SpongeBob Squarepants is one of the popular children's TV characters appearing in a new 'tolerance' video.
Posted on 01/08/2005 7:02:35 AM PST by NYer
In a new video to be distributed to 61,000 schools across the nation, homosexual activists are using popular children's TV characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Barney the dinosaur to surreptitiously indoctrinate young children into their lifestyle, a pro-family activist group charges.
SpongeBob Squarepants is one of the popular children's TV characters appearing in a new 'tolerance' video. |
Based on the 1970s hit song "We Are Family," the video will be distributed to public and private elementary schools nationwide March 11, along with lesson plans for teachers, points out the American Family Association.
The distribution, sponsored by FedEx, will coincide with the video's broadcast March 11 on Nickelodeon, PBS, and the Disney Channel in celebration of the proposed National We Are Family Day.
AFA researcher Ed Vitagliano sees the project as an "open door" to a secondary discussion of homosexuality, noting the the foundation has a "tolerance pledge" on its website that children and others are encouraged to sign, which includes sexual orientation. [Editor's note: This story previously linked to the website of a group that has the same name but no connection to the video. WND regrets the error.]
"While we want everyone to respect other people's beliefs, we do not consider it appropriate for children's television to be used in an effort to indoctrinate children to accept homosexuality," he said.
Vitagliano says the foundation is employing a bait-and-switch approach, with popular children's figures such as Arthur, Dora the Explorer, JoJo, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Big Bird and Bob the Builder.
The objective is to get children to the foundation's website "and there they're given the full pitch about homosexuality," he said.
Video producer Christopher Cerf called the video an "unprecedented event."
"For the first time characters from all of the important kids shows came together to appear in the same video," he said in a November news release. "The producers and performers from each show embraced the spirit and message of this project."
The We Are Family Foundation was founded by singer-songwriter Nile Rodgers, who wrote the hit song recorded in 1979 by Sister Sledge.
The video was financed by a grant from the Toni Mendez Shapiro estate.
"Cooperation and unity are the most important values we can teach children," Rodgers said. "We believe that this is the essential first step to loving thy neighbor."
The We Are Family Foundation says its partners in the production are the Anti-Defamation League, Crown Theatres, Disney Channel, FedEx, Nickelodeon, HIT Entertainment, Nile Rodgers/Sony Publishing/The Bernard Edwards Estate/Warner Chapel, Nelvana, PBS, Scholastic, Sesame Workshop, Toni Mendez Shapiro Estate, and WGBH-TV in Boston.
A Federal Express spokesman said the company is "proud" to provide shipping for the project.
"Promoting diversity is part of our corporate culture at FedEx," said William G. Margaritis, senior vice president, worldwide corporate communications.
Characters appearing in the video are from award-winning shows including "Arthur," "Barney," "Bear in the Big Blue House," "Between the Lions," "Blue's Clues, Bob the Builder," "The Book of Pooh," "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Dora the Explorer," "Jimmy Neutron," "JoJo's Circus," "Kim Possible," "Lilo & Stitch: The Series," "Little Mermaid," "Madeline," "The Magic School Bus," "The Muppet Show," "The Proud Family," "Rugrats," "Sesame Street," "SpongeBob SquarePants," and "Zoom."
The video also features cameo appearances by entertainers Bill Cosby, Diana Ross and Whoopi Goldberg.
'Love thy neighbor' is one thing. Embracing their lifestyle is quite another.
Catholic Ping - please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Ping!
OMG! My little grandson loves Sponge Bob. :(
Tolerance is a personal decision that comes from a belief that every person is a treasure. I believe that America's diversity is its strength. I also recognize that ignorance, insensitivity and bigotry can turn that diversity into a source of prejudice and discrimination.
To help keep diversity a wellspring of strength and make America a better place for all, I pledge to have respect for people whose abilities, beliefs, culture, race, sexual identity or other characteristics are different from my own.
Personally I don't see much that's wrong with this. Some might object to mentioning "sexual identity" to young students though. Even Christians should believe in teaching "respect" for others even if you don't agree with them or think they're wrong.
Disgusting.
