The Male Role in Juvenile Pregnancy

According to the teenage pregnancy site www.dosomething.org/, “8 in 10 teen dads don’t marry the mother of their child”. An Average American views unplanned, unmarried pregnancy by teenagers a bad thing. Pregnancy will result in an extreme alteration of the lives of a female teen and possibly the father of her baby. But a question arises that modern culture is not granting full relevance with regard to teen pregnancy, should the father of the baby have a say in how the mother proceeds after her pregnancy?

Scientifically speaking, the baby is half the mother’s and half the father’s. The zygote is half the father’s sperm and half the mother’s egg. However, the mother must carry around the baby in her body for nine months if she decides to keep it; as opposed to the father who may or may not provide support for his partner during this time. Other arguments exist and almost all support the fact that the decision of the baby’s fate resides with the mother. While it is true the mother carries the baby and ultimately births it, does the father still deserve a say in the babies future?

Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding teenage fathers portrays them of poor quality. It portrays them as deserters, or forceful men who coerce women who want a child to get an abortion. This cultural stereotype must be broken by these teens who decide they are mature enough to make decisions about their sexuality but not mature enough to accept the outcomes. Feminism, a popular movement among the young women of modern America, believes that a woman has the only voice in the matter regarding the fate of her child. Other circumstances can even involve the baby being born and the mother refusing her sire to have no part in the life of their child.

Even with an understood stereotype in place, this seems like a double standard for today’s male juveniles. They are supposed to accept the woman’s decision whether it is to have an abortion or to raise the baby. Then, he is either supposed to financially contribute to the raising of the child or detach himself and let the baby be aborted. This conundrum began with a failure from teen dads abandoning the woman they became sexually involved with. Their failure has led to the necessity, if need be, for the woman to be completely detached from the feelings of her flaky masculine counterpart.

But men, contrary to cultural stigmas, can have feelings. What if they want the baby? What if they want to raise it? If so, shouldn’t they be allowed to have a say in the fate of the child? The teenage sire should be allowed to influence a woman’s decision and his opinion should matter. American culture must evolve to a place that allows sexually consenting teenagers to both have a say in the fate of their unborn child.

Characterizing the Spongebob Squarepants Show: Spongebob Squarepants

In order to fully understand the titular character of the Spongebob Squarepants show, one must understand the inspiration for the character. While the main characters of the show are based on the seven deadly sins, the lest obvious correlation between a character and a sin is between Spongebob and his respective sin. In actuality, Spongebob Squarepants represents a non-conventional but accurate portrayal of the sin Lust.

Many people only view Lust as desire associated with sex or a sexual act; however, the word is also used to describe a strong desire for anything. This definition is often used when someone is power-hungry, and such characters are said to have a lust for power. A perfect example of this definition is Frank Underwood from House of Cards, a man who lusts for or desires political power. With this new definition in mind, that lust means a strong desire for anything, Spongebob Squarepants definitely qualifies for the transgression of Lust.

What Spongebob lusts for is perfection. In such episodes as “Best Day Ever”, Spongebob chases his dream day; unfortunately, whenever the day does not go according to his plans, he believes the day is completely ruined. Furthermore, almost all of the antics Spongebob gets himself into involve him trying to accomplish something he believes will make his life more perfect, (i.e. trying to befriend his neighbor Squidward because he believes that having friendly relations with all his neighbors is the ideal lifestyle). He does not really care about his friends’ lives. He only cares about what they can add to his life.

This challenging definition of Lust offered by the team behind Spongebob Squarepants causes an inward reflection. While Lust is most easily shown through as a need for sexual pleasures, it can manifest itself in other areas of life. In order to challenge perfection, the creative team at Nickelodeon deliverers a character who almost always seems to have a perfect life. He has a caring best friend, a good home, and a job he loves. He even treats one of his greatest opponents in the show, Squidward, with love and compassion. Spongebob’s ability to live not only a seemingly perfect American dream, but also accomplish one of the foundational commandments to Western religion (love your neighbor), is often used to overlook his underlying issues. He works harder than most to achieve his dream, but he has an obsession nonetheless. His obsession causes him to ruin situations that are fine, but not corresponding to his definition of perfection.

Maybe creator Stephen Hillenburg intended to portray Lust as the least of the seven deadly sins when he created Spongebob Squarepants. After all, his intense passion for life, friends, and occupation appear to bring him greater happiness and more substantial achievements than any other character on the Spongebob Squarepants show.