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|One of the most influential cartoons of the 21st century, centered on an energetic, anthropomorphic sea sponge (who more nearly resembles a kitchen sponge) and a diverse cast of his underwater friends, is decidedly one of the most politically ambiguous.

|One of the most influential cartoons of the 21st century, centered on an energetic, anthropomorphic sea sponge (who more nearly resembles a kitchen sponge) and a diverse cast of his underwater friends, is decidedly one of the most politically ambiguous.

On the one hand, the series suggests that capitalists are inherently malign or simply obsessed with money, as the main character’s crustacean employer, the fast food restaurateur Mr. Krabs, is inclined to put money before others’ interests, sometimes at the expense of others’ well-being.  In addition, SpongeBob and his dimwitted seastar best friend Patrick Star have a habit of annoying Squidward Tentacles: a quick-tempered, cynical octopus who lives between them, behaves apathetically on his job as a cashier, and may be a copy of ''Sesame Street'' character Bert because both characters have interests that others find mundane. They tend to not face comeuppance for their childish actions against Squidward (though there are exceptions), which may teach that being annoying is “acceptable” adult behavior. Specific episodes have controversial overtones, too. For instance, “Rock-a-Bye Bivalve” is infamous for depicting SpongeBob and Patrick raising a baby scallop like a homosexual couple; and a handful of episodes like "The Jellyfish Hunter", "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful", and "SpongeBob's Last Stand" touch on themes of environmentalism. Moreover, one of the series’ worst-received episodes, “One Coarse Meal,” tries to make bullying look humorous because it centers on Mr. Krabs driving his microscopic arch business rival Plankton to suicide by appealing to the copepod’s secret fear of whales, a fear not present in any other episode. Worst of all, there is a theory that each of the seven main characters is modeled after one of the Seven Deadly Sins. According to the theory:

On the one hand, the series suggests that capitalists are inherently malign or simply obsessed with money, as the main character’s crustacean employer, the fast food restaurateur Mr. Krabs, is inclined to put money before others’ interests, sometimes at the expense of others’ well-being.  In addition, SpongeBob and his dimwitted seastar best friend Patrick Star have a habit of annoying Squidward Tentacles: a quick-tempered, cynical octopus who lives between them, behaves apathetically on his job as a cashier, and may be a copy of ''Sesame Street'' character Bert because both characters have interests that others find mundane. They tend to not face comeuppance for their childish actions against Squidward (though there are exceptions), which may teach that being annoying is “acceptable” adult behavior. Specific episodes have controversial overtones, too. For instance, “Rock-a-Bye Bivalve” is infamous for depicting SpongeBob and Patrick raising a baby scallop like a homosexual couple; and a handful of episodes like "The Jellyfish Hunter", "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful", and "SpongeBob's Last Stand" touch on themes of environmentalism. Moreover, one of the series’ worst-received episodes, “One Coarse Meal,” tries to make bullying look humorous because it centers on Mr. Krabs driving his microscopic arch business rival Plankton to suicide by appealing to the copepod’s secret fear of whales, a fear not present in any other episode.

*SpongeBob is a strange variant on lust: though the character is said to be asexual, he seems to have “lust for life” because, depending on the writer(s), he can be too fixated on his job (or even on Squidward) at times.

On the other hand, many episodes where SpongeBob works in his regular job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant teach young audiences to appreciate hard work and persistence as SpongeBob eagerly strives to make the most out of his rather ordinary vocation. Most episodes where Plankton appears draw a clear distinction between good and evil, showing the errors of stealing and conducting business through illegitimate means as Plankton’s schemes to outcompete Mr. Krabs, the more competent businessman, or steal his Krabby Patty recipe always backfire. In addition, depending on the writer(s), Krabs can serve as a surrogate father-figure to SpongeBob, teaching him to stay out of danger and not to act so impulsively as he usually does. Lastly, the episode "SpongeBob, You're Fired!" has gained fame among conservatives for advocating self-sufficiency while lampooning the concept of the welfare state, mainly the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program: as Patrick tries to show SpongeBob the "benefits of being unemployed" by taking SpongeBob out to a free lunch with Sandy, SpongeBob quips, "Unemployment may be fun for you, but I need to get a job".<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2013/11/04/spongebob-mocks-welfare-state/</ref>

On the other hand, many episodes where SpongeBob works in his regular job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant teach young audiences to appreciate hard work and persistence as SpongeBob eagerly strives to make the most out of his rather ordinary vocation. Most episodes where Plankton appears draw a clear distinction between good and evil, showing the errors of stealing and conducting business through illegitimate means as Plankton’s schemes to outcompete Mr. Krabs, the more competent businessman, or steal his Krabby Patty recipe always backfire. In addition, depending on the writer(s), Krabs can serve as a surrogate father-figure to SpongeBob, teaching him to stay out of danger and not to act so impulsively as he usually does. Lastly, the episode "SpongeBob, You're Fired!" has gained fame among conservatives for advocating self-sufficiency while lampooning the concept of the welfare state, mainly the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program: as Patrick tries to show SpongeBob the "benefits of being unemployed" by taking SpongeBob out to a free lunch with Sandy, SpongeBob quips, "Unemployment may be fun for you, but I need to get a job".<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2013/11/04/spongebob-mocks-welfare-state/</ref>