Focus on the Family Attacks SpongeBob

[rmcrobertson]

Here's something one always wondered about: how come none of these clowns never got all hot and bothered about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"

First episode, Giles:

"This world is older than any of you think. And despite popular superstition, it did not begin as a Paradise."

Last episode, Willow:

"Oh...My...Goddess."

One suspects that SpongeBob is in fact a covert propagandization for contraception...

 

[The Prof]

You are absolutely correct. We need to grow more and learn a bit more about tolerance and acceptance. The very best friend we can ever have may be the one we have rejected today.

"An Example." In my younger homophobic (I cringe here) days, I remember seeing this very effeminate man on the judo mats. He was wearing a black belt. I was a very cocky brown belt because I was considered one of those almost unbeatable guys. As I watched this guy warming up and rolling out I couldn’t wait to get out there and cream him into the mats simply because he turned my stomach.
Finally it was randori time. I couldn’t wait. We bowed and barley gripped each others gi when his first deashi harai (foot sweep) sent me flying into the air. It was followed with a few other foot sweeps and throws. I never even once came close to making him stumble.

Anyway, in the end and after many more butt whippings by him, strangely, we became good friends. He became my son Dino’s God Father and I grew to love him as my brother and dearest friend. He has since died, but his gentle nature lives on in my heart. He taught me a very valuable lesson on life, and because of him I am a better and happier person today.

Regards,

The Prof

I think you're correct - people took themselves much less seriously when it came to being entertained. But. I also think that cross-dressing was considered humorous back then - look at what went on in the movies with many of the popular male actors of that era (not Bogie - he was a man's man). And, *one* could also use certain epithets without fear of reprisal -- i.e., calling women *girls* (okay for us to do among ourselves but don't go there, boy friend!:hammer: ) or referring to black men as *boys* or to gays as *******s* *queers* and so on.

Our society has come a long way in certain respects and is quite backward in others... still.

 

[kenpo tiger]

Psst... Robert! I don't think SpongeBob is one of *those* sponges. You're showing (y)our age.

 

[Darksoul]

-What about HE-MAN and the Masters of the Universe? I could've sworn he was gay? Whatever. Those crackheads think teaching a little tolerance is going to turn those 6 and 7 year olds into gays and lesbians when they grow up? I think they'll be making those kind of choices by themselves, when the time is right. Teach kids to love, and they will do so. Teach them to hate...


A---)

 

[BrandiJo]

FOF has some great programs and help alot of familys, BUT i dont see the need to go after sponge bob, UGH thats just nuts hes an annoying little cartoon that kids will out grow ....i watched barny growing up and he sure didnt make me gay ...and you have to wonder about him lol

 

[kenpo tiger]

He-Man. At least the Thundercats had Cheetara. Next thing you know, the X-Men (and women) are going to be deemed a gay/lesbian cult... All that running around in tights... what about the dark overtones in Batman and Superman - or DareDevil or Spiderman or Elektra, for that matter? When we were growing up, Disney's idea of dark was killing off Bambi's mother (and I still can't watch that movie to this day.)

I think a lot of kids are watching anime lately. At least Samurai Jack has a moral code somewhere amid all the violence. Same for Naruto.

 

[TCA]

Maybe I am incorrect, but i was under the impression that the reason Focus on the Family made an issue of this was because the sponge bob character was being used for a 4 minute commercial to "grade school kids" explaining that homosexuality is ok. Why do we need to be explaining anything about the nature of sex to any grade school kid, either hetro or homosexuality?

 

[rmcrobertson]

Because of the large number of bigots and haters who are telling kids in every way they can that they should hate people who are different, often claiming that God says so.

Incidentally, the video doen't tell kids that homosexuality is OK. It tells them that they should respect other people, and not be mean.

One can certainly see why Dr. Dobson objects.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

I have a question.

Is it...like...wrong to want to rub a wet sponge all over your body? Does that mean you're gay?


I'm asking for a friend.


Really.


Why are you looking at me that way?



Regards,


Steve

 

[Lisa]

I have a question.

