Friday, January 21, 2005

Sponge Bob Is Brainwashing Your Children!

My son loves Sponge Bob Square Pants, so needless to say, I was shocked to learn that he is being used for the purpose of "manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids." At least, that's what James Dobson and Focus on the Family are saying. How, you ask, is the harmless cartoon Porifera being so used? Well, here's what Dobson says:
Now, Dr. Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."
Scandalous! Sponge Bob being used to promote tolerance? Clearly, this is a message our children should not be exposed to!

But wait a minute, could it be that Dobson's attack is based on a misunderstanding (imagine that!)? It could. The videos creator sets the record straight:

The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.

Mr. Rodgers suggested that Dr. Dobson and the American Family Association, the conservative Christian group that first sounded the alarm, might have been confused because of an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called "We Are Family," which supports gay youth.

"The fact that some people may be upset with each other peoples' lifestyles, that is O.K.," Mr. Rodgers said. "We are just talking about respect."

Perhaps Dobson should have watched the video, though I'm not sure that would have swayed him or his legions. Despite Rogers' clarifications, Dobson and other whack jobs are continuing to object to the video.

Maybe Dobson just doesn't like disco. With all that touching and undulating, disco dancing is pretty salacious! I've heard that there may have been some gay people who liked, or even performed, disco music, too.

Dobson once again reminds us that there are evangelicals that we don't want.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plus of course sponges don't reproduce sexually.  

Posted by Clark

Anonymous said...

The next thing you know, "We Are Family" and other groups will be lobbying for asexual marriages! 

Posted by Chris

Anonymous said...

I've not really watched the show much except for a moment or two while flipping channels. However I read on an other blog that they actually had an episode dealing with his budding and thus reproduction. Kind of funny when you mention it.

Reminds me of a parody site on these sorts of things lambasting Donald Duck as a pawn of the devil because he ran around without pants clearly flashing and mooning everyone. 

Posted by Clark

Anonymous said...

Dobson's critics have edited his comments to do their own "whack job". Have a look at http://www.johnmarkreynolds.com/2005/01/dobson-and-sponge-bob.html

Greg W. - Placentia, CA

Anonymous said...

I think it is ridiculas and it is not brainwashing our kids. If were Christians we can teach our kids that it is wrong to be gay. And that in the cartoon it is not true that is just what some paranoid religious people are trying to stir up. In true Christianity there is no spirit of religiosity, but a relationship with Jesus! So, I would tell my kids if they were still small that it is impossible for him to be gay hence he is a sponge. If the creators some are gay they are very talented people who are very confused. And need Jesus and deliverance. But if any creators are gay and writers for these shows and the do slip in some wrong inuedndos trying to soften up people on being gay is ok which it isn't but the world says it is. Then those shows ought to be banned. There are plenty of good shows on of them that are just funny and silly and in no way having any gay hidden messeges. I'd say 99% of them don't! Unless I missed some because my kids are 21 and 17 and both have heard this and say that is ridiculas they never ever thought of them as gay. And the same thing goes for Bert and Ernie for heavens sakes! And the Mr. Rodgers is a different Mr. Rodgers then the one with the old show on public tv. He was not gay and if he did he didn't show it. Although he loved to help teach kids and stuff he was kind of strange but that is only my opinion. Gbu all and shalom, Di

Anonymous said...

Spongebob is not gay. Even if he was, is that a problem? We need more tolerance in the world, not hate. The show spongebob has some of the most intellegent ideas ever " Patrick: 'I wumbo, you wumbo, he she we wumbo, wumboing, wumbology, they study of wumbo...come on Spongebob, this is first grade!'" Come on, that is shere genius

Kurli said...

Spongebob is not gay. Even if he was, is that a problem? We need more tolerance in the world, not hate. The show spongebob has some of the most intellegent ideas ever " Patrick: 'I wumbo, you wumbo, he she we wumbo, wumboing, wumbology, they study of wumbo...come on Spongebob, this is first grade!'" Come on, that is shere genius

Anonymous said...

Since when is tolerance and understanding a bad thing? Reading articles like this, there is no wonder there is so much hate and conflict in the world.
I SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS, AND I'M PROUD OF IT, TOO!

Anonymous said...

I DON'T AND I'M PROUD OF IT AS WELL...
BAH. We all have our own opinions...since when does that constitute as "hate and conflict"?

And whoever called Dobson a whack job lacks good judgment:) I'm sure he's done more good in his lifetime than whomever wrote the article.

Anonymous said...

the only real BAD messages I see from spongebob is his unhealthy addiction to fast food burgers. oh and he's gay. i remember on one episode, he wanted to be a baby clams mother and have patrick as the father. another episode depicted spongebob and patrick half naked holding hands and walking off into the sunset. be honest, is that you really want your kids to start doing?