2006 - School of Social Service Administration - University of Chicago

THE STINK BENEATH THE INK
disclosure of her lesbian sexual identity, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,
and Will and Grace, as well as by gay weddings on Roseanne, Friends, and
Northern Exposure.
In light of the visibility of gays and lesbians in the national media, it is
useful to consider why the Buster and SpongeBob cartoons struck a nerve
with the American public, prompting such intense social discourse. Richard
Goldstein notes:
Cartoons are powerful in a special way.… [They] have an unfinished look
that leaves a lot of interpretative space. Their sparse details and antic
distortions are surreal yet recognizable enough to hit the target, whether
it’s a powerful politician or a basic human type (2005, p. 7).
In his discussion of cartoons as vehicles for social debate, Larry Gross says,
“The Simpsons could make a strong political point that the networks would
never dare in a sitcom … television is the common ground on which we all
discuss issues, whether it’s race or feminism or sexuality” (Chicago Tribune, 2005).
Parents and politicians worry that children are being influenced by
implicit value messages within these cartoons; both are concerned that such
values conflict with their own. As Irvine suggests, “Neither emotions nor
culture wars are simply spontaneous reactions” (2002, p. 143). For years,
fundamentalists have been concerned that “pop culture is stealing the souls of
their children” (Goldstein, 2005, p. 7). In his review of Shark Tale, Ed
Vitagliano of the AFA argues that the message of the movie was intended to
teach children acceptance of homosexuality, not to educate them on issues
surrounding multiculturalism (Shepard, 2005). He asserts that the movie “comes
far too close to taking a bite out of traditional moral and spiritual beliefs”
(Vitagliano, 2004). Spellings responds to critics of her intervention with PBS
by saying, “On lifestyle issues, I think it’s appropriate for parents to deal
with those as they see fit, in their own way and in their own time” (Chicago
Tribune, 2005). However, Wendy Luttrell maintains, “There is simply no
evidence to suggest that children watching SpongeBob or TeleTubbies or Bert
and Ernie or any other cartoon figure ‘read’ either a unified or single gendered
or sexual message” (as cited by Lisman, 2005).
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND THE CARTOON WARS
Invariably, any discussion of the cartoon wars should also consider the collective
mobilization efforts that were organized in response. Herbert Blumer notes
that “social problems lie in and are products of a process of collective definition”
(1971, p. 301). This process initiates a movement toward solutions or
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