I emailed this thread to my daughter to give her a heads up.
small note, if it isn't obvious, the second paragraph above is also part of the tolerance pledge and my remarks are in the third paragraph.
FYI ping
Indoctrination is not the same thing as respect. Respect must be earned, eh?
FYI ping
Indoctrinate our children early. Thank goodness for watchdogs like The American Family groups. To stop this horrific attack on our childrens young minds.
These childrens program characters are cute and adorable with innocent sounding names and yet the authors promote garbage.
We need more Republicans and Republican Christians to write more programs and choose cute little characters for TV shows
and shows to send our Children the right message.
Just like the adorable Barney cam on the Whitehouse.gov site.
This isn't about tolerance. There is no inclusion of any view other than the liberal view that perversion and feminazism should be embraced.
Remember liberals screaming about loyalty oaths?
I refuse to sign the Tolerance Pledge. (So stone me.)
"Some might object to mentioning "sexual identity" to young students though."
Yeah I do. I also object to school time being spent on such nonsense. Children can be taught to respect one another during the course of their regular lessons. Any child young enough to really enjoy Sponge Bob or (heavens!) Barney, is far too young to understand the concept of "sexual identity" or even such concepts as "abilities" or "culture".
Some people believe that sodomy is an unacceptible and harmful practice. Why should we respect those that practice and proselytize such behavior?
My complaint is using popular cartoon characters or objects such as candy to manipulate ro entice children.
These tactics have been abused by pedophiles too. No wonder kids today are more confused than any generation before. Kids shouldn't be placed in the middle of a tug of war because no matter who wins the kids end up in the mud.
Nor are chickens the same as goats. How is this "indoctrination"? It's a video which uses children's tv characters to sing "We Are Family" (the Sister Sledge song). The group making the video has a link to a Tolerance Pledge which I copied above. The pledge has the words "sexual identity" in it which from the article above seems to be the only complaint. My reading of the pledge doesn't find the inclusion to be particularly offensive. It's perfectly fine to "respect" someone. Would you, for example, support your kids if they egged the house of or taunted a gay person who lived on your street or in your neighborhood?
We're Here, We're Queer
Remember this?
To some extent I do see your point - but at the same time, kids today grow up in a world where there are openly gay people on TV and the issue is talked about frequently in many different places. At some level, you almost have to talk about the issue with them, if only because everyone else is.
Are they going to turn Barney into a pink dinosaur or are they going to hook him up with the purple teletubby.
Trust me, I know kids- they'll watch the Spongebob and Dora video, watch them singing "We Are Family", then they'll move on. They're not going to run from their TV screens to the computer to look up a website. I suspect this might be another over-reaction from Doug "Mighty Mouse Does Cocaine!" Wildmon.
Click on the teacher resources at their website. CHECK OUT WHAT THEY RECOMMENDED AS TEACHER RESOURCES
American Psychological Association. "Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality." Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1998.
American Psychological Association. Publication Handbook of the American Psychological Association. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1994.
Bettelheim, Bruno. Surviving and Other Essays. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1979.
DiZerega, Gus. Pagans and Christians: The Personal Spiritual Experience. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 2001.
Frank, Francine W., and Paula A. Treichler. Language, Gender, and Professional Writing: Theoretical Approaches and Guidelines for Nonsexist Usage. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1989.
Gandhi, Mahatma. The Words of Gandhi. Read by Ben Kingsley. Audiotape. New York: Caedmon, 1984.
Jackson, Donna. How to Make the World a Better Place for Women in Five Minutes a Day. New York: Hyperion, 1992.
Maggio, Rosalie. The Nonsexist Word Finder: A Dictionary of Gender-Free Usage. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1987.
Maggio, Rosalie. Talking About People: A Guide to Fair and Accurate Language. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1997.
McClintock, Mary. "Lesbian Baiting and Gay Baiting: How Homophobia is a Tool of Sexism." 1991.
McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." Peace and Freedom July-Aug. 1989: 10-12.
Millett, Kate. The Politics of Cruelty: An Essay on the Literature of Political Imprisonment. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1994.
Miller, Casey, and Kate Swift. The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing for Writers, Editors and Speakers. 1st ed. New York: Lippincott and Crowell, Publishers, 1980.
