Saturday, 25 January 2014

Blogpost 1: Sponge Bob Square Pants: Unveiling the Truth


"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?", I guess we all know the answer, It's "Sponge Bob Square Pants!". I've been an avid fan of cartoons since I was a kid.  I used to do marathons and usually forgot  my homework which made my mom's head throttle. They are so enigmatic that strongly capture my innocence. One of my favorite cartoon shows is Sponge Bob Square Pants. The whole characters in the show bring sparks in my eyes, but the one that tickles me most is the cute, yellow, squishy, sponge I know we all love- Sponge Bob! At first, I thought he was a Cheese drown in the bottom of the ocean, because of the dots on his face. Well, we all do some keen observations when we grow up. The more I became attached to this Cartoon character, the more I learn about its secrets, and one of them, probably the creepiest,  is the 7 deadly sins of each character.
                                                

According to the Article 5 Crazy Fan Theories about Spongebob Squarepants, written by Desi Jedeikin, in the website smosh.com . Where he talks about the strange creatures of Bikini Botton, Inappropriate things about Spongebob, and the drugs that spongebob could possibly used. As he quote "SpongeBob Squarepants is not only one of the most popular cartoons of all time, it has to be one of the strangest concepts to ever be given the green light." As a fan, he is able to conceptualize not just the moral standard of the show, but, the deeper meaning of each characters and the sins they represent. 

It is quite odd for me to tackle this issue, but, based on what he said, Spongebob has the strangest concepts ever to be given in the green light. These are the seven deadly sins that represents each character.

Patrick Star is Sloth, because of his unwillingness to act that made him a pink fat starfish. Squidward reprents wrath, because most of the Time, at work, at home, on the park, everywhere down on Bikini Bottom, he is always angry to Spongebob.Mr. Krabs love money more than anything, he represents Greed. Plankton always want to steal the secret formula that Mr. Krabs possess, this made him represents Envy. Gary is Gluttonous. Sandy represents Pride.And lastly, Spongebob, who represents lust. Spongebob is Lust because of his lust for goodness around him.

It sounds weird to know that these characters are possessed by these sins. All of their attribute perfectly fits them all. But, for me, I have a little problem for spongebob as being classified as "Lust". He is always that Funny Sponge that we all love, but, as Desi Jedeikin said "fans aren't just gonna accept that it's nothing but an innocent albeit wacky cartoon!"

According to the second article I read, "My Psychological Theory about SpongeBob SquarePants", written by Yalda T. Uhls, on the website huffingtonpost. It was all about how technology affects the viewing methods of children under the age of six, with the help of psychology, we can still change it. As she quote "Some psychologists believe that human values are a dominating force in life, as values are thought to motivate human behavior and attitudes." She explained that the human values affect the attitudes of a person, especially the children who watches cartoon shows that can exposed them to the traits that will affect thier behaviour once they grow up. The article discussed on how 4 year olds should not watch Spongebob, because they may misinterpret the values while watching it. .Indeed she was right, values are thought to motivate human behavior and attitudes. There are kids under 6  watching this show, and it may lead to misdemeanor in school if not properly monitored and guided by their parents. She expressed about her perspectives on Spongebob, which are similar to the seven deadly sins.

Spongebob is the longest running show in Nickelodeon. Definitely, it is for kids, but, for adults like us who observe, we may see odd things about this cartoon. There's always a back story in every cartoon. Maybe, the creators of this show want to impart to the viewers, most especially the parents that even a child could commit a sin, that everyone is equal and deserves  proper understanding in life. In the End,  Sponge Bob does not only bring entertainment and gaiety to the young tots, but always teaches us a lesson - it is to love everyone around us, and to embrace our individuality in life.