Conservative Christians put warning label on Spongebob video...

[AvsGirl41]

On cnn.com.

Honestly. Exactly WHO is corrupting kids and society here?

Christians issue gay warning on SpongeBob video
Conservative groups criticize maker's 'tolerance pledge'
Thursday, January 20, 2005 Posted: 8:19 PM EST (0119 GMT)


LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Conservative Christian groups accuse the makers of a video starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and a host of other cartoon characters of promoting homosexuality to children.

The wacky square yellow SpongeBob is one of the stars of a music video due to be sent to 61,000 U.S. schools in March. The makers -- the nonprofit We Are Family Foundation -- say the video is designed to encourage tolerance and diversity.

But at least two Christian activist groups say the innocent cartoon characters are being exploited to promote the acceptance of homosexuality.

"A short step beneath the surface reveals that one of the differences being celebrated is homosexuality," wrote Ed Vitagliano in an article for the American Family Association.

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.

"Their inclusion of the reference to 'sexual identity" within their 'tolerance pledge' is not only unnecessary, but it crosses a moral line," James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said in a statement released Thursday.

Rodgers said he was astounded by the attack.

"That is so myopic and harsh," he told Reuters. "You have really got to look hard to find anything in this that is offensive to anyone. The last thing I am going to do is taint these characters."

Dobson was quoted by the New York Times on Thursday as having singled out the wildly popular SpongeBob during remarks about the video at dinner this week in Washington, D.C.

SpongeBob, who lives in a pineapple under the sea, was "outed" by the U.S. media in 2002 after reports that the TV show and its merchandise are popular with gays. His creator, Stephen Hillenburg, said at the time that though SpongeBob was an oddball, he thought of all the characters in the show as asexual.

It is not the first time that children's TV favorites have come under the critical spotlight of the Christian right. In 1999, the Rev. Jerry Falwell described Tinky Winky, the purse-toting purple Teletubbie, as a gay role model.

 

[beli]

Wasnt Noddy banned for sleeping with Big Ears as well?

 

[Macfistowannabe]

I've read something from the New York Times that suggests that SpongeBob is a homosexual. Why can't they just say he's a sponge? However, I think this is over the top. He's a friggin' cartoon character who is on a g-rated TV show. Now if they had SpongeBob and Patrick sharing a bed together, there would be a basis for an argument.

 

[beli]

Now if they had SpongeBob and Patrick sharing a bed together, there would be a basis for an argument.

Why? Thats what did Noddy and Big Ears in. People (and asexual cartoon characters) can sleep together in the one bed. It's not an automatic presumption of sex occurring.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

Point taken, but I was trying to avoid being graphic.

 

[AvsGirl41]

Spongebob and Patrick were pseudo-husband and wife in one episode, where they cared for a lost baby clam.

It was hysterical.

I wonder if that's on this video...

 

[U2democrat]

ok who here shared a bed with someone of the same gender when they were kids? was it so harmful? NO! geez this is nuts.

 

[Sheltie]

Some people need to get a life. Going after spongebob? Get real!

 

[U2democrat]

personally i cannot abide spongebob but if little kids like it more power to 'em!

 

[A_Wanderer]

I like futurama more ~ bender gets a sex change operation to become a fembot in order to keep ill-gotten Olympic medals in bending and winds up getting engaged to a manbot. And it has zombie-Jesus, the second coming of Jesus happening and life going on as normal and the head of the amalgamated church (Father Changsteinelghamal) telling Fry that praying is useless.

 

[U2democrat]

brilliant post, A.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Im like a photocopier, all this stuff goes in and it is repeated in the posts

 

[WinnieThePoo]

sponge bob cartoons are good and funny

 

[Do Miss America]

He's a fucking sponge! Last time I checked sponges are asexual. Now this is a case of homophobia. People can claim whatever they want, but this is a clear case.

 

[Sheltie]

Its spongeophobia

 

[sallycinnamon78]

He's a fucking sponge! Last time I checked sponges are asexual.

Ah! So you've been eyeing up sponges, have you?

