IS SPONGEBOB GAY?

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: cmdrmoocow
Yeah?

So what if we teach our kids tolerance? Is there something wrong with that?

No, as long as you're not teaching them to tolerate homosexuality, because it's teh wr0ng and teh sinfullness!!1!!
That's what I hear anyway.

 

[HomerJS]

Squidward is definatly gay.

 

[SuperTool]

Seems to me like the conservative base has a problem with any tolerance for gay people.

 

[PanzerIV]

Dr. James C. Dobson is so fantastically delusional I am at a loss for words. What a world a guy like this must live in.
Rumor has it he's already working on a fact finding mission to prove Fred and Barney were gay lovers, Bugs Bunnie's infamous carrot was a metaphor for a penis and that George Jetson and Astro were engaged in beastiality.

 

[farmercal]

Just because Spongebob and Patrick raised a clam one time does not make them gay. A little mixed up perhaps, but not gay.

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

What happened to the days when people just enjoyed life and lived it instead of trying to inhibit everybody else from living theirs?

Word to anyone out there who "worries" that SpongeBob is teh gh3y... STFU, and live your own life and
AND LEAVE EVERYBODY ELSE TEH FSCK ALONE!!!11!one!. Geez, I am beginning to hate humanity more and more every day.

 

[FoBoT]

spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

sponges are asexual animals, i thought.

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Spongebob is a sponge, and they asexually reproduce right? No chance of Spongebob being gay, since I don't believe there are any male or female sponges.
I may be wrong.

 

[spaceman]

hes a sink sponge a highly ghey!
he oozes a gooey white substance that smells like Dove dish detergent.

 

[Looney]

Do these people really have nothing better in their lives than to attack a cartoon?

 

[spaceman]

PSA:SPUNGBOB IS GHEY!

 

[moshquerade]

who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: FoBoT
spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

sponges are asexual animals, i thought.

he isn't that kind of sponge, he is a dish cleaning sponge, like you buy at walmart to clean your sink

at least that is what i thought

he is square, the marine animal sponges are not square, they are like a tube or something

if he is a square sponge, he is a sponge like you buy in the store to clean your toilet

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: FoBoT
spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

sponges are asexual animals, i thought.

he isn't that kind of sponge, he is a dish cleaning sponge, like you buy at walmart to clean your sink

at least that is what i thought

he is square, the marine animal sponges are not square, they are like a tube or something

if he is a square sponge, he is a sponge like you buy in the store to clean your toilet

He is supposed to be a living sponge.

 

[moshquerade]

Absorbent and yellow and porous is he!

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: FoBoT
spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

sponges are asexual animals, i thought.

he isn't that kind of sponge, he is a dish cleaning sponge, like you buy at walmart to clean your sink

at least that is what i thought

he is square, the marine animal sponges are not square, they are like a tube or something

if he is a square sponge, he is a sponge like you buy in the store to clean your toilet

He is supposed to be a living sponge.

then why is he square?

 

[FoBoT]

ok, you are right

linnked

Q: I believe that SpongeBob SquarePants was born in Orange County.

A: In some ways, I guess that's true. I think I got a lot of inspiration from my years working at the Marine Institute in Dana Point. The idea of drawing shrimp and starfish as cartoon animals probably started there, although SpongeBob actually was created when I was working in North Hollywood on a show called "Rocko's Modern Life."

Q: Why a sponge?

A: Well, I wanted to do a show about an innocent weirdo. I drew a lot of sea creatures when I started, and the sponge seemed to be the oddest of all of them. He's not an outsider, but he's sort of a weird guy. He's a square nerd. Then I started thinking about the kid-like characters played by Jerry Lewis and Laurel & Hardy, and it all just came together.

Q: But why were you so obsessed with having a square guy as your hero? Did it perhaps have anything to do with your own childhood?

A: I'm sure I'm a bit of geek and a nerd now, and I probably was one back then, too. I always loved science and art. And I was in the school band.

Q: Enough said.

A: But I was pretty normal.

Q: Were you invisible, or did you have friends?

A: I had friends, but looking back, high school for me was probably as weird as it was for any kid. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life until art school. That's where I found something I really loved. It's where I finally found a home after years of wandering.

Q: What was the ambition when you created SpongeBob?

A: We just hoped to make some really funny shorts.

Q: At what point did you realize that it had become not only bigger than you expected but bigger than you wanted?

