Woman Reveals How Spongebob Squarepants Helped Her Beat Depression
Squidward more than just an octopus who lives under the sea.
On November 27, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the hit animated show, "Spongebob Squarepants," died from ALS at the age of 57. As with Stan Lee, people took to Twitter to mourn the loss of this creative icon, who made what is billed as a children's cartoon so relatable to adults.
A giant of cartoons has left us. A kind, brilliant and hilarious genius who will forever be remembered for his creations. Animation was changed for the better thanks to him. And millions of kids grew up with a character that championed innocence. Gracias for everything, Steve. https://t.co/Nn0DCnabJS
— Jorge R. Gutierrez (@mexopolis) November 27, 2018
In a thread that has now gone viral, Into columnist Clarishka Kent explained how one of the show's most central characters, Squidward, helped her grasp the realities of depression.
I count Squidward as one of five fictional characters who helped me grasp what depression was. And how it worked.
— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 27, 2018
Like many of us, Kent was very young when the popular Nickelodeon show first aired in 1999, and didn't fully comprehend the messages it was trying to send.
Spongebob Squarepants came out in May 1999 and I was young. Like really YOUNG. And didn't fully grasp what I was watching. Yet. pic.twitter.com/PZnCRzWCVz
— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 27, 2018
She viewed Squidward, an anthropomorphic octopus who lives between the houses of Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star, the way most people view someone with mental health issues: bitter, hostile, chronically dissatisfied, and incapable of seeing all the good life has to offer.
But I remember being young and going like "ugh wtf is SPITWAD'S problem??? He's such a negative Nancy!" pic.twitter.com/0Y8p4BrvzD
— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 27, 2018
This continued until college, when something happened to Kent that led her to be diagnosed with depression and PTSD. Suddenly, Kent found herself deeply relating to this much-maligned character, and the depressive symptoms he espoused, such as feelings of "apathy. Occasional anger. Resentment. Existential dread. Hopelessness."
Then I happened to revisit the show one day and saw a lot of those things I was experiencing in the character.
Apathy. Occasional anger. Resentment. Existential dread. Hopelessness. A lot of my own lethargic behaviors. pic.twitter.com/LMdBBMNb9G
— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 27, 2018
While it was meant to be funny, she was particularly moved by an episode in which Squidward places flowers on a tombstone reading, "Here lies Squidward's hopes and dreams." His antipathy toward having to put on a "happy face" at his job at the Krusty Krab also hit home.
He also got me thinking about how annoying and soul-sucking it can be to have to perform joy and happiness in front of others (particular at the workplace) even when you're not feeling it and I still think about it a lot. pic.twitter.com/dQJqnmNPrZ
— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 27, 2018
So it seems like the show, which was silly on its surface, was deeper than you might think.
TL;DR: SpongeBob SquarePants was a culture behemoth, particular w/ it diving into things like depression, queerness (like many of you are sharing), labor exploitation, & of course, the most important part, which was it getting *you* to empathize w/ & be curious about marine life. pic.twitter.com/iALX0ZGdwY
— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 27, 2018
And many people related to Kent's thoughtful analysis of this misunderstood character.
One of my nicknames growing up was literally 'Squidward', about which I was notttt pleased (and completely unaware of my clinical depression)
10 years later and my newly medicated, therapized self holds that lil guy close to my heart pic.twitter.com/CxygyIhsZo
— Stevonnie (@mediocre_gay) November 27, 2018
For what it's worth, the other four characters who helped Kent understand depression were: Dr. Cox from Scrubs, Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, Bojack from Bojack Horseman, and Sailor Saturn from Sailor Moon.
Correct.
My full list, in no particular order, is:
Squidward
Dr. Cox
Eeyore
Bojack
Sailor Saturn https://t.co/Clt6ApCSiV— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) November 28, 2018
For more on ways to fight this common disorder, read about how studies have shown Reddit can actually help you fight depression.
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