In the aftermath of last week’s horrific massacre and bomb blast in Norway that left 68 people dead, the nation’s prime minister promised: “No one will bomb us to silence, no one will shoot us to silence, no one will ever scare us from being Norway.”
And at least Norwegian redditor is hoping some Americans can help his country from falling silent.
The redditor, who identifies himself as Norwegian cartoonist David Skaufjord, wants the creators of Comedy Central’s South Park to take on Anders Breivik, the attack’s admitted mastermind.
Skaufjord’s open letter to Trey Parker and Matt Stone briefly occupied the top spot on Reddit’s homepage Sunday.
In the letter, Skaufjord observes that Norway is a wealthy country. It doesn’t need foreign aid — any structural damage from the attacks will be repaired quickly, he says.
So while he has been “moved to tears” by the international show of support, he’s most concerned with the enduring reputation of the man who committed the acts.
“His manifesto is being read across the world,” Skaufjord writes. “His video has countless viewers, and the media coverage is accompanied by photoshopped pictures he himself released, showing him the way he wants to be perceived.”
That’s where Parker and Stone come in.
“It is however my greatest wish that you guys could do what you can do so brilliantly,” he writes. “Poke right through his ideas, his hatred, and his attempts at iconization with the massive and non-lethal force that is your comedy.”
For example, South Park, the TV series and movie, portrayed Satan and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as gay lovers.
The post received over 18,000 upvotes and the image was viewed nearly 350,000 times, according to image hosting site Imgur.
There’s no word yet from Comedy Central or Parker and Stone’s representatives.
But if Skaufjord is waiting for a full cable-TV skewering, he should realize that South Park’s fifteenth season doesn’t resume until October 15, and episodes are likely well under way already.
Here’s a better idea: Parker and Stone should rush out an online short, and let it spread virally—the way their original claim to fame, “The Spirit of Christmas,” circulated around Hollywood.