Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? I know you know the rest. I've done my research and there are three groups of people that regularly watch SpongeBob.
1) Kids. Obviously this is the target audience. For over a decade now, kids age 2 to, oh, 18 regularly agree that nautical nonsense is, in fact, something they wish.
2) Parents of kids. Most of us in this life stage have invested in a nice TV, a nice place to sit and watch that TV, and even a nice cable/satellite package in order to have the best programming on said TV. In the end, though, we all know that our kid's are in charge of our TV's. Deny it if you wish, but I know that you know that "absorbent and yellow and porous is he".
3) Grandparents. Yes, Nana and Papa, you might talk big about "the good ol' days". You might also wrongly believe that the canceling of Howdy Doody marked the end of society as it should be. You too, though, have had your grand kids over and at their request, you've enthusiastically agreed to "drop on the deck and flop like a fish".
That's right. We've all been subjected to "spongebob squarepants, spongebob squarepants, spongebob squarepants, spongebbbboooooobbbbb squarepaaaaannnnttttts!"
Did you know that Spongebob is Nickelodeon's highest rated show? That might not surprise you, but it's also MTV Network's most distributed property. In other words, it's one of the most popular cartoons ever.
SpongeBob really doesn't have any redeeming educational or moral qualities. It does, though, have some very interesting things to say about society and the value of community. In many (disturbing) ways Bikini Bottom and the Krusty Krab remind me all too much of our neighborhoods, school groups, and, dare I suggest, churches.
After all, if an amiable sponge, a pretentious squid, a dim-witted starfish, a tight-wadded crab, and an under-water squirrel can discover true community through krabby patties, secret formulas, and bad clarinet'ing, then why can't we?
Community, a new sermon series, starts this Sunday at Cape Naz. We'll be looking at the earliest church -- itself formed from a comedy of errors cast -- and how they managed to come together in a model community (through a common unity).
So, catch up on your SpongeBob this week in preparation for this Sunday. Consider it research to get a head start on the message. That's what I'm claiming!
1) Kids. Obviously this is the target audience. For over a decade now, kids age 2 to, oh, 18 regularly agree that nautical nonsense is, in fact, something they wish.
2) Parents of kids. Most of us in this life stage have invested in a nice TV, a nice place to sit and watch that TV, and even a nice cable/satellite package in order to have the best programming on said TV. In the end, though, we all know that our kid's are in charge of our TV's. Deny it if you wish, but I know that you know that "absorbent and yellow and porous is he".
3) Grandparents. Yes, Nana and Papa, you might talk big about "the good ol' days". You might also wrongly believe that the canceling of Howdy Doody marked the end of society as it should be. You too, though, have had your grand kids over and at their request, you've enthusiastically agreed to "drop on the deck and flop like a fish".
That's right. We've all been subjected to "spongebob squarepants, spongebob squarepants, spongebob squarepants, spongebbbboooooobbbbb squarepaaaaannnnttttts!"
Did you know that Spongebob is Nickelodeon's highest rated show? That might not surprise you, but it's also MTV Network's most distributed property. In other words, it's one of the most popular cartoons ever.
SpongeBob really doesn't have any redeeming educational or moral qualities. It does, though, have some very interesting things to say about society and the value of community. In many (disturbing) ways Bikini Bottom and the Krusty Krab remind me all too much of our neighborhoods, school groups, and, dare I suggest, churches.
After all, if an amiable sponge, a pretentious squid, a dim-witted starfish, a tight-wadded crab, and an under-water squirrel can discover true community through krabby patties, secret formulas, and bad clarinet'ing, then why can't we?
Community, a new sermon series, starts this Sunday at Cape Naz. We'll be looking at the earliest church -- itself formed from a comedy of errors cast -- and how they managed to come together in a model community (through a common unity).
So, catch up on your SpongeBob this week in preparation for this Sunday. Consider it research to get a head start on the message. That's what I'm claiming!
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