Colorado Educators Fall Victim to Spongephobia
The Colorado Springs Gazette is reporting that at least one school district in the area has fallen prey to a lunatic conpiracy theory about Sponge Bob turning children gay (or something like that).
The lunatic conspiracy theory arose earlier this year when James Dobson of Focus on the Family and the American Family Association claimed the video is part of a huge plot to turn children gay, (or something like that). They're never quite specific about what this video does to children, they simply try to create fear.
Action:
1. E-mail the school district. Tell them you're concerned about the children whose education they oversee. What sort of educators can be so gullible and so stupid that they fall for the lunatic theories of religious wingnuts?
2. Write a letter to the editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette expressing your concern for the quality of education the children of the community receive under the direction of people who clearly lack the ability to think rationally. The article is titled, D-20 rejects disputed video, published on 3/16/05.
(Thanks to AmericaBlog for spotting this one.)
"Academy School District 20 won’t show students a children’s music video that conservative groups have denounced for promoting acceptance of gay lifestyles. [...]
"The four-minute video features about 100 popular cartoon characters and puppets — including SpongeBob SquarePants, Kermit the Frog, Big Bird and Barney — singing 'We Are Family.'"
The lunatic conspiracy theory arose earlier this year when James Dobson of Focus on the Family and the American Family Association claimed the video is part of a huge plot to turn children gay, (or something like that). They're never quite specific about what this video does to children, they simply try to create fear.
Action:
1. E-mail the school district. Tell them you're concerned about the children whose education they oversee. What sort of educators can be so gullible and so stupid that they fall for the lunatic theories of religious wingnuts?
2. Write a letter to the editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette expressing your concern for the quality of education the children of the community receive under the direction of people who clearly lack the ability to think rationally. The article is titled, D-20 rejects disputed video, published on 3/16/05.
(Thanks to AmericaBlog for spotting this one.)
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
5 Comments:
At 11:27 AM,
Mike in Texas said…
My letter ...
I was astounded as I read an article in today's Colorado Springs Gazette about District 20's refusal to show a 4-minute children's video with cartoon characters singing a harmless song with a fine positive message.
I find it hard to believe that people charged with the education of America's youth could be so gullible as to fall for lunatic conspiracy theories promulgated by extremist "christian" anti-gay groups. When those in charge of the education of the children in the community are so gullible and so irrational, one wonders about what sort of education the children receive.
Organizations such as yours serve as living proof that the art of satire is no longer needed.
At 2:01 PM,
Anonymous said…
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Imagine my surprise when, on viewing a March 16 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette, I discovered you, the recipients of this letter, had been gulled by some highly paid professional liars into not airing a 4 minute video containing harmless cartoon characters.
Focus on the Family is so busy demonizing men and women they don't even know that they've reached into their loonie bins and targeted you and public education all across the US in order to bully you into teaching hatred and fear, and they've stupidly used cartoons as an issue.
When you ladies and gentlemen haven't the collective courage to stand up to bullies like that, you bring the words of Martin Niemoller to life: "In Germany, they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Catholic. Then they came for me -- and by that time there was nobody left to speak up."
I direct your attention to the following "blog" (web log) entry. Please rest assured that your computers will not pick up any ad-ware or cookies by clicking on the following link: http://babelogue.citypages.com:8080/canderson/2005/02/24
You do, realize, don't all of you, that you have made your students the target of hate mongers (Focus on the Family) and yourselves the target of ridicule right along with Focus on the Family.
Satirists don't have to work very hard when you do all the work for them.
Please reconsider what you are doing. The students in your school district deserve better than you are giving them by your action.
At 4:14 PM,
Mike in Texas said…
And here's a response from a very sanctimonious "Parent and Superintendent of Schools".
"All curriculum materials go through a review process. Just because someone sends us something it doesn’t mean that it is either appropriate for use or that it fits any program. I wonder what business it is that you represent? Do you allow unsolicited materials to appear in your workplace just because someone sent them to you? And then do you use them without having a specific purpose in mind for their use? If you do, please let me know what type of business that you are in so that we can send you some of the other unsolicited materials that we receive that people want included in classes. I will then determine if your business is the kind that I want to patronize and support."
Thank you for your comments.
Ken Vedra
Parent and Superintendent of Schools
At 4:18 PM,
Mike in Texas said…
And my response to the very ... um ... gracious ... Ken.
Dear Ken,
Thank you for your sanctimonious response. Its evasion of the issue and its inclusion of irrelevant red herrings solidifies my thoughts about how your organization helps do away with the need for satire.
Meanwhile I continue to worry about what sort of education the unfortunate children in your district are receiving.
At 9:47 PM,
me said…
They're blocking Emails now. Both of my attempts to email ANY of them were completely blocked.
They've shown themselves not only to be idiotic bigots, but complete cowards
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