Homophobic nonsense.

 

[verte76]

I agree, this is homophobic nonsense. Someone needs to get a life.

 

[DrTeeth]

These Christian Conservative groups always crack me up!

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Yeah - they've also got:
Barnophobia
Poohophobia
Bobophobia
Rugratophobia.

The bastards.

How anyone can take this stuff seriously is beyond me. These people also decided that Harry Potter is evil!!!!

 

[cardosino]

Wasnt Noddy banned for sleeping with Big Ears as well?

I always thought Captain Pugwash was a bit suspect.......

 

[Do Miss America]

Don't you people realize their's an underground homosexual agenda to turn all kids gay? All homosexuals become cartoonists and puppeteers. I mean this dates back to Howdy Dooty and of course Bert and Ernie are gay.

 

[coemgen]

Wow, this is just dumb. Ok, so who's next when it comes to gay children's shows. I'm guessing Big Bird is next.

 

[sallycinnamon78]

I always thought Captain Pugwash was a bit suspect.......

I have friends who actually believed that Seaman Staines, Master Bates and Roger the Cabin Boy were real Pugwash characters...

 

[Irvine511]

Don't you people realize their's an underground homosexual agenda to turn all kids gay? All homosexuals become cartoonists and puppeteers. I mean this dates back to Howdy Dooty and of course Bert and Ernie are gay.

you're absolutely right. when homosexuals were invented in the early 1950s, they began to hatch their recruitment plots. critical mass wasn't reached until the 1970s, and then as the 80s rolled into the 90s, the recruiting/brainwashing mechanism became very sophistocated. this is why you see more homosexuals now -- the sad thing is that the political Christian Right is hot on the trail and become much more adept at sniffing out all the homosexual recruitment messages that are skillfully inserted (huh-huh ... inserted) into popular culture, even at the Teletubbies level (gotta get 'em while they're young).

 

[BAW]

Irvine!



The creator of Spongebob has said in several interviews that he is 100% asexual...Spongebob that is, not his creator

I can't believe a cartoon sponge's sexuality (or lack of in this case) would even cross someone's mind, let alone cause them to issue a warning

 

[sallycinnamon78]

you're absolutely right. when homosexuals were invented in the early 1950s, they began to hatch their recruitment plots. critical mass wasn't reached until the 1970s, and then as the 80s rolled into the 90s, the recruiting/brainwashing mechanism became very sophistocated. this is why you see more homosexuals now -- the sad thing is that the political Christian Right is hot on the trail and become much more adept at sniffing out all the homosexual recruitment messages that are skillfully inserted (huh-huh ... inserted) into popular culture, even at the Teletubbies level (gotta get 'em while they're young).

The scariest part is, I know someone who really believes all that shit! Check this out if you dare: http://lesbianstudies.com/oldsite/frankfurt.htm

I gave this the benefit of the doubt originally, thinking that it must be satirical... but no.
Now that's scary.

 

[nbcrusader]

I love how the media uses conservative christians and homosexual groups as pawns to create attention grabbing headlines.

If you read the article, this has nothing to do with SpongeBob.

This is a minor (and stupid) point about the We Are Family Foundation.

 

[Doozer61]

Here's an editorial from today's LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion...6619417.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials


This was my favorite part:

"Chiming in, a homosexuality detection expert at the similarly conservative Family Research Council called words like "tolerance" and "diversity" part of a "coded language that is regularly used by the homosexual community."

Forget prime-time raunchiness — Janet Jackson's pixelated nipple or Nicollette Sheridan's towel drop on "Monday Night Football." The real threat lurks in the morning cartoons. "



What the hell is a "Homosexuality Detection Expert"?

 

[neutral]

Don't you people realize their's an underground homosexual agenda to turn all kids gay? All homosexuals become cartoonists and puppeteers. I mean this dates back to Howdy Dooty and of course Bert and Ernie are gay.

 

[cardosino]

What the hell is a "Homosexuality Detection Expert"?

Someone with a really big Gaydar