Is it...like...wrong to want to rub a wet sponge all over your body? Does that mean you're gay?


I'm asking for a friend.


Really.


Why are you looking at me that way?



Regards,


Steve

umm.... Feisty... ummm... remember that offer to come and train with Steve...ummmm... well, is the sponge thing part of the cirriculum? :idunno: I just need to know before I make anymore plans

 

[shesulsa]

:lurk:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: GOD I LOVE IT HERE!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
:cheers:

 

[hardheadjarhead]

umm.... Feisty... ummm... remember that offer to come and train with Steve...ummmm... well, is the sponge thing part of the cirriculum? :idunno: I just need to know before I make anymore plans

And just HOW will that effect you decision? Hmmmm?


Regards,


Steve

 

[Lisa]

And just HOW will that effect you decision? Hmmmm?


Regards,


Steve

maybe I would be extending the length of my trip. :angel:

I think I best rejoin Shesulsa now...
:lurk:

 

[8253]

Man that just aint right. Who would want to pick on SpongeBob. Im not a homosexual and i like SpongeBob.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Personally, I don't care for Sponge Bob.
I also didn't care for RugRats, or a few dozen other kids shows either.
But I don't see anything wrong with them.
What will we hear next?
That Kirk and Spock were secretly in love?
The Batman and Robin were members of NAMBLA?
That Frodo and SamWise were flamers? (Ok, that was proven in the VSD series, but still...)

It's a cartoon, for kids, thats done at that '5 yr old level', the level where hugging and holding hands and being friends isn't some evil social stigma.

Some people, need to get a farking clue. Sheesh.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Praise Bob.

(Not you, Hubbard. The little yellow guy).

D.

 

[JPR]

I understand many of your points that it is just a cartoon, why all of the fuss. The problem is, that isn’t what the fuss is over.


The issue is that Sponge Bob, Jimmy Neutron, Elmo, and others are in a video being distributed to 61,000 schools. The video itself is innocuous, perhaps even beneficial. It is the pamphlet that accompanies the video that Dobson found objectionable. The pamphlet addresses the issue of “sexual identity” which Dobson believes should be left up to parents to decide how and when to address.



I try not to over react to anything, but from the experience of raising two children; I know that children are influenced by what they see. I let my son watch Jackie Chan do drunken boxing and he now tries to emulate Jackie whenever I allow him to spar that way only based upon what he saw in a movie. Corporations spend billions advertising to influence our attitudes, values, and choices. They wouldn’t keep doing it if it were not effective.


Dobson’s objection is really the same as many of yours, albeit for a different reason. Simply don’t use these characters outside of their own entertainment value. He never claimed that the cartoon itself promotes any hidden agenda, nor did he advocate not watching the cartoon. Again, that is a parent's right to choose for his or her own child.

Why do we need to be explaining anything about the nature of sex to any grade school kid, either hetro or homosexuality?

Because of the large number of bigots and haters who are telling kids in every way they can that they should hate people who are different, often claiming that God says so.

While I understand your concern, rmcrobertson, about what attitudes children are taught, that concern raises other issues. Who has the right to tell me what my children have to learn, believe, or what attitudes I have to pass on to them? Many parents teach their children things that I find objectionable / wrong. Do I get to tell them how to raise their children? Whose responsibility is it to raise a child?

And just to add experience to the mix, my children have felt the impact of intolerance as my wife has also. My children are AmerAsian (Chinese) and we live in Southern Indiana which is not know for its racial diversity. We moved to a larger town to minimize the impact their race would have on their growing up and we deal with the issues as they happen. (BTW, the intolerance also comes from older Chinese as they were not too fond of interracial marriages either.)

JPR

 

[hardheadjarhead]

The issue is that Sponge Bob, Jimmy Neutron, Elmo, and others are in a video being distributed to 61,000 schools. The video itself is innocuous, perhaps even beneficial. It is the pamphlet that accompanies the video that Dobson found objectionable. The pamphlet addresses the issue of “sexual identity” which Dobson believes should be left up to parents to decide how and when to address.

