John Martz

Joel says:

Amazing post! Me and my brother were just talking about this just yesterday. Of course neither of us were bright enough to find the screen captures! Good work!

Candy says:

David: nowhere in the video is sexuality even mentioned. So what, exactly, is the FOTF’s beef with the video?

David says:

Candy, I haven’t seen the video (have you?) so I cannot comment on what is or is not said in the video. but I don;t have to have seen it to stand behind my previous comments, since my comments are about what I read in this blog vs. what I read at the FOTF website.

I am only saying that FOTF is being misquoted and misrepresented. FOTF has never said anything about Spongebob, its characters or it creators.

These comments from RobotJohnny are irresponsible: “Conservative Christian groups in the United States are protesting that everyone’s favourite absorbant and yellow and porous cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants promotes homosexuality to children” and “If the group Focus on Family wants to plaster “Warning: Product May Have Come In Contact With GAYS”

They are funny comments, but they throw gas on the wrong fire.

In answer to your question: So what, exactly, is the FOTF’s beef with the video? I suggest you go read their statement carefully. There are some subtle points that are critical to understanding their position that are not understood on a cursory scan of the text.

David says:

RJ, that’s CNN saying that! Not Dobson.

You are taking CNN at their word. Why?

if Dobson is singling out Spongebob, he’s certainly big enough to admit it and stand behind it. But instead, what he is specifically saying—as a highly respected PhD of Child Psychology and Family Counseling—”We applaud the ideal of championing to children the value and dignity of every human life as well as respect for our differences. [emphasis mine] What we vehemently object to is using these beloved characters to help advance an agenda that’s beyond the comprehension of 6 and 7 year-old children, not to mention morally offensive to millions of moms and dads.”

Somehow Dobson gets credited with singling out Spongebob, but I haven’t seen the quote to support such a claim. The clever CNN writer also ties Dobson in with the so-called “outing” of Spongebob as being popular with Gays, but it is the same article by CNN that says “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.”

It’s the media, not FOTF, pointing at a Spongebob/Gay connection. The media have to make a buck, so they stoop that low. I merely thought you were above that, RJ

David says:

Well, that’s worth a buck.

Where’s a Paypal link around here that I can send a dollar to?

Robot Johnny says:

Good eye, Candy.

Candy says:

This is from eonline.com, so I’m not sure how “reliable” a news source it would be, but here’s more information on the debacle: http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15756,00.html?rsstv

“Dobson based his charge on a “tolerance pledge” found on the We Are Family Foundation Website. The two paragraph statement seeks “respect for people whose abilities, beliefs, culture, race, sexual identity or other characteristics are different from my own."”

(...)

“The group [We Are Family Foundation], founded by music industry veteran Nile Rodgers, who wrote “We Are Family,” said the offending “tolerance pledge,” which it stands behind, won’t even be included in the DVD package mailed to schools.”

Here’s an article with a statement from Niles Rodgers himself regarding his intentions when he made the DVD: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/10709281.htm?1c

“The video’s creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit “We Are Family,” said Dobson’s objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video featuring 100 well-known cartoon characters - of many species - dancing to his song in order to teach children about multiculturalism.”

I performed a very simple search on Yahoo! News (spongebob focus family) and found a whole bunch of entries from a whole bunch of different newspapers and news agencies, and not one of them said the video contained messages regarding tolerating homosexuality--Dobbs’ entire complaint stems from the “tolerance pledge” on the site. This type of argument is tantamount to arguing that a book written by any gay man is gay propaganda, even if the book features nothing but heterosexual characters and nothing is mentioned regarding sexuality.

Robot Johnny says:

True, but it IS a robot lady.  I think Bugs is just very, very kinky.

Roger says:

David, this is really very simple.

If you don’t want your children to see the video, DON’T LET THEM WATCH IT.

Don’t support people who want to censor, simply because THEY don’t agree with what is said.

Censorship is unAmerican, whether you’re talking about 6 year olds or 60 year olds.

Rev. Dr. Spyder X says:

Okay,so times have changed.. when I was at that schoolage,parents were objecting that the school system was teaching young,impressionable minds about heterosexual sex!! OMG!! Now,years later those same kids are all grown up,parents themselves, and are now outraged about their kids learning about and respecting gay people. Of course it’s okay that their kids are learning about hetero sex,too! 30 years down the road the new batch of parents will be bitching about clone sex!! And so it goes....

sergio says:

Awesome post! And here’s what I don’t get about people who oppose this video, regardless of the appearance or not of the “respect towards sexual tendencies” message:

What, exactly, if anything, is wrong with telling children to respect other people’s beliefs, behaviour or choice of partner? Are all these supposedly “caring, responsible parents” instead going to teach them to disrespect people different from them?

Really, unless you want to teach your child to be a racist, ignorant bigot, I don’t see the issue in a message that, to me, sounds like it’s just common sense, and completely harmless, at that.

And Bugs in drag was pretty hot…

David says:

Candy-Quoted: (Did you like that one, RJ?) .. not one of them said the video contained messages regarding tolerating homosexuality.

Nor did I, nor did Dobson.

Candy-quoted: Dobbs’ entire complaint stems from the “tolerance pledge” on the site.

First, it’s “Dobson” (see earlier comment about cursory readings), and second you are making my point better than I am: He is objecting to the tolerance pledge. Thank you. You now see why RobotJohnny’s blog is way off base, since you and I now agree that Dobson never said any such thing.

I think you and I are both in favor of intellectual honesty. Sometimes it just takes a while to flesh it out.

Candy-quoted: This type of argument is tantamount to arguing that a book written by any gay man is gay propaganda, even if the book features nothing but heterosexual characters and nothing is mentioned regarding sexuality.

I don;t agree those are equal, or near-equal. I agree that the personal beliefs of Niles Rodgers or the We Are Family Organization that “everyone needs to tolerate others’ sexual identity” may have a difficult time being communicated to school children through a viewing of SpongeBob, but I would argue at this point that there is nothing inherently caustic about Dobson commenting on the association of those beliefs and school children. He makes a mention of helping parents to connect the dots, and that is all he is doing, I believe.

In the 80s an illustrator friend (and former student) of mine was making thousands of dollars per month doing really cool illustrations for a new computer magazine (I think it was called Computer Gaming World). He showed me his illustrations in print, and I looked through the whole magazine, and saw nothing objectionable.

I thanked him for the lead, and before he gave me their phone number, he mentioned that I should know that when I called I will hear “Larry Flynt Publishing...” when they answer the phone.

Those were dots I didn’t want to connect, and I appreciated knowing about the remote connection so I could make my own decision about the association. I chose not to work with them, and never slighted my friend for choosing otherwise.

I think this is a similar thing. Someone at the huge FOTF operation comes acrorss an article about the 61,000 schools/video thing and says to himself, “Hey, isn’t that from that organization that has as their motto soemthing about tolerating different sexual identities? Maybe that connection isn’t apporpriate for 6 or 7 year olds.”

That’s not entirely unreasonable thinking. But then, I am only speculating as to the series of [unfortunate?} events.

David says:

Ha! That’s better than I could come up with at such an occasion.

“Hi. Uh… congratulations on getting… uh… your job back.

“Oh geez.”

At that point, I would stammer and point to a Mickey Mouse drawing and accuse Micky of something Goofy.

MonkeyBoy says:

I think a lot of the current problems can be traced back to the 1930s Hays Code:

3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

It has always been ok to have gay/cross-dressing characters as long as they are funny (being ridiculed) but either they must just be pretending or little of their their lifestyle is revealed or recommended.

Even long after Hays was junked for letter-coded movie ratings most seemingly gay characters were inserted solely for their humor (derision) value.

Today’s problem is that the current enemies of sodomy have realized that they themselves might be gay as well as all the low-key movie and cartoon characters they admire.

jafer says:

Wow, do you ever got a lot of comments… and a lot of ‘debatey-like’ ones.

My daughter watches Sponge Bob - I can’t “tolerate” the show myself, although I’m amused with her obsession with the stuffed toys, remote, the slippers, shirts, pajamas and everything else SB that she can find.

Although she knows of ‘gayness’, I don’t think that this cartoon ever caused any propensity towards it for her, just as bugs bunny never did for me.

I guess I wouldn’t be big on anyone promoting ‘tolerance’ anywhere, but I’m fine with the idea of ‘acceptance’ of others’ choices for themselves.

Dystopos says:

Remember when cartoon characters used to tell us that we didn’t need to go buy stuff? Like how we could make our own popsicles with orange juice in the ice tray?

The Hermit says:

Time For Timer!

roland says:

Good post, Robot J.

Thanks,

Roland

corq says:

I’m *still* not certain I’ve recovered from the emotional scars of seeing ‘The Red Balloon’ in the second grade. An inexplicably bonded relationship/stalking of a ‘Red Ballon and his Boy’ and thesubsequent peril of the rock-throwing youths...climaxing in the pentultimate childhood escapist fantasy.

The scars result only from the meanness of the rock-throwing scene and th symbolic wouding of the balloon. Where was FOTF for me, back then?!?!?!

Of course I found therapy at in the faux sequel:
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/atom_962

Candy says:

David: Thanks for pointing out the typo I made re: Dobson’s name. I know his name is Dobson, but I type very fast, and this time didn’t bother to proofread before I mashed that “Post” button. Ooops. But if you want to think that’s proof of my poor reading comprehension skills instead of a retarded typing error, eh, whatever.... Hey, I can’t guarantee that this post will be typo-free either, though this time I plan on using the “Preview” button; such is human nature. I noticed you yourself used a semi-colon inappropriately and misspelled “something” in your posts.

Your contention that Dobson doesn’t claim that the video contains messages promoting the tolerance of homosexuality is, I think, inaccurate. He has gone on the record calling the video a “pro-homosexual video.” It seems to me that to FOTF, merely being associated with a site that has one small statement regarding tolerance of sexuality in a two-paragraph “pledge” is enough to make the whole video “pro-homosexual.” Is this a very logical stance to make? To draw a comparison between that and the analogy you provided, this would be like saying that your friend’s illustrations had appeared in Hustler magazine itself, instead of in a computer magazine owned by a publishing conglomerate that includes Hustler.

And how exactly is my analogy not even near-equal? Dobson is objecting to the organization putting out the video and a message they espouse that’s not found in the video itself--the “tolerance pledge” isn’t even found in the supporting materials. So to make this absolutely clear, we both agree that FOTF (and by extension, Dobson) is not objecting to the work itself, right? Which would make my analogy regarding homosexual authors perfectly appropriate. FOTF’s reaction is similar to wanting something like Lady Windermere’s Fan to be banned from libraries simply because it was written by a homosexual, not because it has any overt homosexual overtones itself, and despite any literary merits it might have or its contribution towards British literature.

Here’s a quote from your first post: “I don’t want any adults—or the cartoons they provide—talking to my elementary school-aged children about what they should or should not respect about anyone’s sexuality. That’s my responsibility.”

How exactly would a video that doesn’t mention sexuality provide information about tolerance for anyone’s sexuality, especially to little kids who are very much less likely to investigate into the roots of the organization making the video? Hell, how many average adults look up information on the director or producer of a film if they watch something they like? This is the part I don’t get. I agree that people going on about the Spongebob part are focusing on a tangential issue, but honestly, do you think FOTF has the right end of the stick when they say the video will “brainwash” little kids into accepting homosexuals, that the video is engaging in a “bait and switch,” or even that the video is “pro-homosexuality”?

Jimmy Havok says:

Well of course Dobson is angry!  How dare anyone tell kids not to beat up faggots?  That’s just anti-Christian!

Robot Johnny says:

Ha!  Nice find!

dh100 says:

Remember, David; i b joshua was ‘just connecting the dots’… to your conflict of interest, that is.

Bugs Bunny says:

If love between a rabbit and his man is wrong, I don’t want to be right!

dh100 says:

Where is Rick Santorum when we need him to protect us from man on wabbit sex?

the Bob says:

My god, it’s all beginning to make sense. I didn’t really understand it until I started watching “the Bob”, but now that you have brought back all those images from my childhood I realized that I am gay. I want to be a Lumberjack! I want to listen to show tunes! I’m moving to South Beach!
What a load of crap. All the issues in the world that need attention and this Christian fascist is worried that a cartoon that tries to promote cultural awareness and understanding is going to turn these kids into queers, like it’s some sort of brainwashing you can go through and come out gay on the other side. This guy is no better than the zealots in Iraq who preach that democracy is wrong because it allows tolerance of religion. The difference in this country is that they can’t just go around killing people, so we attack and distort anything that does not flow from the polluted fount of knowledge that they stand guard over. The good news, if there is any, is that these people become more and more ridiculous every time they open their mouths.

Robot Johnny says:

Thanks, Maximus—I’ve added it above!

Jenny says:

It’s all pretty silly, even look at The Smurfs, a whole society of men living with one woman, either their living in a bee hive or someone’s going the other way. This is why cartoons on Saturday morning are for children not adults. You could deconstruct a cartoon all the hell and in the end find negatives everywhere sexual stereotypes, violence, race. It’s an old tune.. sung many time, Fred and Barney, speaking of Barney remember when they were in an uproar like 7 years ago over children watching a big dancing purple dinosaur on television.

There is always going to be something for these groups to be scared of, or threatened. People need to let go… funny how they aren’t complaining about how regularly you can see people fully naked having sex on television or talking about oral sex at 7pm… hmm.

Jack says:

They don’t care about Sponge Bob. They know perfectly well that there’s nothing in the video about gayness. These aren’t stupid people. They have entire foundations, millions of dollars, lobbyists and paid staff that do nothing but monitor and report back on this kind of thing. What this is supposed to do is generate a few headlines that the vast majority of Americans will never look into in any greater depth. They won’t ever read the explanation of how the whole thing was a crock. The real point of this and similar lies is to contribute to a general impression of some type of ‘homosexual conspiracy’ in Hollywood to poison children’s minds. People who would otherwise just shrug at giving basic rights to gays need to be slowly programmed to fear and despise gays ‘for the sake of the children.’ This way they can have more success screaming about gays come election time and get the ignorant masses to come out and vote ‘to stop the liberal homosexual conspiracy against families.’ There’s no point in getting into a debate with them about whether Sponge Bob is gay or Bugs Bunny is or whatever. These ‘conservative’ crackpots know perfectly well that they are making the whole thing up. Their job was finished on the evening news the day that they made their big announcement.

Rachel says:

How about the Thundercats, wearing all that spandex and hollering HO!!! all the time… sounds salacious to me. And what was that Snarf critter, anyway?

Ed says:

I worked on the show.  Everything we do is for a laugh.  It has nothing to do with a gay agenda.  The Bugs Bunny cartoon example is perfect.  I love those cartoons because they are funny.  I watched them a million times as I grew up and I am not gay and I have to children that watch Spongebob.  I agree that teachers or other adults in the position of teaching should not be using our children to spread their personal agenda.  That agenda what ever it might be is not part of the curriculum.  I also don’t want anyone brain washing my children about religion or politics.  Religion has no place in public schools and I have a bigger problem with that than a teacher showing an episode of Spongebob. 

Is the gay agenda to make people turn gay?  How do you turn someone gay?  I think teaching kids tolerance and respect for people who are different than they are is a good thing.  I’ve had to think about whether I want my children to fear and hate the unknown or to accept the world as being diverse.  I choose the later.  I personally think the real agenda here is that the Christian community or Conservative community wants to impose it’s agenda on everyone.  RELAX, your children will do what’s right and have faith.

FatDave says:

Suprisingly, Dobbs completely missed Mr. Squarpants’ phallic facial features:

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0403/spongebob.html

jimbob says:

FOTF = pathetic busybody retards.  Please keep your fanatic religious agenda to yourselves.

Spykekc says:

This was found on the MSNBC Website.

Because I reported on SpongeBob…
“Spam e-mails began coming into my inbox Tuesday night. They were pretty routine, damning me to eternal fires and reminding me what they ‘did’ to Dan Rather and how I’d be next. But they were generated from James Dobson’s own website, which of course negates their impact, and as a result a lot of them were downright hilarious.”

