Nickelodeon – the children’s television network most famous for airing “SpongeBob SquarePants”– released a video explaining to its young audience the importance of immigration reform. No, really. A television network whose target audience is elementary school-aged children waded into the debate over amnesty for illegal aliens.
The short clip features Izabella Alvarez – a voice actress for the network’s cartoon “The Casagrandes” – highlighting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, as well as the DREAM Act. The clip is under 45 seconds, and is ostensibly educational. But the message is crystal clear: DACA and the DREAM Act are only positive things deserving celebration, reinforced by the final image emblazoned with the phrase “Kids, Immigration AND Equality.” It is pushing amnesty advocacy on kids, plain and simple.
This begs the question, why is a children’s network pushing this on its young viewers? What is the purpose of a children’s network taking a stance on this issue at all? The most obvious answer is that Nickelodeon’s parent company, Viacom CBS, wants them to. Nickelodeon even has a Nick News segment detailing in much greater detail DACA and the DREAM Act. This is the direct quote from the description of the episode:
A special looking at the history of immigration in the United States and how it’s evolved to today. Is there a difference? We’ll show that everyone attempting to make it to the US for generations, has been doing so for the same reasons.
It clocks in at about 22 minutes. Throughout the special, popular clips of Nickelodeon cartoons appear to reinforce the open borders message. For example, the narrator begins with, “We’ll explore why do people immigrate, where to immigrants come from, and why is immigration an important symbol of the United States?” Immediately after, a clip of SpongeBob SquarePants appears where one of the characters says “Home is where you’re surrounded by other critters that care about you.”
The message could not any clearer, particularly when the episode includes “Messages of Hope and Inspiration,” one of which is from outspoken liberal comedian Samantha Bee. Even current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tunes in to answer a question for the segment!
Much like the media in general, Nickelodeon’s treatment of immigration is completely watered-down and distorted into a cartoonish caricature of the actual topic. Nowhere in Nickelodeon’s propaganda are the consequences of immigration discussed or even considered. Instead, Nickelodeon’s viewers – young children – receive a rose-tinted and one-sided picture of immigration policy devoid of any context, meaning, or acknowledgement of legitimate concerns with unfettered and unlimited immigration into this country.
Parents beware.