Conclusion!

In the conclusion Playing with the System, Playing with Fire, Gournelos discusses the realms of acceptable discourse, giving the example of Andrew Meyer, the student who was tased at a Kerry rally at the University of Florida. He explains how this shows the limits of discourse, in that Meyer wasn’t attacked because he was threatening, but because he was acting outside the “correct” modes as deemed by society. What I found most interesting about this conclusion was the section where the link between media and discourse was discussed. Gournelos states (referring to Eliasoph’s study) that most people feel uncomfortable speaking about broad topics because they don’t feel they have the expertise or knowledge to discuss something that lies outside their experience. Access to shared media creates a communal space in which people can engage in “symbiotic[ally] [engaged] conflict rather than consensus” (250), allowing a wider discussion of a topic. Gournelos discusses the role of the media as a way for people to talk to one another, to relate to each other, and as an indicator of what is “acceptable” to discuss in public. This idea made me think a lot about South Park, and other shows that discuss pressing social issues (albeit in a very different way), like Battlestar Galactica, which touches on highly debated political issues (like abortion, capital punishment, religion in politics) in an extreme, but still relatable setting. These shows present an idea to their viewers and into the public sphere, making it more acceptable to discuss these topics outside of a private setting. Gournelos also states that a show can gain cultural capital based on its oppositionality, such is obviously the case with shows like South Park, who turn their dissent and “rejection of political correctness” into humor.