Butt Out
| "Butt Out" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Production code | 713 |
| Original air date | December 3, 2003 |
"Butt Out" is episode 109 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 3, 2003.
The episode pokes fun at the formulaic storyline of some South Park episodes (including the movie), which start with the boys getting themselves in trouble and inciting a controversy between the townsfolk and a national interest group (or a major catastrophe) while trying to avoid punishments, subsequently learning a lesson from this conflict.
An overly upbeat anti-smoking music group called Butt Out, which incorporates elements of dance and hip-hop into its routine, performs at South Park Elementary. The boys are put off by the annoying unoriginality and condescendingly sentimental nature of the performance, in which the performers proclaim they can be "just like us" if they refuse to smoke. The boys take this literally and go behind the school to start binge smoking, which they do despite it causing them to cough furiously. When their school counselor Mr. Mackey approaches, the boys discard their still-lit cigarettes into a nearby dumpster, which causes a fire that burns down the entire school. When the boys are brought before the principal and their parents, the adults are initially enraged and ashamed, not at the school burning down, but at the boys smoking (in fact, the school burning down is never acknowledged by either the principal or the parents). They then convince themselves that the blame lies with the tobacco companies, whose advertising campaigns have influenced the children. The boys happily transfer the blame to avoid punishment, but Kyle recognizes the pattern of a South Park storyline and unsuccessfully tries to get his friends to avoid the coming calamity. The town summons celebrity spokesperson Rob Reiner to combat the spread of smoking among children in South Park. Despite the fact that Reiner is vehemently against smoking and willing to tell everyone how unhealthy it is, he is portrayed as extremely gluttonous and disrespectful to those who do not share his viewpoints, constantly eating junk food and taking pride on imposing his will on others. Cartman, however, comes to look up to Reiner precisely because of this.
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