The right-wingers found a new hero in its war against the poor. SpongeBob SquarePants

[AverageJoe90]

1. Grasping at straws as usual.

This here, says it all, in my honest opinion:

For their part, Nickelodeon’s President of Content, Russell Hicks said the show is tapping into the news of the moment, but did not specifically address any political leanings or ideologies within the episode.

“Like all really great cartoons, part of SpongeBob’s long-running success has been its ability to tap into the zeitgeist while still being really funny for our audience,” Hicks said. “As always, despite this momentary setback, SpongeBob’s eternal optimism prevails, which is always a great message for everyone.”

However, Dr. Alison Bryant co-founder and CEO of PlayCollective, a non-partisan group that works with clients including Nickelodeon, Disney and PBS on outreach and marketing, dismissed any political undertones in the economically-focused episode, instead saying the show is addressing real issues that the shows viewers see.

”I don’t think they’re handling political issues, I think they’re handling the reality of kids’ lives,” Bryant, who previously worked in digital research for Nickelodeon, said.

Bryant said that the recession has led to a “huge shift” in children’s programming addressing issues such as homelessness and joblessness, much like the “early aughts and mid-aughts, kids were more worried about things like —not surprisingly— terrorism and the environment.”

“Something like a ‘SpongeBob’, it’s not going to go into the full political realm and ecosystem, but you know what it can address? Is, ‘Hey! This happens! And look, this happens to SpongeBob! You’re not isolated, you’re not some kid who this is only happening to you,’” Bryant said.