SpongeBob SquarePants has made a dirty video.
Did he get himself stuck in a cervix, you ask? Why, no. He's way too young and square for that.
And besides, I've heard he's gay.
But that isn't exactly why two Christian groups are complaining that the music video in question, whose goal is to teach tolerance to elementary school students, has "enlisted" SpongeBob and his pals in a "stealth effort" to advance the nebulous and nefarious homosexual agenda. It's because the publisher endorses tolerance of people with "sexual identity" differences.
The music video, which will be released on DVD, contains a rerecording of the song "We Are Family" by over 100 children's television characters. It also includes wrap-around comments by some of the characters, as well as cameos by Bill Cosby, Diana Ross, and Whoopie Goldberg.
I know. It's just too horrible to comprehend.
The video is a remake of the 1979 hit song "We Are Family" using the voices and images of SpongeBob, Barney, Winnie the Pooh, Bob the Builder, the Rugrats and other TV cartoon characters. It was made by a foundation set up by songwriter Nile Rodgers after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in an effort to promote healing.Christian groups however have taken exception to the tolerance pledge on the foundation's Web site, which asks people to respect the sexual identity of others along with their abilities, beliefs, culture and race. [Emphasis BHW]
No complaints about the actual video so far — just the text of a tolerance pledge on the publisher's web site. Here's the offending part of the We Are Family Foundation's tolerance pledge:
To help keep diversity a wellspring of strength and make America a better place for all, I pledge to have respect for people whose abilities, beliefs, culture, race, sexual identity or other characteristics are different from my own.
That's it. It's a pledge that asserts having respect for people who are different from you. Wouldn't that be the Christian thing to do?
Ah, never mind.
In his complaint, Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, doesn't mention any specific problems with the video's content. He just doesn't like that the producing company has endorsed — in other media — tolerance of sexual differences. So I'll assume then that Dobson has either not seen the video or hasn't found any of the video's specific content objectionable. At least Jerry Falwell had some evidence: he'd seen Tinky Winky's lavender purse. And it offended him.
Article comments
1 - Steve S
Keith Obermann showed the song in it's entirety on his show last night (Thurs.). It's a very adorable video. SpongeBob has one of the smallest parts though. It's clear they're using his name to get attention. They don't even mention Winnie the Pooh, who has more camera time and sings pantless, just blatantly exposing his fabric.
Media whores.
2 - mpho
I posted on this topic myself under "Make Love, Not War (No Really) both here at Blogcritics and also at my own blog at cowbells.blogspot.com. In response to comments at cowbells to a separate post entitled "In theory..." I expressed my view that this is really a war of semantics. Your post is well written and hit the crux of the issue: these groups haven't a leg to stand on when it comes to the videos content. They have determined that "tolerance" is a dirty word, which is why Sponge Bob and the others are being castigated. Like you, I wonder what the Christian thing to do is. I'm pretty certain it's not what these fanatics have in mind. Thanks for your perspective.
3 - Barry
Clambering on to the posting-about-SpongeBob bandwagon, I've ranted about it this morning, too:
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/22/103042.php
Oh, I'm a sad and embarrassed Republican today, let me tell you.
4 - Rockchild
I never heard of Sponge Bob, what is he?
I don't watch TV much since my big brother threw my TV out the window for some reason. I told my big brother "Please don't break my TV", and he said "Why?", so I said "Because I need it to watch Barney and Elmo", then he threw it out the window! I still don't understand why he did it, because I stopped watching Tella Tubbies a long time ago!
Sponge Bob looks kinda cool here, kinda reminds me of something. I don't have time to watch it anyways now, because I play alot of concrete football on the concrete, streethockey in the street, and play with my hamster Duckie.
5 - DrPat
Perhaps I should borrow Barry's line: Aaaaaaaagh! Now can we go back to discussing real issues, like whether or not Seal's lady is worthy?
6 - NancyGail
Leave it to James Dobson to stick his snout in where not wanted or needed. There is a way to get his message across, but isn't a law about something called separation of church and state?
