The Suds

There is an episode where SpongeBob gets sick- he gets the Suds. At one point someone (maybe Patrick, I don't remember) plugs all of his pores, claiming that will fix the problem. Which makes sense, because the symptom of the Suds is that SpongeBob starts emitting bubbles randomly, like a cough or sneeze but bubbles. And the whole time he is afraid to go to the doctor because I think Patrick is afraid of the doctor and so he convinces SpongeBob that docs are bad.
So with his pores plugged, SpongeBob blows up- becoming huge with the bubbles that should be geting out. This is how I feel today. I somehow managed to acquire a terrible cold during the night on Thursday, and now I'm worried I have the Suds!
If I were a sponge that's what I would have. But I'm not, so I'm not worried and that was a lie.

I would like to point out that in a couple of my policy classes we have been talking about problem identification, and really getting in deep to discover the cause of a problem so that potential policy solutions address the cause and not the symptoms. Patrick plugging SpongeBob's pores is a perfect example of treating the symptoms and not the core root of the problem- when SpongeBob does eventually have to go to the doctor (Sandy, who is much more sensible than Patrick, makes him go), the treatment for Suds is a good rinse. Makes sense, right?

There's something to be said for simple solutions, and I for one think they are underutilized.