Macro Blog 3 - Is Spongebob Right for Young Children?

Spongebob has been around for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching countless episodes of Spongebob Squarepants, to the point that I can even quote a few lines from an episode as I watch it. As many of the other kids of my generation would agree, the classic Spongebob episodes were so much better than the newer ones. Episodes such as the Hash Slinging Slasher and the Krusty Krab Pizza episodes will always be embedded into the minds of those who have witnessed such brilliance. The newer episodes will never be quite the same, yet they still draw the attention of young children everywhere with nothing to do. Spongebob has, and always will be, targeted towards young children. Yet, people from various age groups will enjoy to sit back and relax as they watch their favorite episodes from their childhood. In some cases, people will continue to tune in for the newer episodes. This is a strong point in arguing that perhaps Spongebob Squarepants isn't specifically designed for just young children. In fact, some critics and reviewers argue that Spongebob may not be appropriate for certain children until they have matured a bit. This is because the episodes constantly use words such as "stupid" or "jerk" that a parent may not want their child repeating. Also, when a character becomes angry, some sort of physical violence erupts that may not end up hurting anyone in the show for long, but if an unknowing child should imitate such violence they may be injured. Finally, much of the humor is from the antics caused by Spongebob and Patrick's stupidity. Their stupidity can be quite annoying but funny, and children shouldn't be learning that being stupid is funny. Perhaps Spongebob should be targeted towards 9-12 year-old children rather than 5-8. However, I feel that it is up to the parents, who should decide whether or not their child is mature enough to be able to watch Spongebob Squarepants and know the difference between their comical fantasy, where creatures can get hurt and brush it off as if it was nothing, and reality, where people can get hurt for a long time.