as Comedy Central’s statements today. Also that would be a reason Comedy Central might “puss out” airing an episode that is quite heavy handed against them for censorship.
April 13th, 2006 at 6:51:14 pm
after ‘peter’ closes the door you can clearly see his head go back and to the left, see, watch it again, back and to the left, so clearly this fake, when someone closes a door they need to lean into the close, there was a second closer, how could ‘peter’ be closing the door… it doesn’t make any sense..
April 13th, 2006 at 6:51:17 pm
sure Jar Jar, you can call it the
South-Park-Family-Guy-Comedy-Central-Mohammed-Manatee-gate scandal
April 13th, 2006 at 7:52:41 pm
NEW COMEDY CENTRAL LOGOS
Blogger Jay Inman e-mails his submission: Damian Penny dubs the network: “Cowardly Central.” *** Meanwhile, Shawn Wasson has a video clip of what may be the uncensored South Park episode: (A Volokh Conspiracy commenter thinks it may be fake.) ***750p…
April 13th, 2006 at 7:53:58 pm
brilliantly deduced! i’m sold, it’s a fake. but has anyone else noticed that the South-Park-Family-Guy-Comedy-Central-Mohammed-Manatee-gate scandal post makes brendan sound like a rambling lunatic in a secret meeting at the docks?
April 13th, 2006 at 7:56:46 pm
See the [FAKE] censored clip of Mohammed from South Park, now playing on the web.–
[2d UPDATE: I have had a call into South Park Studios for a while to try to get them to confirm or deny the authenticity of the clip. Until then, I find
April 13th, 2006 at 7:59:24 pm
Did Comedy Central Censor South Park?
Did Comedy Central censor tonight’s episode of South Park? The answer would appear to be YES.
[UPDATE: In response to my inquiries whether the statement aired on South Park on Wednesday night was accurate, early this mor…
April 13th, 2006 at 8:02:40 pm
[…] YES: Brendan Loy […]
April 13th, 2006 at 8:08:55 pm
Would the Comedy Central logo be displayed in the lower right-hand corner for a clip that wasn’t broadcast?
Also, in the pic above this “Again, no new scenes have been added;” that compares the two frames - Peter seems to have had some fingers magic-wanded out ;) (the ones on the far side of the blasphemous salmon helmet)
April 13th, 2006 at 8:10:14 pm
Dhimmidy Central
Comedy Central censored the image of Muhammad from it’s South Park episode. However they had the stones to air images of Bush and Jesus being defecated on.
Bareknucklepolitics.com may have the uncensored video. Some think it’s a fake.
Michelle …
April 13th, 2006 at 8:12:24 pm
The Two Faces Of Viacom
“MTV To Air Pope-Bashing Cartoon in Germany, With Crucifixion-Mocking Ad” “Comedy Central Censored Mohammed” Update: Michelle Malkin has lots of links on this topic, and has even opened her comments section for discussion. Another Update: This is …
April 13th, 2006 at 8:14:23 pm
South Park Mohammed backoff
Michelle Malkin: Confirmed:Comedy Central censored the image. Power Line: “And last night’s show reportedly included a scene of Jesus defecating on President Bush, so the cartoons evidently weren’t deleted out of any delicate sensibility.” Captain…
April 13th, 2006 at 8:15:30 pm
Ladies and Gentlemen of the supposed jury.
This… is… Chewbaca.
Do yourself a favor and read the article with the voice of SP’s version of Johnny Cochran. :)
Is it just me? Maybe I have too much time on my hands.
April 13th, 2006 at 8:28:46 pm
[…] The Irish Trojan with more proof it’s a fake. […]
April 13th, 2006 at 8:56:21 pm
They never ever intended to show Mo from the git go!
That would have been so anticlimactic as to make it merely lame. This was pure friggin genius from top to bottom.
April 13th, 2006 at 9:02:56 pm
Mbruce, that would directly contract the official statements coming from Comedy Central today… but I think you may be right; see my most recent post.
April 13th, 2006 at 9:03:47 pm
The audio is from Team America.
April 13th, 2006 at 9:37:52 pm
South Park censored
South Park has got away with ridiculing the Church of Scientology, with grossly offensive episodes against Catholics, in fact with most things. How-ever Comedy Central has deleted/censored from last night’s show a four second harmless (just giving som…
April 13th, 2006 at 11:06:05 pm
Comedy Central —– Cluck Cluck Cluck, may you all die of
BIRD FLU! How appropriate..
