Michael, I never said old man jenkins wasn’t problematic, and yes I agree his actions have been harmful to the FoC community, but how can you just dismiss the fact that he’s a victim of the ageism not only enacted by these fish (who framed him, without any probable cause, and extrajudicially punished him for threats to “kick [Spongebob’s] butt” that he didn’t even make) but within the entire social structure of bikini bottom? Are you forgetting when they explored just how bluntly and actively the Bikini Bottom mass media shamed the mere idea of getting older? remember how they illustrated the physical and psychological toll that took on bikini bottom citizens who were barely reaching middle age, like Mr. Krabs?
or how even once-treasured citizens of bikini bottom, like Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, are simply discarded in their old age? How the Shady Shoals retirement home was such a substandard living space basic amenities like television were hard to come by? How little empathy the Shady Shoals staff had when Mermaid Man’s constant, frenzied screaming of “EVIL!!!” was a clearly exhibited symptom of PTSD?
Old Man Jenkins is no saint, I’ll admit that, but he’s been the victim of a much larger problem within the Bikini Bottom community. His story, and those like it, deserve to be told until a change is finally brought to the sea.
2087
amandla
pixelskylines
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