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Nov. 3rd, 2010 12:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladylostrisI've been meaning to make a few comments about Glee. I'll be honest here, I mainly watch it because of the music (because, let's face it, a lot of the plotlines are ridiculous). That said, it does seem to take up a lot of issues, like teen pregnancy, and homosexuality, and being okay with who you are. It spends so much time going over the issue of why a glee club is important, with even some jocks who previously put it down changing their mind about it. There is one issue that I wish it would address in a more serious manner than it does though.
I think, given Glee's popularity among teenagers as well as adults, that it could do a better job of handling the bullying issue, particularly with the rash of teenage suicides we've had lately. True, the glee club members have basically resigned themselves to being slushied, and have on notable occasions stood up for themselves (anyone else remember Finn's shower curtain dress?), but that's the extent of it. Even the teachers are in on it. None of them ever create any consequences for the students doing the bullying, or make it known that it is not okay to do. It's not enough for the writers to assume that any students watching this might empathize with the bullied students and take that into consideration (after all, real-life bullies don't empathize with their real-life victims, so why should they empathize with fake ones?). A show that is as popular and topical as this one should be doing more to address the big issue of “bullying is bad so don't do it”.
Although maybe I don't have too much to worry about. It's not like this is an accurate depiction of high school glee clubs. No high school, glee club or otherwise, would actually be allowed to put on a production of Rocky Horror Picture Show.
I think, given Glee's popularity among teenagers as well as adults, that it could do a better job of handling the bullying issue, particularly with the rash of teenage suicides we've had lately. True, the glee club members have basically resigned themselves to being slushied, and have on notable occasions stood up for themselves (anyone else remember Finn's shower curtain dress?), but that's the extent of it. Even the teachers are in on it. None of them ever create any consequences for the students doing the bullying, or make it known that it is not okay to do. It's not enough for the writers to assume that any students watching this might empathize with the bullied students and take that into consideration (after all, real-life bullies don't empathize with their real-life victims, so why should they empathize with fake ones?). A show that is as popular and topical as this one should be doing more to address the big issue of “bullying is bad so don't do it”.
Although maybe I don't have too much to worry about. It's not like this is an accurate depiction of high school glee clubs. No high school, glee club or otherwise, would actually be allowed to put on a production of Rocky Horror Picture Show.
