Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Glee, how could you?

You know what really gets under my skin? Once good TV shows that are now so crass in their quest for ratings, so overtly milking the political "causes" du jour, they basically turn said causes into a farce.

Glee is one such TV program, and was rewarded for its overt pandering at the recent Golden Globe awards. 

Chris Colfer, who portrays a gay student on the show, was awarded the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award. Chris was up against far superior competition but I have a sneaking suspicion the Hollywood Foreign Press also wants to be seen as politically correct. 

You see, in the current season of Glee, Colfer's character gets bullied by a secretly gay jock. Sound familiar? I'm sure you're all aware of the spate of suicides of gay teens last fall due to bullying, and the strong media backlash. 

I'm all for raising awareness of such an important issue. I am not, however, in favor of said "hot" issue being exploited to make a buck, and frankly, being portrayed by Colfer in such a poor manner, as a whiny victim for whom it is very difficult to have any sympathy.

I am by no means belittling the truly devastating effects of bullying. It is a real issue and it needs to stop. So does discrimination based on sexual orientation. These are fear-based behaviours, fueled by completely irrational beliefs, and they should remain at the forefront of our collective consciousness as long as necessary.

I'm sure Glee producers see themselves as the defenders of the ever popular message: "Be who you are, and don't be ashamed of it". At its root, this is a very positive message. 

Unfortunately, Glee, especially where Colfer's story line is concerned, falls into the basest "Movie of the Week" stereotypes about bullies and the bullied, and assumes its young audience has the intellectual quotient of a vegetable. 

Glee has managed to pander on many levels in its second season; each episode, with rare exceptions, sullied by a distasteful undercurrent of obvious exploitation.

Friday, January 7, 2011

What the f*ck was I thinking?

So, those were some pretty bold declarations in my last post, and I find myself humbled by the loftiness of my 2011 objectives. Mostly because, at this very moment, I feel like the kid who didn't get invited to the party, like a bit of an outsider. Yep, I'm stuck on wanting attention and being popular. Back to square one. Craving the validation of my peers, and being hurt by its absence. 

I could continue to rant on the reasons why I think I'm all that and the world should act accordingly, but what good would that do? No, I'm trying desperately to resist having a pity party although, given my current emotional state, I'm failing. I'm stuck on numbers people. This deprogramming project I've so wantonly handed myself over to this year is not easy, and not going so well today. 

It sucks feeling like you're on the fringes, somewhat invisible. I'd like to say I don't really care and it doesn't really bother me but it does. Some things seem so easy, effortless for others but not for me. It's like there's some kind of obscure language I can't decipher. I'm trying desperately to unearth the secret but can never quite find it. 

But hey, a lofty goal must be lofty because it's not easy to attain, because it requires some serious self-examination and letting go of deeply ingrained beliefs. 

So, perhaps today is not so much a failure as it is a cultivating of consciousness, a budding awareness of where the starting point is, of where surrender must take place.