Pediatricians' group finds fault with "SpongeBob"
By Daniel Frankel | Reuters – Sun, Sep 11, 2011Related Content
Joi Mecks and her daughter Noelle, 3, shop at the south loop neighborhood Target …
By Daniel Frankel
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - First it was the far right, which singled out the animated kids' series "SpongeBob SquarePants" for promoting pro-gay and global-warming-awareness agendas.
And Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics will take aim at the 12-year-old Nickelodeon show, reporting a study that concludes the fast-paced show, and others like it, aren't good for children.
According to an individual with knowledge of the AAP's press strategy, the organization's Monday announcement will be picked up by news organizations including ABC and NBC.
Nickelodeon didn't have a comment on the matter, but did release this statement, questioning the seaworthiness of the study: "Having 60 non-diverse kids, who are not part of the show's targeted demo, watch nine minutes of programing is questionable methodology and could not possibly provide the basis for any valid findings that parents could trust."
A key issue for Nickelodeon officials: "SpongeBob" is targeted to kids 6-11, but the study focused on 4-year-olds.
An individual close to the network said the program's broad awareness among parents has been leveraged before to gain noteriety and spur funding.
In 2005, James Dobson, head of the Christian right group Focus on the Family, said the cartoon's tolerance themes were really code for gay-agenda promotion.And just last month, Fox News personalities Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson criticized the series, as well as the U.S. Department of Education, for allegedly promoting global-warming science.
As for its study, officials for the American Academy of Pediatrics were unavailable for comment on Sunday.
"People do studies all the time about the effects of media. This one will stress out parents unnecessarily," said an individual close to Nickelodeon.
Comments from Doozler
Doctors' groups don't always get it right. What group opposed national seatbelt laws back in the 60s? Yes, the American Medical Association. It claimed seatbelts would do unwarranted harm to the body's internal organs.
And the position of this group of pediatricians is also a little dubious. If doctors' groups issued a thousand press releases about the negative influence of violent video games on young children, then we would take their concern about spongebob squarepants a little more seriously. But since we don't see the former. We can't get too interested when pediatricians say the cartoon series may encourage harmful environmental attitudes.
And the position of this group of pediatricians is also a little dubious. If doctors' groups issued a thousand press releases about the negative influence of violent video games on young children, then we would take their concern about spongebob squarepants a little more seriously. But since we don't see the former. We can't get too interested when pediatricians say the cartoon series may encourage harmful environmental attitudes.
On someone's demented scale of social responsibility somehow global warming trumps murder or even genocide. What's wrong with this picture?
As for Fox News, their position is entirely consistent with their political posture. If Spongebob were a GI Joe type with a military haircut and an automatic weapon we don't think Fox would have too many problems with him.
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