Isaac Hayes, Scientology & South Park

[JBigjake]

Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park' Over 'Bigotry'
Outspoken Scientologist Upset With Show's Depiction of Religion
http://articles.news.aol.com/tv/article.adp?id=20060313163309990010&ncid=NWS00010000000001
"Matt Stone responded ... "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem - and he's cashed plenty of checks - with our show making fun of Christians.""
Apparently, IH also appears to have not been overly offended by racism, sexism, profanity or scatology in previous SP episodes.

[Barbara]

This pisses me off mightily.

[Caesar]

This pisses me off mightily.
In the sense that

a) you liked Hayes as Chef, and you're going to miss him;
b) you're annoyed at the hypocrisy, or
c) the story has been misreported?

[Davids26]

In the sense that

a) you liked Hayes as Chef, and you're going to miss him;
b) you're annoyed at the hypocrisy, or
c) the story has been misreported?

For me a & b. How has the story been misreported?

[JBigjake]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Hayes
"In the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet", a satire and exposé of scientology, Hayes did not appear in his role as Chef. ... On March 13, 2006, Hayes announced he was asking to be released from his contract with Comedy Central, citing recent episodes which satirized religious beliefs as being intolerant. In his statement, Hayes did not directly mention the episode dealing with Scientology. ... In a radio interview a week prior to the announcement ..., Hayes said he was not particularly offended by the episode because of the level of satire people have come to expect from the show."
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,18173,00.html?rssmusic
http://www.clubisaachayes.com/
http://www.isaachayes.com/
I'm a little skeptical.

[NoodlesMacintosh]

For me a & b. How has the story been misreported?

I'd go with B more than anything, but maybe the Scientology episode pushed him over the edge.

[Caesar]

For me a & b. How has the story been misreported?
I was really just covering all bases... I don't actually think it's been misreported, but someone might know more about it than me.

[Barbara]

In the sense that

a) you liked Hayes as Chef, and you're going to miss him;
b) you're annoyed at the hypocrisy, or
c) the story has been misreported?

Well, at the moment it's a and b. I have no evidence of c, but I remain hopeful.

[Mel Brennan]

Eh; he wants to take money for laughing at other religions, then get pissy when his faith framework is up to bat and quit, I have no problem with that; the only people who should have a problem with that are the people who, for some reason I can't fathom, looked to Issac Hayes for guidance or direction on anything whatsoever. he can only have "betrayed" those folks.

I can understand missing his voice on the show though. I've seen the show maybe twice, but I guees he was a staple of the program, no? But he didn't write dialogue, right? So maybe they cand find someone who sounds and delivers like Hayes, and keep it ticking over. Or maybe they'll kill Chef, and intro something better; or maybe they'll make Chef a deaf mute...

[Chicago1871]

Why exactly do people have no sense of humor anymore? South Park has made fun of everything. From celebrities to religion to religions to hillbillies to gingers to geeks to sports figures to private organizations to politics to racism to women to men to gays to straights to immigration to...whatever. :rolleyes:

[Pints]

Further proof that they should have let the succubus marry him.

There's got to be a morning after.....

[DoctorD]

Why exactly do people have no sense of humor anymore? South Park has made fun of everything. From celebrities to religion to religions to hillbillies to gingers to geeks to sports figures to private organizations to politics to racism to women to men to gays to straights to immigration to...whatever. :rolleyes:
Easy for you to say. He probably got a rattlesnake in his mailbox.

[Chicago1871]

Easy for you to say. He probably got a rattlesnake in his mailbox.
Like I said, no sense of humor.

[Barbara]

Eh; he wants to take money for laughing at other religions, then get pissy when his faith framework is up to bat and quit, I have no problem with that; the only people who should have a problem with that are the people who, for some reason I can't fathom, looked to Issac Hayes for guidance or direction on anything whatsoever. he can only have "betrayed" those folks.

I can understand missing his voice on the show though. I've seen the show maybe twice, but I guees he was a staple of the program, no? But he didn't write dialogue, right? So maybe they cand find someone who sounds and delivers like Hayes, and keep it ticking over. Or maybe they'll kill Chef, and intro something better; or maybe they'll make Chef a deaf mute...

The worst thing they could do is bring someone else to do Chef's voice.

[Dave Brull]

He was clearly so outraged that he took five months to up and leave over the mockery of his religion. Five whole months. Took a while to sink in, Isaac? It isn't good if South Park is too subtle for you.

It has got to be something else. I have no doubts regarding his spirituality, but why stay silent so long if you religion is that important to you?

[DJPoopypants]

He was clearly so outraged that he took five months to up and leave over the mockery of his religion. Five whole months. Took a while to sink in, Isaac? It isn't good if South Park is too subtle for you.

It has got to be something else. I have no doubts regarding his spirituality, but why stay silent so long if you religion is that important to you?

Perhaps because it took someone higher up in the scientology network a few weeks to get the information (cough, orders) filtered back down to Hayes, saying he should quit, and it took Hayes another few weeks of soul-searching to figure out if he should listen to his "elders"?

[Matt in the Hat]

Chef wasn't what he used to be anyway. Toodle-loo ass.

[fiddlestick]

Or maybe they'll kill Chef, and intro something better; or maybe they'll make Chef a deaf mute...

Man, I could totally see them turning him into some Helen Keller-mocking, sign-languaging dude.

[TheSlipperyOne]

CyC posted this on the South Park thread on the TV Board.

From The Onion's AV Club (http://www.avclub.com/content/node/46260) (i.e. not fake)

"...
Isaac Hayes quit South Park yesterday citing an impatience with the show's "intolerance" (but not mentioning a Scientology-themed episode from last season. Here's what he said in a written statement:

There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs ... begins."


And here's what he said in an A.V. Club interview conducted in December shortly after the episode aired:

AVC: They did just do an episode that made fun of your religion, Scientology. Did that bother you?
IH: Well, I talked to Matt and Trey about that. They didn't let me know until it was done. I said, "Guys, you have it all wrong. We're not like that. I know that's your thing, but get your information correct, because somebody might believe that shit, you know?" But I understand what they're doing. I told them to take a couple of Scientology courses, and understand what we do. [Laughs.]
..."

[TheSlipperyOne]

Man, I could totally see them turning him into some Helen Keller-mocking, sign-languaging dude.

I think it would be cool if they made a Thetan a recurring character.