Joe
April 13th, 2006 at 11:18:25 pm
[…] Brendan Loy has an analysis as to why this video clip is fakery. […]
April 13th, 2006 at 11:35:53 pm
I believe the audio is actually from the episode, “Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants”
http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/southpark/season5/southpark-509.htm
[Osama’s cave, day. Inside, at table, the Taliban guards are celebrating Osama’s birthday. The guards and Osama wear party hats]
Osama bin Laden: [b]Aw, jihad, jihad.[/b] [the boys look at each other for reactions, and the alarms go off] Oh? [walks over to his security screen and sees the Americans converging outside the cave entrance, then runs around unsure what to do] Oh, oh! Ameriqa haqa haqa! Dursha! Dapadapadapa! [the guards respond and give each other orders while moving out. Osama pulls out a walkie-talkie and speaks into it] Hulagugla hugagugahagahaa!
April 14th, 2006 at 12:53:12 am
Well, is it Muhammad or a fake Muhammad? Hopefully the religion of peace will not come after us and try to cut off our heads…. :D
April 14th, 2006 at 1:34:50 am
Week-End Links
RWN is taking Good Friday off and will return on Monday. Until then, consider this an open thread, enjoy the…
April 14th, 2006 at 7:58:17 am
Uncensored South Park Muhammed Clip Video
The South Park Scriptorium has the video of Mohammed handing a football to the Family Guy that was censored in part 2 of the season ten “South Park” episode “Cartoon Wars.” Mohammed says “Jihad. Jihad.” and Family G…
April 14th, 2006 at 7:58:49 am
[…] Brendan Loy does some extensive scene-by-scene comparison with the episode that aired and concludes that it is quite likely a forgery. […]
April 14th, 2006 at 8:08:14 am
[…] Much electronic ink has been spilled over the "did Comedy Central censor South Park" issue. I've been silent on it because I really don't watch the show. Brendan Loy, though, is on the case of the video clip that is circulating that allegedly shows the censored footage. […]
April 14th, 2006 at 8:23:53 am
[…] Also, Brendan Loy thinks this whole ordeal is a publicity stunt. […]
April 14th, 2006 at 9:31:45 am
South Park vs. Cartoon Jihad/2
[click here to read the english version of this post]
Censurati nella seconda puntata dell’episodio di South Park dedicato alle Cartoon Wars islamiche, Trey Parker e Matt Stone attaccano il network Comedy Central (da Michelle Malkin, qualche propo…
April 14th, 2006 at 9:43:15 am
My theory is the amount of time Brendan has spent on this subject he has just lost .02 from his GPA.
April 14th, 2006 at 11:19:52 am
dis is ghey
April 14th, 2006 at 11:52:56 am
That image of Muhammad is from an older version of South Park. The Islamic community didn’t complain about it then because he is depicted as a badass flame throwing super-hero.
You can watch that episode here:
http://www.scientomogy.com/south_park_scientology.php
April 14th, 2006 at 3:51:22 pm
[…] Also, Brendan Loy thinks this whole ordeal is a publicity stunt. […]
April 14th, 2006 at 4:04:19 pm
[…] The Irish Trojan with more proof it’s a fake. […]
April 14th, 2006 at 4:22:12 pm
Did you notice the direct reference to the president of Comedy Central at the end of the second South Park Mohammed episode? When Kyle is pleading with the president of the Fox Network to air the image of Mohammed in The Family Guy uncensored, he says at one point, specifically:
“You can’t do what he [Cartman] wants, just because he’s the one threatening you with violence. Yes, people can get hurt. That’s how terrorism works. But if you give into that, Doug, you’re allowing terrorism to work. Do the right thing here.�
This is the only such reference to “Doug” in the script. Everywhere else in the episode, this character is simply referred to as “Mr. President.â€? This “Doug” is undoubtedly Doug Herzog, the President of Comedy Central.