If the pamphlet isn't being handed out to the kids, and is merely directed towards teachers, then we're addressing the malleability of teachers here, and the philosophy of a school's attitude towards intolerance of sexual identity. I would suspect that is an issue the school has allready addressed. I doubt the pamphlet is going to change the mind of an administration one way or another.

I try not to over react to anything, but from the experience of raising two children; I know that children are influenced by what they see.

Every parent has to address this. Short of locking your child in a castle fully protected from outside influence, what ought one do? For those parents who take umbrage to the issue of teaching tolerance to homosexuality, and who can't afford homeschooling or a private school, it is indeed a problem.

They address it by providing counterpoint at home and in church...and then their children will have to make the decision.

Dobson’s objection is really the same as many of yours, albeit for a different reason. Simply don’t use these characters outside of their own entertainment value.

Why not? Its been done before. The entire concept of Sesame Street is to take cartoon (ish) characters, puppets, etc. and teach children. Bugs Bunny stumped for the war in the 1940's. The issue, as you've pointed out, is what is being taught, not how.

Who has the right to tell me what my children have to learn, believe, or what attitudes I have to pass on to them? Many parents teach their children things that I find objectionable / wrong. Do I get to tell them how to raise their children? Whose responsibility is it to raise a child?

This presents a constant tension in a secular school setting, as we've seen with "creation science," posting of the Ten Commandments in school, and school prayer. This has led to the rise of home schooling and the increase in Christian schools throughout the United States...but we must also note that integration influenced this as well.

The issue at hand here, however, is sexual identity and how one approaches it in a public school setting If we do not teach tolerance of gays, do we then teach gay bashing? Guilt tripping? Mockery? Shunning? Slurs? I know your answer to this will be "no." But what do you propose we do?

If we teach the Christian precept of homosexuality being a "sin," then we violate the Exclusion Clause of the 1st Amendment. Our only option is to treat it as a secular problem, refer to the growing body of scientific evidence regarding the issue, and move from there. Distasteful for the Christian, perhaps, but the state's only option.


Regards,


Steve

 

[rmcrobertson]

Dobson, as far as can been seen from his website, is pretty reasonable. There's a good review of the "SpongeBob," movie there, for example--but this worry over the pamphlet!

It hasn't been mentioned, but also included in this viedo is Big Bird. And, it's being sponsored by the Disney Channel....

This kinda stuff pops up every so often...usually, it's somebody exaggerating, or focusing on some minor aspect, or being just plain hysteric.

Dobson has a point, as some posters on this thread do, about wanting to ensure that their kids learn what, and when, they want them to learn.

Problem is--it's too late. You can't help it any more, because of the way capitalism works. And it's not necessailty a bad thing, either...

More of a concern, to me, is the goofy set of ideas about the absolute innocence of kids. The review of the film, for example, makes a lot of SpongeBob et al butts...apparently a big source of humor in the movie.

Oh well. At least they're not yelling at Judy Blume again. One still wonders, though, how they can possibly allow their kids to read the Old Testament, with these sorts of concerns...

 

[kenpo tiger]

Dobson, as far as can been seen from his website, is pretty reasonable. There's a good review of the "SpongeBob," movie there, for example--but this worry over the pamphlet!

It hasn't been mentioned, but also included in this viedo is Big Bird. And, it's being sponsored by the Disney Channel....

This kinda stuff pops up every so often...usually, it's somebody exaggerating, or focusing on some minor aspect, or being just plain hysteric.

Dobson has a point, as some posters on this thread do, about wanting to ensure that their kids learn what, and when, they want them to learn.

Problem is--it's too late. You can't help it any more, because of the way capitalism works. And it's not necessailty a bad thing, either...

More of a concern, to me, is the goofy set of ideas about the absolute innocence of kids. The review of the film, for example, makes a lot of SpongeBob et al butts...apparently a big source of humor in the movie.

Oh well. At least they're not yelling at Judy Blume again. One still wonders, though, how they can possibly allow their kids to read the Old Testament, with these sorts of concerns...

Uh...:erg: I thought *those* people didn't read the Old Testament. here it comes...