South Park is known for many things: a talking, Christmas-loving stool, an inebriated sentient towel, a heroic gerbil; the list goes on and on. Of the many absurd, crass, and cringe-worthy things that take place on the show, it is also surprisingly insightful and philosophical.
"You know, I learned something today" is a famous line spoken from the show that normally precedes the moral lesson or philosophical insight they are about to deliver, making it a modern-day Aesopian fable or Aristotelian dialogue. Indeed, Matt Parker and Trey Stone have given fans plenty to ponder over the last 14 years.
Hybrid's And Smugness
In "Smug Alert" (10.2), South Park is swept up in the environmentally-friendly hybrid car craze. When the Broflovski's decide to move to San Francisco to be with their 'own kind' when not enough folks in South Park aren't driving them (in the beginning), Stan Marsh writes a song to motivate people to drive the mostly-electric cars in order to get Kyle back. What Stan didn't predict, however, was the smug attitude South Parkians would end up having.
The residents are so proud of themselves for driving Priuses that -- alongside George Clooney's smug Academy Award speech -- creates a deadly smug cloud in the mountain town and from Hollywood that is set to hit San Francisco, South Park, and many more places. The aftermath sees South Park citizens crucifying hybrids, only to have Stan correct them: electric vehicles are not a problem. They are necessary for curbing the effects of climate change and other issues. The problem is acting high and mighty about driving them.
Nostalgia And The Present
"Fourth Grade" follows the gang and some other now-4th graders as they prepare to time-travel back to the 3rd grade where life, in general, was easier. Their new teacher tries and tries to reach her new kids, but to no avail (until she seeks the help of 3rd grade teacher Mr. Garrison). After some Star Trekkies retrofit Timmy's wheelchair to travel back in time -- and he's the only one that does -- the kids continue trying to make it back to the 3rd grade.
By the episode's end, the 4th grade teacher asks why they wish to go back in time since life is about going forward and experiencing new people, places, and things. Even though there are moments of nostalgia and events from our past people wish they could re-live, if they already have, and they were good, why would they want to? She makes the comparison of life to a game: that the harder the game (life) gets, the more fun it becomes. By the show's conclusion, Kyle, Stan, Cartman, Kenny, and the rest of them agree.
Vote Or Die
In this South Park episode from season 8 (ep. 8), the South Park Elementary students are forced to replace their current cow school mascot with another one, and it will all be left up to a democratic vote. The two candidates Kyle and Cartman come up with are less-than-admirable, so Stan sees no need to vote. He doesn't understand why, when he has no good options, he should be bribed, coerced, or threatened into voting.
P. Diddy comes in with his Vote or Die campaign in order to 'motivate' Stan to vote in his school mascot election. Stan holds his ground and still chooses not to, being exiled by the South Park community. By the episode's end, he does decide to vote, and his chosen candidate loses. He claims that his vote didn't matter at all anyway, to which his parents claim that someone can't judge the merits of voting on whether their candidate wins or loses and that his vote does in fact matter.
Free The Whales
In "Free Willzyx" (9.13), Stan and the gang are inspired to free an orca whale from its aquatic captivity when it 'talks' to them. They come up with an elaborate plan that ends up with them in Mexico sending him to the moon.
The episode involves a chase from the water park owners and orca liberation fronts, and while one side claims they own the whale, the others say no one does, and that it belongs outside of any tank.
The Monster Walmart
South Park's "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes" (8.9) opens with the townspeople being excited over something in South Park, which ends up being a Walmart (and to Kyle's dismay that Stark's Pond is no longer there because of it). What unfolds is a journey where the boys attempt to find the 'heart' of the megastore and 'kill' it so that its hold over people, small businesses, and the surrounding nature are no more.
The 'heart' is a mirror, which is an obvious allusion to the customer being the reason why Walmart is as powerful as it is. By the episode's end, a local storefront becomes the next conglomeration; the people having not learned their lesson once again.
Getting Older And Getting Cynical
When Stan meets his 10th birthday in "You're Getting Old," he begins to develop a profound sense of cynicism (after initially mistaking it for an illness in which he literally sees fecal matter everywhere around him).
His doctor and parents tell him that it's only natural; a part of life and growing up but he can't help but feel down anyway, especially since the rest of the gang maintains their innocent, carefree worldview. He copes as best he can, but not without some issues along the way.
John Edwards And The Death Question
This 15th episode from season 6 sees Stan, Kyle, and Cartman try to expel Kenny's soul from Cartman's body by visiting The John Edwards Show. Even though that failed, Kyle falls for the 'psychic's' antics, believing that his deceased grandmother spoke to him that he isn't doing what she asked and that he would see four white doves.
Kyle transforms overnight and enrolls in an arts school, refusing to return to South Park. Stan visits Edwards, telling him he isn't psychic: everyone has a voice called intuition and he isn't special. Stan also finds books on 'cold readings' and learns that Edwards has his studio bugged with microphones in order to hear audience members beforehand. By the end, he debunks Edwards and declares that people wouldn't want their past loved ones floating around and that even though it's natural to wonder and have questions about life-after-death, psychics inhibit peace and progress.
What Is The Economy?
"Margaritaville" (13.3) is an episode centered on money-wasting purchases and the question of what exactly the economy is.
Stan ends up all the way to the Federal Reserve to return his dad's Margaritaville machine and receives a bailout for $9 trillion dollars, while Kyle takes on everyone's debt with a credit card with no spending limit, claiming that humans are the economy, thus making it real and not real.
Friends
"All About Mormons" (7.12) is an episode featuring a new boy in town: Gary Harrison, from Utah, who is smart, kind, understanding, and more. He makes friends with Stan (at the bemoaning of the gang), and soon Randy Marsh, after befriending Mr. Harrison, and they convert to Mormonism. The episode also details the history of Mormonism and Joseph Smith, its founder.
After some harsh words, Stan no longer wants to associate with Gary; and, in an even greater move, Gary chastises Stan for not only being unkind and intolerant but telling him he has some serious maturing to do.
A Beautiful Sadness
After Wendy breaks up with Stan in "Raisins" (7.14), he joins the goth kids in wallow and misery.
When Butters Stotch gets dumped, he describes to Stan how he's happy he had something so good to make him feel sad about later; he's thankful that something could make him feel so alive, so human. He tells Stan it's like a beautiful sadness, and he is going to take the bad with the good.