What's Wrong With Glee?

“Glee” means hilarity, mirth and gloating. When I watched the pilot I experienced all these emotions and then some. I do confess that I was completely entertained as I watched this episode, sometimes laughing out loud. Although I could enjoy it, I knew that it emphasized some serious stereotypes about minorities, specifically: women, people of other races, the gay community and the physically challenged. I think the reason “Glee” is so popular with the viewing audience is that the plight of the marginalized is tempered by the humor.

The stereotypes seen in this episode are grossly exaggerated: the invisibility of people of color, the gay male as completely feminine, the lesbian as butch, the Jew as being aggressive, the jock as being dumb, and the physically challenged as being useless… the list goes on. Despite all this, I do see some hope. In order to challenge the dominant ideologies, one first has to talk about them. What better way to expose them for what they are, than to blatantly display them for the world to see. This show has created quite the stir, based on what I have read. Controversy creates conversation and conversation creates change (C3= C to the third power).

As a middle school teacher I look for the Finns of the world. They are in positions of power and can create change. It is important to guide them when they are young, before they get completely caught up in the “herd.” One comment from the episode that disturbed me was the football coach’s assessment of his quarterback’s desertion: “the herd will bring him back.” The message I get is life is easier when people are placed in compartments, when they robotically follow along; life is messy when people stray from the “box” that they have been placed in.

Order… Classify… Control… Regulate… Conformity… Tidy: Let’s clean-up the world… make it “dust-free” (I am being facetious). I think shows like “Glee” make it impossible for the world to ignore the inequality in the world. In its twisted way, it makes us see what is really going on and creates conversation which, albeit slowly, creates change (C3).

The concept of change was brought up in our last class: Can one person enact change? Marco, our guest speaker, believes this is possible. We don’t have the “great movements” that occurred in the past, but this does not mean we are stagnant. As long as we have a voice, then change is possible. The show “Glee” gives viewers the opportunity to voice their discontent. In this respect, the show is powerful. It is also powerful in its portrayal that some people will come forward and stand up for what is right. Is there anything wrong with that?