A (laughing): It's a double-edge sword. We love the fact that people love the show. I wouldn't want it to sound like sour grapes. You can't have it both ways. If you put something out there, and everybody likes it, you have to accept that. I personally like things before they get too big and get in everybody's face. That's the down side of success.

Q: But was there a moment when you realized the popularity of the character, and perhaps the merchandising of the character, was getting out of hand?

A: I think the moment when I realized it had gotten crazy was being on a surfing trip to Baja and seeing ceramic knock-offs of SpongeBob in Tijuana.

Q: For a publicity-shy guy like yourself, it must be awkward to suddenly be connected to something this famous.

A: I make animation because I like to draw and create things. I have no real interest to be on camera or to be a celebrity. It's not that I don't like people, but I like having my privacy.

Q: I've heard that you've resisted efforts to make SpongeBob a hipper character. Is that true?

A: Hip doesn't make him funny. What's funny about him is that he's really not that hip. He's well-meaning but he's got this goofy innocence and a lot of weird perceptions.

Q: Was a movie inevitable?

A: I never wanted to do a movie because I didn't think that what we wanted to say needed to be in a movie. I like the short-form for animation. Then this story idea came up that lent itself to a longer format. You can't do a road trip adventure in a short form.

Q: Did you enjoy the movie-making process compared to TV?

A: It was very exciting to be able to take more time to think about the story, the jokes and the drawings. The TV schedule is tight, and you don't always have a lot of time to work on your drawings. I think the movie's drawings are much superior than the TV show.

Q: Do you appreciate the irony that your type of 2-D animation (hand-drawn) has flourished at a time when 3-D animation (computer) has seemingly taken over the industry?

A: There's a lot of talk about 2-D being dead, and I hope people don't think that. Even Brad Bird (director of the computer-animated "The Incredibles") is a proponent of 2-D. He would agree with me that it's all about what you're trying to say. There are many ways to tell a story, and what's unique about animation is that there are many styles with which to tell a story.

Q: So, you're not intimidated by computer animation's hold on the industry?

A: I think it's intimidating in that those are real heavy-hitting films, and we're just a small, chugging-along movie. We're a little chug boat among a sea of ocean liners. It will be interesting to see what happens when our movie opens. If we do well, it will be good for all animation.

Q: Who is your base?

A: All I know is what they tell me, and I've been told it's a broad base, from little kids and college students to older people. We write the show to be for adults and kids. We don't aim for one particular audience; we just try to write something that's funny. If you can do that, you will get a wide audience because everybody can relate to something that's funny.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Originally posted by: Amused
Conservatives Pick Soft Target: A Cartoon Sponge

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, The New York Times

WASHINGTON (Jan. 20) - On the heels of electoral victories barring same-sex marriage, some influential conservative Christian groups are turning their attention to a new target: the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.

"Does anybody here know SpongeBob?" Dr. James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, asked the guests Tuesday night at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies to celebrate the election results.

SpongeBob needed no introduction. In addition to his popularity among children, who watch his cartoon show, he has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."

Now, Dr. Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."

The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.

Mr. Rodgers suggested that Dr. Dobson and the American Family Association, the conservative Christian group that first sounded the alarm, might have been confused because of an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called "We Are Family," which supports gay youth.

"The fact that some people may be upset with each other peoples' lifestyles, that is O.K.," Mr. Rodgers said. "We are just talking about respect."

Mark Barondess, the foundation's lawyer, said the critics "need medication."

On Wednesday however, Paul Batura, assistant to Mr. Dobson at Focus on the Family, said the group stood by its accusation.

"We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids," he said. "It is a classic bait and switch."

These people have GWB's ear.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: FoBoT
spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

sponges are asexual animals, i thought.

he isn't that kind of sponge, he is a dish cleaning sponge, like you buy at walmart to clean your sink

at least that is what i thought

he is square, the marine animal sponges are not square, they are like a tube or something

if he is a square sponge, he is a sponge like you buy in the store to clean your toilet

He is supposed to be a living sponge.

then why is he square?

WTF? Because he's a CARTOON.

 

[CPA]

I just want to know how they have a beach in the ocean? water inside of water?


anyone who saw the lifeguard episode will understand.

 

[squirrel dog]

Sponge Bob is a self styled child of the sea.His pet snail Gary,who makes cat like noises,isnt gay nor are any of Sponge Bobs friends . The Squirrel in the space suit is a bit butch,but no more so than the oddness of Squidward,or Mr.Crab for that matter.Plankton could be seen as more evil than gay.