Moulton, Janice. "The Myth of the Neutral 'Man'." Feminism and Philosophy. Ed. Frederick A. Elliston and Jane English. Totowa, NJ: Littlefield, Adams, and Co., 1971. 124-153.
Moulton, Janice, George M. Robinson, and Cherin Elias. "Sex bias in language use: 'Neutral' pronouns that aren't." American Psychologist 33 (1978): 1032-1036.
Moulton, Janice, George M. Robinson, and Cherin Elias. "Sex bias in language use: 'Neutral' pronouns that aren't." American Psychologist 33 (1978): 1032-1036.
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. "Faith in Our Families: Parents, Families and Friends Talk About Religion and Homosexuality." Washington, DC: Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, 1999.
Pratt, Minnie Bruce. "Identity: Skin Blood Heart." Knowing Women: Feminism and Knowledge. Ed. Helen Crowley and Susan Himmelweit. Cambridge, UK:Polity Press, 1992.
Schwartz, Marilyn. Guidelines for Bias-Free Writing. Bloomington, IN: University Press, 1995.
Sears, James T., and Walter L. Williams. Overcoming Heterosexism and Homophobia: Strategies that Work. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.
St. John, Sandra. The Homophobic Healer: A Primer for Gays, Lesbians and the Families and Friends Who Love Them. Denver: The Goddess Express Press, 1994.
Storti, Craig. Cross-Cultural Dialogues: 74 Brief Encounters with Cultural Difference. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, Inc., 1994.
Venolia, Jan. Rewrite Right! How to Revise Your Way to Better Writing. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1987
Here are some of the questions in their teaching resource called I Spy Sexism:
How many of the elected officials in your city are openly gay? State? Federal?
In your favorite general-interest magazines, how many articles are written by women? How many are about women/people of color/lesbian and gay people?
Do gay teenagers socialize openly and safely at local school-wide events?
Does your local newsstand carry lesbian and gay magazines?
Check out section for teachers
Here are some of their allies:
NATIONAL ALLIES:
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Human Rights Campaign
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians & Gays
National Education Association
Yep, all of the major homosexual activist organizations are working on this.
SpongeBob and his buddy Patrick definitely seem like little gay buddies. There is one episode where they end up holding hands and walking away after a "domestic squabble." Spongebob is not interested in females and the hyper-Amazon squirrel chick is NOT sexy or comely.
I used to think the show was funny but like Barney, Teletubbies and the like, there is a gay agenda behind it. If he had been a purple sponge, it would have only been clearer.
Oops- Don, sorry.
Bill Cosby?
Because some people think that basing your entire belief system on ancient Near Eastern mythologies is silly why should we respect those people who annoy others with their silly beliefs? But seriously, there is a difference between tolerance or respect and acceptance. If you think same-sex sex is wrong, then fine, you can still respect people as people without accepting everything they do.
But alas, you miss the paranoid point, there are homosexuals peripherally involved, so it's a plot to indoctrinate young children into the lifestyle.
"Even Christians should believe in teaching "respect" for others even if you don't agree with them or think they're wrong."
Somewhere along the line, the definition or idea of the word "respect" has been transposed with "courtesy".
Courtesy: 1. Kind and thoughtful behavior toward another;
politeness; gracious attention. 2. A favor or indulgence.
Respect: 1. Treat with special consideration or high
regard; heed. 2. Have reference to; relate to. 3. High
esteem; considerate treatment.
"A Federal Express spokesman said the company is "proud" to provide shipping for the project.
"Promoting diversity is part of our corporate culture at FedEx," said William G. Margaritis, senior vice president, worldwide corporate communications. "
I'll be sending an email to FedEx stating that diversity is one thing, indoctrination of children is quite another. And, while I've used FedEx in the past, I'll be using UPS for all my future shipping needs.
Wonder if Dr. Dobson has seen this.
I don't find it much of a stretch to add perverts to the list.
And ps. You don;t have to be a Christian to believe that the 'mainstreaming' of sexual deviance is detrrimental to the overall culture. I should know, because I haven't been a Christian in a long time.
