Stan Marsh has always been South Park’s every-man. He was in ‘97 when the show first aired and he
is now, two decades later. What makes Stan so interesting though is just how well he works.
Animated shows usually take months to be created, but South Park episodes are made in a week. That
allows the show to be incredibly topical and touch on subjects while they’re still relevant
to the public. So the writers are able to shape their characters to events in the real world
in almost real time. The kids of South Park react to all the same trends as us, the audience.
So we’re able to see the evolution of the characters on the screen as it happens. And
instead of happening over millions of years, or just a few months, it’s happening every week.
With that being said, it’s important to keep in mind that their target audience is
people in the U.S, but a lot of what makes Stan so relatable can be applied to people
in other countries too. He preys upon human weaknesses; cynicism, the need to be liked,
and the desire to be good in spite of roadblocks to that goal. Matt Stone and Trey Parker use Stan
to drive home the ugly truths he embodies, as well as to show us how human those truths are.
What is an Every Man? An every-man is a stock character,
usually humble and benign, that compels the audience to identify with them. A character
who is ordinary enough to be relatable to the average audience member. Everyman characters
are often working or middle class and deal with everyday problems, be it school, work,
family or romance. They may also be placed in extraordinary circumstances which makes them even
more sympathetic as they are in over their head. So let’s take a look at Stan.
He’s a Cynic It’s no secret that Stan’s a bit
cynical. They dedicated an entire episode to it. In You’re getting old, everything
that Stan loved before his 10th birthday turns to literal crap. First his tween-wave music,
then movies and food, and eventually even his best friend Kyle. He goes to a doctor
who diagnoses him with a condition called “Being a cynical a-hole.” The show reasons
that some level of cynicism is normal as we age, but Stan goes beyond that level. His “wires got
crossed.” Maybe ours got crossed too. Which brings us to how this makes him relatable…
We’re All Cynics Americans are a crabby
and not particularly trusting group of individuals.
The research center, PEW, created something called a trust index that proves just that.
It rates the population’s trust in government and politicians with a numbered score. In 1966,
we were sitting at a 62. In 2016, that number plummeted to just 17. Trust and cynicism have an
inverse relationship to each other in the general populace. So yeah, maybe we’re all getting old.
(It is, unfortunately, inevitable.) But it’s no surprise we feel this way.
The internet allows us to be inundated with a constant barrage of news. It seems like every
other day a scandal breaks about a politician or our president. Not to mention that fact that our
screens have become beacons of tragedy- Making us hyper aware of the atrocities happening all over
the globe. Social media isn’t just for keeping up with friends or posting vacation pictures.
It’s often a source of news for a lot of people, especially younger people, and if we were smart
we’d turn off our phones and give ourselves a much needed break from all the awfulness.
But we also want to know these things because we want to help. It’s why people help others.
It’s why people support certain causes or politicians. Care about the planet. Get angry,
vote, fight, protest, counter-protest, etc. We all want to do our part. We all want to be good,
in spite of all the bad. So does Stan. Good People Do Bad Things
Even though he’s not out on the streets fighting against “the man”,
Stan still wants to be a good guy. It’s why he often sides with Kyle, the moral authority and
voice of reason in the group. In a town as caustic and terrifying as Southpark, the simple desire to
be good says a lot about a person. However, Stan’s actions don’t always reflect what he believes.
In the episode Butterballs, Stan’s concerned about Butters after he shows up to the lunch table with
a black eye. He even accosts his friends for not being as outraged and worried as they should have
been in that situation. He pushes Butters to get help and confide in an adult about his bullying
problem. That’s where he should have stopped... Because this good deed and genuine concern was,
of course, turned into nonsense. Our misguided every-man agreed to help make an anti-bullying
video and in turn, he becomes the bully. He uses Butters for popularity, he loved the attention
and praise he got from his peers, and then later on he used Butters for money. What started out as
genuine worry was turned into a cash grab. People, even ones with good intentions, can co-opt causes
for clout. Think about Instagram influencers and youtubers giving out food or money to the needy-
all on camera. It’s still no doubt a good deed, but there can often be a motive. Would
they do the same if the camera was off? Probably not. Because we live in a corruptible society.
Corruption’s Not Just for Politicians Moral corruption happens to the best of us.
And it happens to the best of characters. While his morality aligns closest with Kyle,
the aforementioned ‘good boy,’ he’s still influenced by everyone else around him.
And not everyone in his life is a good person- and it can be hard to be one when you’re hanging
out with a guy who fed a kid his own parents. (We’re looking at you, Cartman.) Bad people exist,
and they can rub off on others. Now with the internet, their voices can be magnified.
(Just imagine if Cartman had a Twitter.) Comment sections can be brutal, sure,
but they’re also often polarized. Sources from one side will often demonize the other and create an
echo chamber for their audience, and vice-versa. And it’s also a rule of thumb that the loudest
voices are often the loudest and most reactionary. It can be overwhelming,
especially for those who fall somewhere in the middle. Stan is oftentimes a reflection
of that. An Every Man surrounded by the extremes of every direction… and sometimes it’s hard to
not be dragged in my one side or the other. But it isn’t just outside influences that
can break our moral compasses. It’s also our innate need to be liked.
We Just Want Friends It’s no secret that people
are social creatures. The pressure to fit in with our peers doesn’t end after school- it follows us
into adulthood like a lost puppy, but way less cute. Stan feels the pressure to conform often.
In the episode Elementary School Musical, Stan and the others watch the Highschool Musical movie.
Obviously they’re disgusted. And obviously, Stan ends up hopping on the bandwagon. Sadly for him
though, he was a bit late on that, and his big music number just ended up embarrassing everyone.
Stan and his friends got wrapped up in the metro trend, and shunned Kyle for not following. He gave
into pressure from his dad in the Pinewood Derby episode and lied to the judges about the parts
he used on his cart. Stan’s just a regular, and he wants to fit in. We all do, even as grownups.
And social media only makes that desire worse. When we’re able to constantly see what others are
doing, we compare ourselves to them. And then our monkey brains go bonkers trying to imitate them.
The internet’s a little addictive, so even though all that comparison is bad for us,
we keep scrolling anyway. And sites like Facebook and Instagram use that to their advantage. It’s
not to say that social media’s all bad- it’s a great way to keep in touch and let your
exes know you’re doing better without them. But if you use it too much you’ll destroy
yourself on your quest to be liked. You’ll end up like Stan; jacking it in San Diego.
Wrap Up Stan’s a normal
middle-class kid. And his boring upbringing is the backbone of his every-man making,
but his relatable nature transcends that. It’s in the way he reacts to the world and it’s the
kind of pressure he feels and the kind of person he is that makes him resonate with the audience.
He’s got the same flaws as a lot of us do, he struggles with us,
and he’s really a pretty good guy. Put simply, he’s the every-man for the modern man.
But what do you think? Is Stan a reflection of all of us? Let us know. Make sure to check out
our South Park Characters: Good to Evil episodes. Where we rank the town of South Park on the
morality spectrum. Hit that notification bell and most importantly: Stay Wicked!