Friday, May 14, 2010

Glee: I have a love hate relationship with thee part 2


And now we move onto my love hate relationship I have with this wonderful show called Glee.  First my most selfish reasons for not liking it (though yall know I really love it no matter what I say)  I usually don't like to like things that everyone else loves, I usually like to be in the minority, like for example, be part of a small but fiercely loyal fanbase like I am with Supernatural or Avatar the Last Airbender, or my favorite actors who frequent sci-fi often.  So, for me to fall in love with something that fans and critics alike talk about all the time is quite unusual and dare I say, uncomfortable for me.  It would be like me watching and loving, hmm...I don't know, 30 Rock, or God forbid, Friends.  ugh.  Not for me, no sir.  Not even going to link those.  But I just can't help but love Glee.  It is infectious.
And, onto a real reason for not liking Glee.  I do not appreciate when a usually non-political show like Glee makes little political quibbles sporadically.  Yes, I know that Glee has made it a point to have a very diverse cast.  You have two Jewish characters, a Christian, a boy in a wheelchair, an Asian, African American, a couple of characters with Down Syndrome, and a gay character.  However, despite the diversity, it never really preaches at you, especially in regards to Kurt.  He is what he is, and you take him for what he is, and you either love him or hate him.  I personally love him.  But the fact that he is gay isn't really pushed in your face each week.  It's just who he is.  But I think the creators (Ryan Murphy I am looking at you) forgot that they placed Glee in the middle of Podunk Ohio, actually only about 1 hour from my house.  Not everyone in Ohio is automatically liberal like in New York or LA.  Yet in this first short season, we have already heard jabs at Sarah PalinAnn Coulter, and Christians/Glenn Beck.  They have all been portrayed negatively.  Basically the only Christian character on Glee that we know of is Quinn, captain of the celibacy club, and who has very conservative, Christian parents.  They make a point of and make it quite obvious that her parents watch, heaven forbid, Glenn Beck.  Oh no.  Run for the hills.  Whatever shall we do?  Well, I know what the writers decided to do.  They decided to make Quinn's parents the only bad example of parents this show has.  Of course, if they had been liberal, hippy, non-religious parents, they no doubt would have been portrayed as being very forgiving and loving and would have welcomed her to stay in their home, no question, even though when they found out she was pregnant.  But no, because her parents are over the top conservative and Christian, they of course can't have anything besmirching their image and have to get rid of anything that threatens this.  So of course, poor pregnant Quinn must go.  Forget that she is their daughter, pregnant, has no money, and one of the fundamental staples of Christianity is forgiveness.  Nope.  This show apparently has an agenda and that agenda is to show America just how closed minded and cold-hearted and stupid conservatives really are, and how they are brain washed by their conservative TV shows and talk radio shows.  Because honestly, are they portrayed any other way in the media?  Everyone else's parents have been portrayed as nothing but loving and forgiving, especially Kurt's father.  Really writers?  That's the best you can do?  Go along with how everyone else portrays conservatives and leave it at that.  You can do better.  Although, I have never really seen conservatives shown in a positive light, except for perhaps, Friday Night Lights and their small town ideals and values.  I can not complain, however, how the other kid's relationship with their parent's are portrayed.  They do these very very well and it is just lovely and wonderful to see teens who get along with their parents instead of automatically hating them just for the sheer fact that they are teens and that is what they are supposed to do.  Again, I say, they have forgotten that this show takes place in middle America, where there is a wide variety of beliefs and people don't automatically assume you are liberal because of where you live like...ahem LA, or ahem...NYC.

All Glee images are from: GleeImages

2 comments:

Susan said...

I still can't believe Glee is supposed to be set in my hometown, Lima, Oh. One of the poorest "big towns" in our state. I've never seen it, but now you have me intrigued as I, too, do not usually like what everyone else likes. I like High School Musical, but I'm also not 11 years old, so I guess I'm the minority on that one ;)

Miss Caitlin Elizabeth said...

I love high school musical!! I love Glee too, despite what it may seem. I just have little problems with it here and there