7 - Barry
I never heard of Sponge Bob, what is he?
Favorite SpongeBob story:
This year, for the first time, there was a giant SpongeBob balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade here in New York.
Apparently SpongeBob isn't well-known outside of the English-speaking world. According to the New York Times' Metropolitan Diary, a puzzled French tourist asked someone in the crowd, "Who is this great and famous cheese?"
8 - JaneLovesJesus
So that's what's wrong with the school system. Kids need more opportunities to watch music videos with commercialized characters and happy messages. Huh?
9 - Eric Olsen
great line Barry! If SpongeBob were a great and famous cheese, he would be swiss
10 - Eric Berlin
Somewhat off-topic: I saw Sponge Bob the cartoon for the first time a few weeks ago (while realized I had Nickelodeon as part of my crappy cable package) and am now, I must admit, a huge fan. It borrows a lot from Ren & Stimpy in terms of animation and style, and like The Simpsons' it works at both the kid and adult level of humor.
Am I a maniac for thinking this (if not for other reasons)?
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
11 - andy marsh
How can I possibly listen to a message from a guy who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
12 - Eric Olsen
on the contrary Eric, I would say that is the typical reaction from those who don't suck
13 - andy marsh
Love the title of the story bhw!
14 - Tommy Moore
Whoever it was who started saying that Spongebob is gay has a problem. He's a CARTOON. Kids who watch Spongebob never would have considered him gay until now. My Christian son watches Spongebob and I do not appreciate the media or whoever putting that information into our childrens heads. May God have mercy on their souls.
15 - Roy Smith
This sort of nonsense is why I find it embarassing to admit I am a Christian. Of course teaching your children to be tolerant of and have respect for others, even if they are different, is the Christian thing to do. The only conclusion, regretfully, that I can come to, is that James Dobson and his ilk aren't actually Christians. That is, not if you define Christian as following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
16 - HW Saxton
SpongeBob Squarepants may just well be
the most moral cartoon out there in the
field of kids entertainment these days.
For anyone to get themselves into some
kind of a frenzy as regards The Sponge
makes this whole scenario that much more
ridiculous.
If the Fundamentalists,Mr Dobson and the
rest of his ilk would actually WATCH the
show,they would likely shut the hell up.
SpongeBob promotes the values of loyalty
friendship,hard work,acceptance of other
people,school/studying,enjoyment of Art
(in it's various forms)and all of life's
simple pleasures and not taking yourself
too seriously. Nothing wrong with any of
that is there?
I don't have any children but if I did,
I certainly wouldn't mind them watching
SpongeBob. Something I can't say about
"Ren & Stimpy" for example.As much as I
do like that cartoon myself, it's really
not a young kid's cartoon.
I know that they aren't just crucifying
the Spongy One in particular but just
the sad fact that it is an issue at all
is down right disturbing.
17 - HW Saxton
RE: Comment #10 Eric B., It isn't that
SpongeBob borrows from "Ren & Stimpy".
It is more like a case of two different
cartoonists watching & being influenced
by the same cartoons and coming up with
unintentionally similar results.
The cartoons in question here being all
those UA cartoons from the mid to late
50's.They used minimalist backgrounds &
made full use of their colors,depth and
angles in lieu of "busy" background art
such as the folks at Warner Bros. were
so fond of, to move the cartoon along.
Although by the 1950's the WB cartoons
were starting to follow similar trends
themselves.
Besides the classic Warner Bros & United
Artists faux-futuristic influences,I've
also noted a strong R.Crumb influence on
the show (Crumb was so great at bringing
inanimate objects to life)as well as the
influence of Mad magazine's Don Martin
(just look at Squidward for a second) &
Basil Wolverton who drew for Car-Toons
and whose creature featured lots of big
bloodshot eyes bulging out of the head
and tongues flapping in the breeze.
Basil was also an influence on Big Daddy
Roth and all of the Rat Fink monsters of
his.
I'm sure more discerning viewers than my
self could find many other influences.
Not to mention the faux Jacques Costeau
narration that always cracks me up.