SpongeTubby

Topic

Conservative Christians Condemn

SpongeBob and the Teletubbies
By Charlotte H.

Teletubby Facts

Tinky Winky (purple), Dipsy (green), Laa-Laa (yellow) and Po (red)

* produced from 1997 - 2001 by Ragdoll Productions
* invented by Anne Wood and written by Andrew Davenport, Ragdoll's creative director
* 365 episodes
* BBC children's television series aimed at children between the ages of one and four
* Won a BAFTA in 1998
* Single 'Teletubbies say Eh-Oh' based around the show's theme song, reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1997 and remained in the top 100 for eight months, selling over a million copies.

General Complaints about the Teletubbies

*Dumming down television

*Too psychedelic (bright colours)

*Could be compared to drug induced hallucinations

Is Tinky Winky Gay?

* academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst first "outed" Tinky Winky in a letter in July 1997 to the magazine 'The Face'

* Washington Post "In/Out" column stated that lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres was "out" as the chief national gay representative, while trendy Tinky Winky was "in".

Jerry Falwell

http://www.falwell.com

Fundamentalist Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist from the USA
Founder of The National Liberty Journal

February 1999
An article was printed warning parents that Tinky Winky could be a hidden gay symbol

- purple is close to pink (which is the gay pride colour)
- has a triangular antenna on his head ("pink triangle" symbol of homosexuality)
- carries a red item of luggage (handbags usually used by women)
- in one episode is seen to try on a skirt
- largest of the Teletubbies (biggest role model, parent figure)
- controversy due to original actor's sexual orientation

"These subtle depictions are no doubt intentional, and parents are warned to be alert to these elements of the series," the magazine said.

Falwell denied any personal involvement with the original article

A Handbag?

A spokesman for Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., who licenses the characters in the United States, said that Tinky Winky's luggage was just a magic bag.

"The fact that he carries a magic bag doesn't make him gay. It's a children's show, folks. To think we would be putting sexual innuendo in a children's show is kind of outlandish."

Outcome

- antenna and colour left the same
- the bag was removed
- the actor playing Tinky Winky was replaced with another

Comments on Tinky Winky vs Jerry Falwell

'It is unimportant how Falwell "knows" this (but then all gays are supposed to be able to tell about each other). What is important is that he has tried to stir up parents about the asserted sexual orientation of a fictitious, genderless, non-human character in a TV show'.

'Besides, what self-respecting queen wears an all-purple outfit -- carrying a red purse?'

SpongeBob Facts

SpongeBob SquarePants is a gullible sponge, who lives in a pineapple in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom and works at the Krusty Krab

SpongeBob's best friend is Patrick Star who is a cheerful, naïve and unintelligent starfish.

* Created by animator and marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg
* series debut July 17, 1999
* The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 2004

Problems

- SpongeBob and Patrick's close friendship under suspicion as they were frequently depicted
holding hands.

- In the 2002 episode "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve", SpongeBob and Patrick adopt a baby scallop
hence making a major life decisions together, as a couple would.

- In three episodes, SpongeBob is portrayed for brief moments in women's clothing

- SpongeBob has a human-like sexual identity

What do the producers say?

Stephen Hillenburg states SpongeBob to be asexual, as he is a sponge. In early episodes it's revealed that SpongeBob reproduces by budding and making baby sponges come out of his holes; this is not so different than what real sponges do.

Outcome

Stephen Hillenburg announced publicly that SpongeBob and Patrick are not gay.

We Are Family Foundation Video

Foundation set up by songwriter Nile Rodgers after the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks to promote the nation's healing process

We Are Family Video commercial was designed to encourage tolerance and diversity.

Features SpongeBob, Barney, Winnie the Pooh, Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, the Rugrats, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Jimmy Neutron and Big Bird and 100 TV cartoon stars and was sent to 61,000 private elementary schools throughout the United States

James C. Dobson Ph.D.

http://www.family.org

conservative Protestant Christian and psychologist who presents a daily radio program called Focus on the Family on over 6,000 stations worldwide in more than a dozen languages which is listened to by 200 million people every day in 164 countries.

Books
"Emotions: Can You Trust Them?"
"What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women"
"Dare to Discipline"

He believes homosexuality can be cured in adults and prevented in children.

On January 20, 2005, The New York Times published an article, "Conservatives Pick Soft Target: A Cartoon Sponge"

Dobson denied accusing SpongeBob SquarePants of being gay and made his opinions on the subjet clear in his monthly Newsletter in February 2005

"Childhood symbols are apparently being hijacked to promote an agenda that involves
teaching homosexual propaganda to children."

"Quite simply, it is to desensitize very young children to homosexual and bisexual behavior."

"Every individual is entitled to respect and human dignity, including those with whom we
disagree strongly. But kids should not be taught that homosexuality is just another "lifestyle,"
or that it is morally equivalent to heterosexuality.
Scripture teaches that all overt sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage is sinful and
harmful. Children should not be taught otherwise by their teachers, and certainly not if their parents are unaware of the instruction."

Outcome

A spokesman for the We Are Family foundation suggests that anyone who thought the video promoted homosexuality
"needs to visit their doctor and get their medication increased."