If you ask any person who's been in any Teacher Education Program at almost any college, they will confirm there is a "plot" to do just that.
"OMG! My little grandson loves Sponge Bob. :("
As well he should! Sponge Bob isn't gay, he's a do-good little geek of a character, who just wants to make a solid contribution to the world in which he lives. He never complains about anything, always seeing the positive side of situations and is a great role model for young people.
If the gays have managed to co-opt his character, it might be because they like his positive outlook, but I've been watching closely, along with my kids and have never seen any homosexual side to this cartoon character's portrayal.
Are you the reincarnation of J. Edgar Hoover? Anyway, my point was never that you have to accept as good what people do, only that others have a right to be wrong.
How about cheaters, class skippers, drug users, smokers...etc...lets take all bad behaviors and teach the kids to respect those who do them. Be consistent here.
I have a right to disrespect anyone I want. Or doesn't my freedom count anymore.
You can tell the kids in general terms not to do violence to ANYONE. But you shouldn't get specific. What if they are raped? Do they retain the right to do violence to protect themselves? Should they just respect that persons "sexual identity?
I think it is more important to teach kids to stand up for what is right -- values -- even when everyone else is doing what is wrong. Whatever happened to teaching kids to stand alone if they need to, but do what is right no matter what? We are teaching kids to be victims. We are teaching them to have no judgment at all on their OWN behavior, since it is WRONG to judge others, why yourself?
Taking a pledge to tolerate perversity doesn't give the kid a right to be right.
>>My children do this all the time. <<
Mine too!
That's why we don't watch network tv. My seven year old wants to visit every website and buy all that is there.
"right to be wrong" = "cannot be criticized for bad behavior"?
Does sending the kids out looking for gay publications NOT encourage them to explore the gay lifestyle? Certainly it is aimed at getting them to ACCEPT the gay lifestyle.
I think you misunderstand...I really don't care whether or not you think same-sex sex is okay. It is of no concern to me. I am concerned how you treat others and to be honest, on a personal level, you should give respect to all, even to drug users. Too often, "standing up for values" is nothing more than a cover for meanness or snobbery. I don't necessarily people who strut around like the "Church Lady" from the SNL skit to really understand, but it is possible to understand others without accepting what they do all the time.
"At some level, you almost have to talk about the issue with them, if only because everyone else is."
Yes, but like so many other issues, the people talking to their children about this should be the parents, not the commies of the NEA or outside agitators. ESPECIALLY at the grade school level.
One must be taught to treat others with respect, it is not required that one knows or understands that person's sexuality or religious beliefs.
This stuff is all of a piece with thinking we can be indoctrinated into "right thinking", but it doesn't really fool, or convince, anybody. The vast majority of people are NEVER going to think that homosexuality is normal; but that doesn't mean they won't, can't, or don't generally live in peace with homosexuals. For example, I think anyone who is an atheist must be extremely blind and stupid, but I'm not going around harrassing atheists. Except I'd make an exception for Michael Newdow, but I feel that would be easily documented as self-defense.
I couldn't find this at the site where I found the pledge. Please post the link where this info is originally found.
This is pathetic!! I'm sorry, but that crap won't be allowed in this house. WHo are these people to decide they have a right to try and teach children their crap about accpetance of homosexuality! This is up to mom and dad's, no one else! Disgusting, totally disgusting!
I don't teach my children to "respect" or "tolerate" sin.
We respect the good and worthy.
I teach my children kindness to everyone, but I will not minimize or downplay sin.
I also don't want to be forced to discuss sex with my six year old, or my other children for that matter.
*I* want to decide when they are ready for that information.
I think "standing up for values" TRUMPS "being nice." But it is not impossible to do both. From reading your posts on this thread, it seems to me that you want to end the right of anyone to have their own opinions on these matters. Nothing is more offensive than to take a persons CHILD and teach them that perverted behaviors are fine and should be respected. You can say you do not care if they think they are "fine" all you want. This video and curriculum is aimed at teaching the kids that it is fine, and that anything else is bigotry.
Yikes! I do. I saw a "Up with People" version performed at my grade school as a kid back in the 70s. What I didn't know then...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.