Academics are very proud of their scholarly research. Maybe they shouldn’t be.

“A study by researchers at the University of Virginia concludes that cognitive function in children after watching nine minutes of SpongeBob SquarePants suffers vis-a-vis cognitive function in children who have watched that dreadful whiner Caillou,” Dan Flynn, the former executive director of Accuracy in Academia notes on his blog. “I don’t disagree with the study’s conclusions; I disagree with the study. “

“Determining what cartoon makes you smart is like asking what grape soda makes you fit.” Flynn is the author of the forthcoming book, Blue Collar Intellectuals (ISI Books).

Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.

If you would like to comment on this article, e-mail mal.kline@academia.org