I blogged about it, and posted the relevant audio clip, here: http://plusultrablog.com/blog/?p=1209
Kind Regards,
Tracy R. Twyman
Editor, Plus Ultra
http://www.plusultrablog.com/
April 14th, 2006 at 8:42:58 pm
what ever was done was simply very wrong! i am a muslim and i watch south park but shoing our prophet was sumthing that shudnt have been done! fine if this episode was fake wat about the super best friends! muhammad (peace be upon him) was our last holy prophet.. you should not make fun of sum1s religion u all know that! then why was the super best friends aired? does no one care for the muslims or are we simply not humans to u! people all around the world know that no one can draw a picture of the muhammad ( peace be upon him) and yet still… the denmark thing led to a disaster why still insist on making such a cartoon… im totally disappointed
April 14th, 2006 at 9:12:04 pm
http://plusultrablog.com/blog/?p=756
The above link shows that the Mohammed scene was used in a Season 4 episode!!! That means they took that image for use of this fake uncensored clip.
April 15th, 2006 at 9:14:35 am
um, is umair for real?
April 16th, 2006 at 7:12:33 pm
I’m really disappointed Comedy Central didn’t have the balls to show the image of Muhammed uncensored. You know this is only going to add fuel to the writing fires of Matt & Trey. Which is good for the show… now they’ll most likely get meaner and more creative when mocking religions. Look at how they made fun of Scientology in the season 10 opener… “Super Adventure Club” haha. They’ll most likely be coming back to this and ripping on Comedy Central or the entire Muslim religion (instead of just the prophet). So way to go Comedy Central, hope you enjoy that one.
April 17th, 2006 at 12:03:31 am
[…] But then again, it could be fake. I found Brendan Loy, who has a analysis that the video might be fake. […]
April 17th, 2006 at 5:10:19 am
Well i dont think that umair is for real cause anyone who is a fan of south park complaining about how there religion was made fun of is just insane. Im not sure where anyone who likes south park finds the balls to say making fun of Muhammad is wrong. Might be wrong but i think the same goes for having jesus crap all over everyone or making fun of just about every other religion too. That is ofcourse unless you dont care about anyone else religion in which case you still have no right to complain. This was a simple way to bring the spotlight on their show nothing more. They have showed Muhammad before and would do it again if it wernt for the fake that it works out so much better this way. All of you are talking about it and theres a good chance you will watch the reruns. Now where would they get this idea from. I dont know maybe from the ep that cause a star to quit and made fun of another religion. Anyway i think the fact that Muhammed is no higher up to the southpark wrighters and the CC netwock then any other figure of religion should have been shown in the super best friends ep and the fact that there r still re-runs of it on. Its a fack because there was never a plan to show a sceen there. Thats the big joke.
April 17th, 2006 at 1:55:19 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t think the true animators use shortcuts like using the same frame when they make the actual animation? It’s understandable that doing this saves time so it is just as likely they used the same tactic as they would in various areas throughout all of their cartoons.
Also, sort of odd, but I downloaded this about 2 hours after it came on because I forgot to watch it on TV. Muhammad was in the version I downloaded and I didn’t even know they had censored it until today.
April 18th, 2006 at 1:39:47 pm
The Plus Ultra blog now has available for download and reposting an audio file called “Censorship Central.”
This short techno/rave mash-up is an homage to South Park’s recent attempt to break the Mohammed cartoon taboo. It’s cut to a techno version of traditional Danish music that I stole from an educational CD published by the European Union’s Youth Commission.
You can read about it and listen to it here: http://plusultrablog.com/blog/?p=1223
Anyone can feel free to repost it anywhere they want to. Just please post a link back to plusultrablog.com
Best Wishes,
Tracy R. Twyman
Editor, Plus Ultra
http://www.plusultrablog.com/
April 18th, 2006 at 6:03:00 pm
[…] Update 3: Turns out this clip is fake. Click the link to see a shot-by-shot analysis; read the comments here for more. […]
April 19th, 2006 at 11:01:03 pm
I know its fake but it seems that it’s real though it was pasted in there. I just was wondering but what is the REAL reason of why Mohammad can’t be allowed to appear uncensored in South Park on Comedy Central?
April 19th, 2006 at 11:10:11 pm
Oh wait one more thing. I saw the video clip and yes it’s true. Why would Mohammad have the look format of South Park instead of Family Guy? And the clip of where he says Thanks, if you watch it very carefully, you’d see that the clip doesn’t look like making any sense.
April 20th, 2006 at 6:35:21 pm
Oh gosh I have just one more thing. “Super Best Friends” episode of South Park will air on UPN April 27 at 11:00 in most areas. This episode features the animated Mohammad uncenesored.
