Poor SpongeBob. It’s hard enough going through life in a pair of SquarePants. Now he stands accused of participating in a video that some conservatives call “pro-gay propaganda.”

Makers of the video deny the claim, instead pointing out the video promotes unity and cooperation. But a spokesman for the conservative group Focus on the Family insists it is “manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids.”

People, when a cartoon sponge is no longer politically correct, it’s time for some cultural soul-searching.

Not long ago, political correctness was a relatively harmless (if highly irritating) practice reserved largely for liberals. A “chairman” became a “chairperson,” a female poet, a “poetess.” Although often annoying, these changes in how we talk were intended to make the American English language as diverse and inclusive as America.

But liberals no longer hold the monopoly on political correctness – and PC no longer means diversity and inclusiveness. Since the days immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, when then-White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer warned Americans they “need to watch what they say [and] watch what they do,” it seems it is conservative groups that have more and more frequently sought to control how we talk, how we act and what we see.

This past Veteran’s Day, for example, ABC wanted to show the Oscar-winning “Saving Private Ryan” unedited, but several affiliates refused to air it despite having done so in past years. The conservative group American Family Association applauded the move. Why? The movie has bad language.

Another example (shockingly) can be found on Fox News. Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, host of “The O’Reilly Factor,” has refused to show the famous torture pictures from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. When it’s no longer politically correct to show Americans doing bad things, you get journalists shielding their viewers from the news – not reporting it.

And that brings us back to the unfortunate Mr. SquarePants. It’s bad enough that elements of our society hypocritically deny rights like marriage to homosexuals while simultaneously using them for entertainment, enjoying shows like “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Will and Grace.” But in criticizing SpongeBob for even suggesting homosexuality (because he often holds hands with another male character), we’re now offended not just by gay rights, but by the slightest hint of potentially gay mannerisms.

Which brings us to the all-important question: Where does that leave the Smurfs? I mean, you can’t tell me that in a whole village with only one female, there wasn’t at least a little locker-room experimentation going on.

A joke, of course, but if this craze of conservative-style political correctness doesn’t subdue, what else is at risk? Will we apply it to literature, as well? In Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” for example, Frodo and Sam frequently hold hands (never mind that Sam goes on to marry and have a passel of hobbit-kids). Should we keep that work away from children, too?

Naturally, not all people who are conservative or religious support this new political correctness. But when their views are misrepresented by their leaders or organizations (as, I would guess, many have been by SpongeBob-gate) and they remain largely silent, it becomes incumbent on them to unite (they don’t need to hold hands) and speak out against anyone – liberal or fellow conservative – who seeks to manipulate their views.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.