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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 grouchy octopus who lives between them, and tend to not face comeuppance for their childish actions (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 his dimwitted seastar best friend Patrick Star raising a baby scallop like a homosexual couple.  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:

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 grouchy octopus who lives between them, and tend to not face comeuppance for their childish actions (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.  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:

*Mr. Krabs is avarice for his love of money.

*Mr. Krabs is avarice for his love of money.

*Plankton is envy because he desires after that which Mr. Krabs has: a successful restaurant and the secret formula for Krabs’ signature sandwich, the Krabby Patty.

*Plankton is envy because he desires after that which Mr. Krabs has: a successful restaurant and the secret formula for Krabs’ signature sandwich, the Krabby Patty.

*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.

*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, most episodes where SpongeBob works in his regular job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant teach young audiences to take pride in hard work and persistence as SpongeBob 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 backfire.  Lastly, 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. In addition, one episode advocates against gun control and showing the fallacy against the premise,<ref>http://rightwingnews.com/meme/spongebob-destroys-liberal-thoughts-big-government-gun-control-meme/</ref> and another episode promotes self-sufficiency and mocks the welfare state.<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2013/11/04/spongebob-mocks-welfare-state/</ref>

On the other hand, most episodes where SpongeBob works in his regular job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant teach young audiences to take pride in hard work and persistence as SpongeBob 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 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 and satirizing the welfare state.<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2013/11/04/spongebob-mocks-welfare-state/</ref>

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