May 26: Omigod They Killed Kenny!

Matt Stone, co-creator with Trey Parker of South Park, was born on this date in 1971 in Houston, Texas. South Park tells of the adventures of four boys, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick (who was killed in every episode in the first few seasons) and their encounters with oddball adults in their small Colorado city. Stone and Parker provide voices for nearly all the male characters, except for guest celebrities. Over the course of more than fifteen years, the show has broken many barriers against what is permitted on television — and has also raised the bar on intelligent social satire while offending both liberals and conservatives. Jesus has been a regular South Park character (as a talk-show host), as has Satan (in a hot relationship with Saddam Hussein), and religious high-mindedness is among the show’s favorite targets.The South Park cartoon style, inspired by paper cut-outs, has also been transformative and democratizing to the animation world. Stone and Parker are also the creators of the new Broadway hit, The Book of Mormon, and other works of comedy and commentary.

Stan : “Why would God let Kenny die, Chef? Why? Kenny’s my friend. Why can’t God take someone else’s friend?” 
Chef : “Stan, sometimes God takes those closest to us, because it makes him feel better about himself. He is a very vengeful God, Stan. He’s all pissed off about something we did thousands of years ago. He just can’t get over it, so he doesn’t care who he takes. Children, puppies, it don’t matter to him, so long as it makes us sad. Do you understand?” 
Stan : “But then, why does God give us anything to start with?” 
Chef : “Well, look at it this way: if you want to make a baby cry, first you give it a lollipop. Then you take it away. If you never give it a lollipop to begin with, then you would have nothin’ to cry about. That’s like God, who gives us life and love and help just so that he can tear it all away and make us cry, so he can drink the sweet milk of our tears. You see, it’s our tears, Stan, that give God his great power.” 
Stan : “I think I understand.” —South Park