Since it aired its first episode on August 1, 1997, “South Park” has taken on the social, political, and cultural issues that highlight the zeitgeist of each decade, with the writers using their trademark methods of shock and mockery to make their point — which is usually to send the message that a modern and current trend or idea is outrageous. What appears to make their approach to the issues so effective and has made “South Park” popular for almost three decades can be summed up in a quote from “The Big Bang Theory’s” character, Sheldon: “It’s funny because it’s true.”

The most recent home-run installment from this long-running series was the February 14 episode titled “The World-Wide Privacy Tour,” which provided 22 minutes of sheer enjoyment at the expense of Britain’s most obnoxious couple — Prince Harry and “the wife,” Meghan Markle. The main aim of each jab was at the Sussexes’ constant insistence that all they want is their privacy and for the public and the media to leave them alone. The initial blow came by way of the entrance of Harry and Meghan onto the stage of the fictional day-time show “Good Morning Canada,” as they carried picket signs that say “We Want Our Privacy!!” and “Stop Looking at Us!”

The irony from this display comes from the message that Harry and Meghan have been repeating from the time they up and left the Royal Family in 2021. They indicated that their decision to leave the monarchy and all of its loyal followers was based on the idea that they felt they could better lead their lives as normal people … in a $15 million, nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion in the middle of California.

Ever since their royal departure, they have pursued “privacy” in the form of an interview with Oprah, a Netflix docuseries, a podcast deal for Meghan through Spotify, and a book release from each of the pair. The direct contradiction of their attention-seeking behavior to the repeated claims of wanting to live the quiet life provided a goldmine of material for the creators of “South Park” to produce the hit episode that we didn’t know we wanted.

The wildly positive response from the public confirms that sometimes the only answer to absurdity is an even greater level of absurdity.

In light of the rekindled appreciation for using humor to combat hypocrisy and insanity, a couple of older “South Park” episodes have resurfaced, as they appear to have been ahead of the time in their themes.

In 2014, an episode titled “The Cissy” focused on the idea of transgenderism, an ideology that hadn’t caught fire at the time, as we followed the character, Cartman, who attempts to self-identify as a girl by putting a pink bow on his hat — a simple move that immediately provides him access to the cleaner, more appealing girls’ bathrooms. As the school administrators are grappling with how to address this situation, Mr. Garrison advises the principal to let Cartman have his way — not because he believes that the declaration of his new identity is legitimate, but because the potential backlash from enforcing Cartman’s biological reality and directing him back to the boys’ facilities would pose a challenge for the school.

A private bathroom is created for Cartman’s use. One of the girls retaliates by calling herself a boy and using this new bathroom as well, and Cartman claps back at her with certain implications about her boyfriend’s sexuality because he’s dating a “boy.”

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— NTB Media (@itsNTBmedia) February 21, 2023

The story has become more relevant for the present-day conversation, as we now contend with the redefinition of words rooted in gender, laws that promote modern ideas of your sex being merely determined by a verbal declaration, and the private spaces of women becoming obsolete as men are able to simply call themselves women in order to be granted full access to the areas where women are most vulnerable. What’s more baffling is that these policies are said to be aligned with the progress of women’s rights.

In that same vein, in a 2005 episode titled “Mr. Garrison’s Fancy New Vagina,” the titular character makes an appointment at an abortion clinic, wanting to undergo the procedure because he believes that the reason he has not menstruated is because he’s carrying a baby. Thankfully, in 2005 it was still acceptable to promote reality, biology, and science, and the doctor is able to correct Mr. Garrison by informing him that the reason he cannot get an abortion is because he’s a man, and men do not have a uterus. Mr. Garrison is actually relieved by the news, which shows a stark contrast to today’s conversation in that activist doctors are abandoning scientific reality and caving to the mob that says biology is irrelevant to discussions about how men’s and women’s bodies are made, and that it is not inclusive to dispute self-ID.

What cannot be debated is that “South Park” has no bias about who it will target with its pokes and prods. When there is a controversial topic that calls for the use of inappropriate jokes to spark an appropriate analysis, “South Park” has proven to have impeccable timing that keeps us talking and laughing at the same time, and even seems to possess foretelling capabilities.

Perhaps we should keep a closer eye on the “South Park” episodes of today to prepare for the governmental and societal idiocy to come.