Many SpongeBob fans have also pointed to the fact that many more characters besides SpongeBob were featured in the commercial, and SpongeBob's appearance is only a few seconds long.

Comments on SpongeBob vs James C. Dobson

"So, let's see if I got this straight...a childlike underwater sea sponge lives alone and has a casual romantic relationship with a furry mammal...and fundamentalists needed to come up with something imaginary to complain about?!?"

"So, would they rather it had hardcore sex scenes in it?? I mean, is there really a need to depict a children's cartoon character as sexually active? "

Attacks on other Children's Programs

The Reverend Joseph Chambers, a Pentecostal minister from Charlotte, North Carolina, has a radio ministry that broadcasts in four Southern states and has stern views on several children's TV characters

1. Bert and Ernie

"They're two grown men sharing a house -- and a bedroom! They share clothes. They eat and cook together. They vacation together and have effeminate characteristics. In one show Bert teaches Ernie how to sew. In another they tend plants together. If this isn't meant to represent a homosexual union, I can't imagine what it's supposed to represent."

2. Barney the Dinosaur

points taken from Chambers book "Barney: The Purple Messiah"

- Barney is purple (a clear sign of deviant sexuality)
- "Barney is much more than just a fun creature of kids' imaginations. He is a
politically correct teacher of everything on the liberal left's agenda, from New Age evolution to radical ecology."

"To many children Barney has become a guru of sorts. He teaches transcendental thought and mystical ideas. Nothing comes through Barney's teachings more clearly than the New Age idea of using our minds to create miracles. God alone is supernatural."

3. The Lion King

- promotes voodoo, necromancy, astrology and ESP.

- Reverend Donald Wildmon claimed that two stars of "The Lion King" -- Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog - are "the first homosexual Disney characters ever to come to the screen."

Nathan Lane, one of the actors who provided for the cartoon characters that "Timon is a feisty little cheerful fellow. He and Pumbaa seem to have a very nice arrangement -- though I
couldn't say what the extent of their relationship is."

And Ernie Sabella also laughingly dismissed the suggestion, saying, "I know what Nathan says about them -- these are the first homosexual Disney characters ever to come to the screen. You can call Timon a gay character. Just don't say he reminds you of Jackie Gleason."

- American Life League, a Virginia-based anti-abortion group claims that clouds in "The Lion King" form the word sex over Simba's head

It doesn't.

4. The Little Mermaid

- The minister in it apparently has an erection

Tom Sito, who drew the bishop, said, "If I wanted to put ... messages in a movie, you would see it. This is silly."

5. Aladdin

- A voice on the soundtrack urges, "All good teenagers, take off your clothes."

Aladdin's line is actually, "Scat, good tiger, take off and go," says a Disney spokesperson.

6. Harry Potter" books and films

- 'Exposing one's children to a heavy dose of the supernatural, even if portrayed through the activities of appealing characters, is not acceptable. The siren call of the occult in children's movies and cartoons can be appealing'

Christian critics also cite "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," (Exodus 22:18).

7. "Shrek 2"

- The Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) Web site, there is now a page with the headline Parents Beware: 'Shrek 2' Features Transgenderism And Crossdressing Themes.

Charles Keil, a film studies professor at the University of Toronto, says
"The whole idea behind the Shrek movies is a general message of tolerance - that outward appearances don't matter and that it's what's underneath that counts - and such complaints
defeat that larger, more important message."

Other TV Cross dressers include…

* Bug Bunny dressed up in women's clothes and kissed his male tormentors.

* Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges.

* Benny Hill and Monty Python

Finding Satan's hand in the world of entertainment is almost as old as religion

Roman philosopher Tertullian condemned the "pleasures of the spectacle" warning his fellow Christians to avoid wrestling, chariot racing, the circus, theaters and gladiator shows.

Should a child's viewing habit be monitored?

According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the average TV watcher sees
14,000 references to sex

and the average child watches
8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence by the end of elementary school.

Studies show that some Children learn behaviour through watching television and are desensitised to aggression and death.

At least one young children's teacher in Brazil conducted experiments involving children's reaction to some episodes of the Teletubbies, and found they experienced problems with the gender roles of the characters and their own identification with them.

So what now…?

A brief opinion on all of the above:

'Hey did you know that there's a war going on, homeless people, child abuse and global warming? You'd think that these people could find something else to worry about.'

Discussion Points

Should children's television habits be monitored?

Is every famous character - real or fictional - supposed to be a role model?

Do you think having a cartoon character as a role model is desirable/harmful?

SpongeTubby

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Topic

Teletubby Facts

General Complaints about the Teletubbies

Is Tinky Winky Gay?

Jerry Falwell

A Handbag?

Outcome

Comments on Tinky Winky vs Jerry Falwell

SpongeBob Facts

Problems

What do the producers say?

Outcome

We Are Family Foundation Video

James C. Dobson Ph.D.

Outcome

Comments on SpongeBob vs James C. Dobson

Attacks on other Children's Programs

1. Bert and Ernie

2. Barney the Dinosaur

3. The Lion King

4. The Little Mermaid

5. Aladdin

6. Harry Potter" books and films

7. "Shrek 2"

Should a child's viewing habit be monitored?

Monday, January 16, 2006

So what now…?

Discussion Points

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