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: FoBoT
spongebob isn't real

it is a cartoon

he is a sponge, sponges have no genitals

sponges are inanimate objects

sponges are asexual animals, i thought.

he isn't that kind of sponge, he is a dish cleaning sponge, like you buy at walmart to clean your sink

at least that is what i thought

he is square, the marine animal sponges are not square, they are like a tube or something

if he is a square sponge, he is a sponge like you buy in the store to clean your toilet

He is supposed to be a living sponge.

then why is he square?

How else would they draw him? A shapeless mass of spongelike material? As a square, he is easy to draw, and it has other meanings as well. Square also means dorky or uncool. That's the hook. He is a square sponge, with square pants.

 

Dr. James C. Dobson is a closet homosexual, that is very obvious.

 

[FoBoT]

this is some very interesting info on sponges

Q: In school, I have the assignment of putting together a report on how sponges communicate, and I can't seem to find any answers. The closest I have gotten is a scientific abstract that is too confusing for me to understand. So can you please tell me how sponges communicate? If not, can you please tell me where I might be able to get this information? Thanks a lot

A: What a great question. It's a pretty obvious question really, but most people don't think that sponges do anything they need to communicate about so they don't come up with it.

The short answer is that for the majority of sponges we don't know how they communicate. There are three groups of sponges. Two of which are cellular, that is are made up of lots of individual cells glued together by collagen and cell adhesion molecules and junctions, as we are. These are the demosponges and calcareous sponges. The third group, the hexactinellids, are syncytial. That means their cells are multinucleate, and in fact they are really really long strings of tissue, strung out like a spiders cobweb over the skeleton) with nuclei that truck around on pathways of microtubules, one of the the structural proteins of the cell that allow other molecules and proteins to move from one spot to another. OK. To communicate quickly i.e. electrically between cells you need to have an aqueous pathway, or a hole
between the cells. First, most cells are excitable themselves. If you stimulate them (poke them or apply current) the current will travel around the cell and activities in the cell will be affected. The membrane, however, acts as a good insulator stopping the current from going beyond. But, in
addition to nerves which are specialized for carrying ions (current=electrical signals), most animals have gap junctions. These act like a sieve for ions and allow a signal to pass from one cell to another.
The thing is that gap junctions haven't been found in sponges at all. They are known from the Cnidaria (jellyfish and anemones) up. So sponges that are cellular technically don't have a way to send a signal rapidly between the cells. But we do know that they can co-ordinate reproduction, as you said,
and some cringe if you touch them, though very slowly. What is likely happening in the first case is chemical communication. A hormone or something is given off by one sponge and picked up though the water it filters all through the body, and so all cells exposed receive the signal to release gametes. This doesn't have to be too quick. In the cringe response it's possible that there could be a mechanical or physical tweaking of one cell to the other, OR more likely there could be a calcium signal, passed
out though normal ion channels from one cell to the other. Calcium is used for slowish signalling in a number of animals (even in our brains by the glial cells) and could be used here, though no one has looked as it's quite a challenge.

Finally, the case of the hexactinellids is quite different. As they are syncytial their cytoplasm is all connected and there are no barriers, like the membrane, to electrical signalling. In fact if you touch a hexactinellid sponge it stops pumping water through the body right away. The response is electrical but is slower than the kind of signal that runs through nerves, mostly because the pathway is really circuitous (windy) and there could be fewer ion channels along the membrane, and likely there are fewer ions travelling in and out of the membrane each time the signal is reboosted as it travels along the sponge, all things that would slow it down. But none the less when something in the water touches a hexactinellid (perhaps a piece of dirt in the incurrent canals) an electrical signal travels through the whole sponge telling it to stop pumping. Why they have syncytial tissues, and why this ability to communicate electrically, a parallel system to nerves, evolved is another really interesting question we know nothing about. Hexactinellids would probably communicate chemically to reproduce like the demosponges, but again NOTHING is known about this at all.

If you want to visualize the structure of a hexactinellid I have a paper in the fall issue of Invertebrate Biology. And if you want to see a blurb on the electrical communication, we have a short communication in Nature, in the spring of 1997 (Leys, S.P. and Mackie, G.O., 1997. Electrical recording from a glass sponge. Nature 387:29-30).

Hope that helps.

Answered by Dr. Sally Leys