April 22nd, 2006 at 7:16:59 pm
*The Miraculous Toga*Of course it’s a fake. Just take a look at the toga! As Peter approaches the door the toga is draped over his LEFT SHOULDER (side closest to the ‘camera’). In the last frame, as Peter is leaving, the toga has mysteriously and, might I add, magically moved as to be draped over his RIGHT SHOULDER (again, the side closest to the ‘camera’). The toga actually switches shoulders when when he turns around! This should be the most obvious of all mistakes that truly proves the unsubstantiated clip is, in fact, a fake.
May 30th, 2006 at 10:39:04 am
Doesn’t anyone see? This is a classic south park Muhammed! SP version FG Peter is not animated in the traditional SP way, so why wouldn they create a muhammed to be drawn in original manner on the SP version FG Show? This is fake.
July 24th, 2006 at 1:53:32 pm
Hi… it’s like so nice to see so many guys talkin bout me…
October 9th, 2006 at 9:23:57 am
Look apon me and know me. My children why are you all bothering so much about the appereance of Muhammed. I have been ‘made the fool out of’ countless of times in South Park, (Including the time I was killed trying to save Santa in ‘Red sliegh down.’ My children you all suck, for not saying anything about me being portrayed the jackass every damn time I appear, and as Eric Theodore Cartman would say, ’screw you guys I’m going home.’
October 14th, 2006 at 11:24:09 am
I wanted to thank you for the time you spent building this page. http://razne.info/apartment-rental-dallas-tx/
December 7th, 2006 at 9:18:58 am
Posting the original clip would have helped to prove this as a fake i think.
I realy doubth that there would have been a camera cut like that in the sceen if it was the real “missing” sceen”.
The bad sound job also helps to prove this as a fake, does any one have links to the original either from the osama episode or a clip from Team America?
By the way Team America is a puppet movie also made by the creators of SP.
The ironic thing is that this shot was actualy printed in a Danish newpapir [24 timer] claming that it was the real unsensued clip and a quote from Trey Parker and Matt Stone saying “they just don’t want to show it because they are afraid of beeing blownup” (requoted from my memmory).
The episode was aird in Denmark the 4 december sadly i didn’t have access to the channel that shows it here but i don’t think the comedy central logo is normaly on it, so that would be further proof that the clip is a fake.
January 9th, 2007 at 5:52:40 pm
Salam a todos, soy argentino y escucha algo sobre una historieta en mi pais que se llama Dr. Capo
y que se burla de la religion islamica hasta elpunto que aparece un personaja llamado El Tio Isla m
y es dicen que es tan ofensiva hasta el punto de que el personaje es tratado de nazi.
Investiguen y piensen al respecto.
Salam Aleikum
February 15th, 2007 at 4:30:13 pm
Here is a major fault that I noticed:
…and probably the most damning of all:
Every single person that appears in the Family Guy Spoof is drawn the same. Mohammad would be drawn to match the animation style. Perhaps the most important distinction between South Park animation and the South Park Family guy spoof animation is the eyes. Look at all of the people that appear inthe spoof. David Hasselhoff, Mr. T, etc. all have that special something in their eyes: the top and bottom eyelids are visible throughout the whole spoof.
And to those who say that Trey and Matt never made the Mohammed scene at all:
An April 13, 2006 interview with South Park executive producer Anne Garefino (on the weblog The Volokh Conspiracy) reveals that South Park’s producers continued to fight Comedy Central’s executives over the censored scene right up to the night before the episode aired. According to Garefino, the producers were given the choice to censor the scene themselves, or to provide the scene intact and allow Comedy Central to censor it. They elected to write the language of the censoring statement themselves; she said “We wanted everyone to understand how strongly we felt about this”. The network’s decision was reportedly based on fear of violent reprisal, rather than a desire to protect what Muslims find sacred. A version of the episode featuring an uncensored Mohammed was animated. However, Garefino confirmed that an internet clip, which purported to be the deleted scene, was a forgery.
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:47:58 am
Hello I am a muslim. For showing mohammed i am going to find you and kill you. Just kidding. Rock on.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:52:26 am
You think dats bad, remember the time South Park showed an image of Osama Bin Laden
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:37:48 am
this is soo fucking gay y the fuck r u arguing over this shit my fuckin god ….. who the fuck is mohammed any way fuck
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:39:24 am
This is super gay im wasted and superr stoned but yet i no when i find a bunch of fuckin fags in a fuckin south park chat room
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:40:35 am
Mohammed is jewish
July 31st, 2007 at 8:06:20 am
The “Oh, jihad, jihad” is from South Park episode…. Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants