January 21, 200521 yr This could possibly be the dumbest story of 2005: LOS ANGELES - Christian Conservative groups have issued a gay alert warning over a children's video starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and a host of other cartoon favorites. 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 100 TV cartoon stars. It was made by a foundation set up by songwriter Nile Rodgers after the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks to promote the nation's healing process. 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," Dr James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said in a statement on Thursday. Rodgers was astounded at the attack. "That is so myopic and harsh. 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," he told Reuters. Dobson was quoted by the New York Times on Thursday as having singled out the wildly popular SpongeBob during remarks about the video at a Washington D.C. dinner this week. 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 was popular with gays. His creator, Stephen Hillenburg, said at the time that although SpongeBob was an oddball, he thought of all the characters as asexual. It is not the first time that children's TV favorites have come under the critical spotlight of the U.S. Christian right. Tinky Winky, the purse-toting purple Teletubbie, was in 1999 declared a homosexual role model by Rev. Jerry Falwell. Don't these activists have anything else they can do?
January 21, 200521 yr If they're busy with this sort of goofiness, then they're not off doing something really dangerous. I don't think Sponge Bob has enough brain cells to be gay :lol 661458[/snapback] Bugs Bunny is much gayer than SpongeBob SquarePants.
January 21, 200521 yr True that bugs used to kiss elmer on occasion, but Spongebob has been adopted as a gay icon by many of the major gay communities.
January 21, 200521 yr Author I've heard the creator of the show, not to mention the guy who voices the character, say on many occasions that he doesn't believe that the character is supposed to be gay. Remember people, it's just a children's cartoon show, not a gay pride statement.
January 21, 200521 yr If they're busy with this sort of goofiness, then they're not off doing something really dangerous. I don't think Sponge Bob has enough brain cells to be gay :lol 661458[/snapback] Bugs Bunny is much gayer than SpongeBob SquarePants. 661459[/snapback] You will take back any making fun of Bugs Bunny this instant.
January 21, 200521 yr Um.... have you watched the Lilo & Stitch cartoon series on Disney Channel? Pleakley, the one-eyed alien, is definitely gay. Let's see... he's always dressed in women's clothes and a woman's wig with makeup on (in other words, in drag). One episode, his mother wanted him to get married to a female alien and he did not want to. He wanted to be single all his life. Hmmm...... Here's a link for reference.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Pleakley And another... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Pleakley
January 21, 200521 yr It's not like kids really understand the joke, anyway. 661709[/snapback] BUT IT TEACHES TOLERANCE!!!! :thumbdown
January 22, 200521 yr Author Here's an opinion piece on this story, which I think makes some good points. By Michael Ventre MSNBC contributor Since I am a compassionate and tolerant person, I hate to generalize about any particular group. Because people are so wonderfully diverse, proudly independent and gloriously unique, any racial, ethnic or religious pigeonholing would be deeply insulting, not to mention inaccurate. So when I hear the word ?Christian? these days, I don?t assume good or bad. All sorts of people fall within that category. In my humble opinion, Jesus Christ was an important and influential figure in world history, and I respect that. Because he was a symbol of love and understanding, the term ?What Would Jesus Do?? resonates powerfully. If we all acted as Jesus would, I believe the world would be at peace, and love would wash over all of God?s children. But of course, not all Christians are alike. Many, if not most, Christians understand the true message of Jesus. But there is a frightening number of so-called Christians who can be best described as creepy, rigid, arrogant, cruel, know-it-all, pompous, obnoxious and treacherous ? better known by the acronym C.R.A.C.K.P.O.T. These CRACKPOT Christians are nothing new. Throughout history there have been dangerous fools of all persuasions who have perverted religious text for their own selfish purposes. What they like to do, in essence, is force-feed their twisted beliefs on others while hiding behind a respectable label, thereby conning folks into thinking that their mean-spirited behavior is really born out of kindness and generosity. But the CRACKPOT Christians may have gone too far. Now they?re messing with SpongeBob. SpongeBob SquarePants is a hugely popular cartoon character. He lives inside a pineapple underneath the sea. The CRACKPOT Christians, however, would like you to believe that he really lives in a loft in Greenwich Village above an antiques store with his longtime companion. The CRACKPOT Christians want to warn Americans that a music video being sent to 61,000 U.S. schools in March featuring SpongeBob and promoting a message of tolerance is really a surreptitious attempt to turn straights into gays. Specifically, they?re upset by a ?tolerance pledge? on the website of the nonprofit We Are Family Foundation, the producer of the video, that asks people to respect the sexual identity of others along with their abilities, beliefs, culture and race. I?ve only caught bits and pieces of SpongeBob, but I never noticed any Bette Midler playing in the background. Nor have I seen SpongeBob shopping for china at Williams Sonoma, or French-kissing another male sponge. He does, however, hold hands with his sidekick Patrick and enjoys watching the imaginary TV show, ?The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy,? so I can see why the CRACKPOT Christians might get their knickers in a knot believing that the moral foundation of our nation?s schoolchildren is in grave peril because a couple of cartoon characters touched each other. But why stop at SpongeBob? I?m sure the CRACKPOT Christians are, at this very moment, gathered somewhere in a secret location, scrutinizing old clips of Tom and Jerry to detect any signs of mutual arousal. I know the CRACKPOT Christians are all over the rumor that whenever Scooby-Doo humps a leg, it?s always a man?s leg. And have you noticed that Ed, Edd N Eddy hug each other quite a bit? I guarantee you the CRACKPOT Christians have noticed. The now-infamous SpongeBob video ? or as it is more commonly known now among CRACKPOT Christians, ?The Insidious Perpetuation of the Undersea Gay Agenda By Animated Phylum Porifera? ? also features such notable characters as Barney, Winnie the Pooh, Bob the Builder, the Rugrats and others. By their participation, I have to assume they are targets as well. The CRACKPOT Christians will ask, ?Why is it we never see Barney with a girlfriend?? Or ?Is Winnie?s preoccupation with honey just a smokescreen?? And ?Exactly what type of ?tools? is Bob the Builder busy with these days?? This situation might be funny if it wasn?t so insane. Yet rather than dump on the CRACKPOT Christians for placing their heads in an anatomically impossible position, I feel a little sorry for them. By turning SpongeBob into a controversy, they?re destroying the miniscule amount of credibility they might have had in the eyes of real Christians and others. These CRACKPOT Christians have succeeded in doing something I thought would be impossible: They?re giving Jesus Christ a bad name. For a lot of people, this might be unforgivable. But I?m more compassionate than most. I would like to help the CRACKPOT Christians redeem themselves. After all, they?re human, or at least they started out that way. Guiding these CRACKPOT Christians along the path of righteousness will be a Herculean task, but as the Bible tells us, miracles do happen. How can I preach tolerance and then turn my back on those who need it most? The first step for the CRACKPOT Christians is to accept that they have a problem. I know programs exist that can reprogram the insufferably preachy and transform them back into normal people like the rest of us. They have to get the message that taking the Good Book, living by the parts they agree with and disregarding the parts they don?t, is a learned behavior and can be cured. They need to be taught that looking for secret messages where none exist is an urge that should be resisted. Maybe they could use an instructional video.
January 22, 200521 yr Author The writer is a latent homophobe. When you steryotype a large group of people with remarks like : "...but I never noticed any Bette Midler playing in the background. Nor have I seen SpongeBob shopping for china at Williams Sonoma..." you reveal your true prejudices. 662172[/snapback] I was surprised that he made so many stereotypical references in the article.
January 22, 200521 yr My god, it's worse than the thing with Jerry Falwell and the purple teletubby with the upside down triangle on his head
January 22, 200521 yr I will now most likely bore you with the Spongebob Theme Song! (PS: he not gay!) Captain: Are you ready kids? Kids: Aye-aye Captain. Captain: I can't hear you... Kids: Aye-Aye Captain!! Captain: Oh! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Kids: SpongeBob SquarePants! Captain: Absorbent and yellow and porous is he! Kids: SpongeBob SquarePants! Captain: If nautical nonsense be something you wish... Kids: SpongeBob SquarePants! Captain: Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish! Kids: SpongeBob SquarePants! Captain: Ready? EveryBody: SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! Captain: SpongeBob.... SquarePants! Haha.
January 22, 200521 yr Well we now know who stole those inflatable spongebobs and what there plans for them were. :mischief
January 22, 200521 yr Spongebob doesn't dress well enough to be gay. BTW, why don't rabbits make any noise when they're having sex? Because they have cotton balls :plain
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