Bikini Bottom and Bourgeoise: How Capitalism, Class, and Krabs Rule Neptune’s Ocean
“That’s not just a dollar. It’s Mr. Krabs’ first dollar! His most prized possession! And we got paint on it!” shouts a frantic SpongeBob, racing against the clock to remove a small smudge of paint from his boss’ proudest monetary achievement. Patrick, living beneath a rock as an unemployed starfish not facing the hardships of capitalism, does not understand the sponge’s anxious reaction. He calmly reasons that the two could “just stick any old dollar bill up on the wall; no one would even know the difference!” as they move to escape the crab’s wrath. Patrick escapes the heavy burden of championing individual pieces of currency. Patrick explicitly questions what value exists within the dollar. The duo narrowly avoids the crustacean’s anger as the boss simply licks the paint off. SpongeBob’s fears evaporate as the dollar-problem solves itself. The economic problem that remains unsolved among Bikini Bottom’s citizens is a clear lack of class consciousness and the detrimental effects of undersea capitalism.
SpongeBob and Squidward are two employees working under the arguably tyrannical Mr. Eugene Krabs. He runs a tight ship, and though the audience never learns the salaries of his employees, one can assume that this wage does not permit a particularly extravagant lifestyle. SpongeBob is a perfect cog in the machine; he comes to work each day with a smile on his face. In the episode “SB-129,” SpongeBob goes as far as to wish that he could go to work on a Sunday. A fast-food restaurant being closed on a Sunday mirrors Chick-Fil-A, an institution often criticized for its higher-ups donating to conservative, anti-LGBT organizations, and thus showcases that Mr. Krabs can say no to profit–but only on the Lord’s Day. Though the only canon deity in the SpongeBob universe is King Neptune, God of the Sea, Krabs never discloses whether this is the reason for the Krusty Krab’s doors closing for the Sabbath. Economic dialogue rarely considers if the people of Bikini Bottom also suffer from the intrinsic links between government, capitalism and religion.
SpongeBob may love to work, but his neighbor Squidward despises his job at the Krusty Krab. He also hates SpongeBob. He fails to acknowledge that he and SpongeBob are in the exact same position. They are both victims of capitalism and the specific financial authority of Mr. Krabs. Were Squidward to work with SpongeBob, perhaps the two could more successfully repeat the events of “Squid on Strike” with a more favorable result.
A member of Bikini Bottom who escapes the heavy weight of living in a capitalist society is Patrick. He never once holds a steady job like SpongeBob or Squidward, but manages to own a home, have hobbies and provide food for himself. On multiple occasions Patrick shows that he has cash and coins, so once can conclude he still receives currency from somewhere. Is Patrick collecting unemployment? Is he merely a trust fund baby living comfortably off his parents’ earnings? Does Bikini Bottom provide a universal basic income to its citizens? Patrick appears to be a unique exception to the greater system that governs Bikini Bottom.
Though the details of the underwater world remain a mystery, the detrimental effects of its vague, unjust economic structures create a system that holds bottom feeders in their subjugated positions and allows the rich to grow richer. I implore the government structures of Bikini Bottom to consider the needs of its citizens in any further economic legislation. As SpongeBob once bravely cried: “The Krusty Krab is unfair, Mr. Krabs is in there.”
