Unanswered Question: What’s wrong with Spongebob?

I revisit this question now and then. There was a trendy campaign by budding ‘super-moms’, around the time when my first granddaughter was born, to vilify a cartoon character.

In their defense, they imagined themselves having the long sought perfect recipe for ‘creating’ the next Einstein. Little did they realize that Einstein was born, not created. But, however frustrating, newbie Moms have only good intentions.

Having watched many episodes of Spongebob at the time, I was often scratching my head and wondering, “What’s wrong with Spongebob?”

For those who have never had the pleasure of watching, I’ll list Spongebob’s major characteristics:

He’s innocent and a bit naive.
He loves his pet snail and dotes on him.
He’s an eager and trustworthy employee at the “Krusty Krab”.
He’s a loyal friend to Patrick (a bit of a ‘special needs’ character).
He always projected a positive attitude that never quit.

So, what was the cult following of Moms finding fault with? The most often repeated complaint about the cartoon was that it was “mindless”. Here’s a modern-day response I wish I had known…IT’S a CARTOON, KAREN!

But there I was, watching, laughing at, and enjoying Spongebob with my grandchild supposedly doing her great harm? For years, we’ve even quoted that cartoon as its subliminal wisdom came through to anyone who bothered to watch it.

I don’t know whether any of the Moms who were loudest about their Spongebob boycott ever ‘saw the light’ but it seems ominously a silent arena now when it comes to newer cartoons promoting ‘gender fluidity’ and out right intolerance of “non-woke” themes.

It was a startling glimpse into the upside-down future we’re now dealing with for sure.