Emma Morrow says:

THANK YOU DAVID!

You have been making my points again and again! It’s obvious the media and many on this board are purposely distorting this story to put FOTF at odds with the public. It’s simply another attack on Christians that Liberals are becoming know for.

The glaring thing about this situation is how it fits into the attack pattern of modern Liberls: set up a strawman arguement, get your media buddies to repeat and enhance this strawman’s “quotes”, and then act self-rightous while carrying your advertisement fees to the bank.

It’s a form of manufactured bigotry, intentional in it’s cause of attacking Jesus, and it’s losing you Democrats elections, so KEEP IT UP!

Casper Vidor says:

The problem is that, while the math, and language skills of U. S. students continue to drop, the education system pours more effort into making students more “tolerant” instead of more intelligent.

Teachers should TEACH; not engage in social experiments.

Thank god for Bush

Chad says:

I believe at this day in age, we’ve all much more worthy subjects to worry about rather than the ambiguity of Spongebob… Special interest groups, get a life!

Ben says:

David’s, simple put, a tool (slang for idiot), and apparently a painter of naughty bits. Better not let you children see that, it might encourage and foster some oedipal desire.

Steve Rider says:

Tinky Winky Resigns, SpongeBob Takes Over At Homosexual Agenda

Reacting to recent publicity surrounding his long-time companion, Tinky Winky announced his resignation as leader of the Homosexual Agenda today, with his lover SpongeBob SquarePants taking over the lead position.

Well known Christian activist James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, this week outed SpongeBob SquarePants as the gay lover of Tinky Winky, and heir apparent to the throne at the Satanic Homosexual Agenda organization - a group that conspires to turn kindergarten age, and younger, children gay by showing them inane antics on TV.

In reacting to the news, the current leader of the Homosexual Agenda, Tinky Winky, announced that he would resign effective next week, and hand over control of the Homosexual Agenda to his partner, SpongeBob SquarePants. “We’ve been planning this for some time” Tinky Winky announced “and this unexpected outing of my love toy by Reverend Dobson has simply served to accelerate our plans.”

Regular readers of this space will recall that it was Reverend Jerry Falwell who previously outed Tinky Winky as a poster boy for the gay recruitment drive.

The animated pair of lovers, Tinky and SpongeBob, not Jerry and James, have been working for years to secretly turn innocent children gay using such highly refined brainwashing techniques as carrying a purse, and holding hands with a friend.

Homosexual Agenda board member Ellen DeGeneres said today that SpongeBob SquarePants was a natural choice to lead the international conspiracy, as he was already popular with toddlers and drag queens - two major centers of homosexual activity.

Rumors also circulated that Tinky Winky and SpongeBob SquarePants were planning a secret elopement to Massachusetts for a wedding intended to destroy the sanctity of marriage.

haya-Ahmed says:

well,bugs is always the fool one

'berto says:

Wholly fuqué!

“ATTENTION K-MART SHOPPERS: Teapots are in Aisle Six. Every shape and colour, and the right size no matter *what* your particular tempest is. Tempest Teapots, from the Franklin Mint, now a ‘blue light special’ in Aisle Six.”

I am SOOOOO glad I live in a civilized country! (Hint: It’s NORTH of the 49th Parallel). Keep Dobson and his intolerant fundie lunatics down there, please!

danni says:

this website is well cushty
xxx

Zukin the Left-Wing Wolf says:

All I have to say is this. DON’T WE HAVE BETTER THINGS TO BE WORRYING ABOUT?! We’re entrenched in the middle-east without an end in sight, our country is divided by politics to the point that we’re losing our ability to work as a whole. One party has enough power to do whatever they want, which would be horrendous with EITHER party at the helm. It’s supposed to be a checks and balances system. I realize that this isn’t exactly the place for my comments, but come on people. I think the sexuality of a bunch of ink, not to mention sexuality in general, is a pretty minor consideration next to the loss of life.

Alvaro Burgos says:

This is very good research work! People must have respect to others that are different. Sexual preferences should not be a cause for margination