Glee Reputation

First I want to talk about the reputation that the TV show Glee has gotten from the viewers and then I will talk about the reputation that the character in Glee have. The new reputation that Glee is getting is not good. Parents Television Council says that Glee is the 'Worst Show of the Week" Wikipeida calls it "an edgy, sexually-charged adult series that is inappropriate for teenagers." When this show first came out this was not the case. It was appropriate for all ages to watch because it was just a bunch of high school kids singing and dancing. Sure it had a few controversial episodes, but never showed anything inappropriate. Now, though, it is showing the apparently inappropriate things not just discussing them.
Are they or aren't they going too far with what they are showing on the TV show? Are they teaching teenagers that it is okay to act the way that the characters are acting? Is it setting a good example? As Elisa Marie says "The students lie, they cheat, they steal, they lust, they lace the bake-sale cupcakes with pot in order to give the student body a severe case of the munchies. Nearly all the Ten Commandments get violated at one point or another, while the audience is invited to laugh at people's pain and folly and humiliation. ... It insults kids to suggest that simply watching Characters Behaving Badly onscreen means they'll take that as permission to do the same themselves. [...] And it's set in high school, meaning it's about a journey not just to college and career but to identity and conviction, the price of popularity, the compromises we must make between what we want and what we need." So the question here is because of what they are showing and teaching teenagers, is it giving the TV show a bad reputation? I think it depends on how you look at it. I like that they are bringing in more contemporary issues, but I think some things don't need to be shown on TV either.

As for the characters in Glee...The ones who are actually are in the Glee club are the dorks of the school. Even if they are on the football team or are a cheerleader, the fact that they are in Glee makes them a loser no matter what.



(This is from the episode "Original Songs")



"Loser Like Me" Lyrics

Yeah, you may think that I’m a zero
But, hey, everyone you wanna be
Probably started off like me
You may say that I’m a freakshow (I don’t care)
But, hey, give it just a little time
I bet you’re gonna change your mind

All of the dirt you’ve been throwin’ my way
It ain’t so hard to take, that’s right
‘Cause I know one day you’ll be screamin’ my name
And I’ll just look away, that’s right

Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the words you got and knock me down
Baby, I don’t care
Keep it up, AND SOON ENOUGH YOU"LL FIGURE OUT
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me
A loser like me

(Cory Monteith/Finn)

Push me up against the locker
And hey, all I do is shake it off
I’ll get you back when I’m your boss
I’m not thinkin’ ’bout you hangers
‘Cause hey, I could be a superstar
I’ll see you when you wash my car

All of the dirt you’ve been throwin’ my way
It ain’t so hard to take, that’s right
‘Cause I know one day you’ll be screamin’ my name
And I’ll just look away, that’s right

Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the words you got and knock me down
Baby, I don’t care
Keep it up,and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me
A loser like me


Hey, you, over there
Keep the L up-up in the air
Hey, you, over there
Keep the L up, ’cause I don’t care
You can throw your sticks, and you can throw your stones
Like a rocket, just watch me go
Yeah, l-o-s-e-r
I can only be who I are

Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the words you got and knock me down
Baby, I don’t care
Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me


Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the words you got and knock me down
Baby, I don’t care
Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me (A loser like me)
A loser like me (A loser like me)
A loser like me

Glee wrote this song specifically aimed at Sue who bullies the Glee kids constantly. I love it how they just embrace it and are like whatever we don't care if we are losers, in the end we will be better then everyone who has been bullying us. As the song says "Push me up against the locker
And hey, all I do is shake it off, I’ll get you back when I’m your boss, I’m not thinkin’ ’bout you hangers, ‘Cause hey, I could be a superstar, I’ll see you when you wash my car."
Unfortunately, this is just another stereotype-a loser. What makes someone a loser? Basically it is just another stereotype that society has designed. A loser is defined as "A dumb bitch who uses the wrong hand to make the "L" symbol on her forehead" by urban dictionary. Which is kind of funny because the symbol for the show is the word Glee and the L is someone making the loser sign with their hand as shown at the top of this blog. Urban dictionary also defines it as "A person who has fallen off the social ladder, climbed down the social ladder, jumped off the social ladder, or just never bothered to climb the social ladder in the first place. Upon arrival on the ground, losers begin to befriend fellow groundlings and realize how much fun a person can have when gravity isn’t an issue. It is perfectly acceptable to insult losers, because they have nowhere to fall to and it won’t hurt much. They will end up laughing about it later, anyways. Every now and then, a loser will glance at the top of the social ladder, but it is never long before they realize how pointless and stupid the top of the ladder is." So basically being in Glee puts you at the bottom of the social ladder and I think Glee portrays this very well. I use to be in a choir and we were actually called choir nerds. I guess if you sing and dance you are a loser or at least this is what Glee and society are teaching us.
These next few clips show how Glee is bullied by others and slushied and what not. It also shows how they try and climb the social ladder as well.


(This is from the episode "Bad Reputation" from Season 1)
This clip shows how cruel high school is and how kids rank others on how hot or not someone is which then decides if you are cool. This episode represents how kids care so much about their reputation and make such a big deal about it. In high school your reputation is all that matters to some kids. As Eric E. from Auburn, N says "My whole high-school career I’ve worried about how people perceived me - was I cool, weird, or, even worse, a loser? Every kid worries about how they are viewed by others because reputations can make or break a high-school career." It is sad to see that since reputation matters so much to teenagers how other students make lists to tell you how cool you are. This shouldn't be happening because it can really hurt someone. Reputation really should not be such a big deal, but it is something else that society has designed to classify people into groups.
This is a contemporary issue because the "hot or not" list is about body image and beauty and what is perceived as beautiful and what makes someone cool.
You can also look at how Sue gets teased for her video that was put online of her dancing to the song "Physical". How even the judgemental bullying comes from adults.



(This is from the episode "Mattress" Season 1)

This is just another clip that shows how harsh high school can be. They don't want to be in the Glee picture in the yearbook because people destroy their faces in it. So again, as was said before they are stereotyped losers and are at the bottom of the social ladder for being in Glee. I like how Glee shows this typical stereotype and how having the loser stereotype on your shoulders can be harmful to a teens self esteem and makes you do whatever you can to not be viewed as a loser.



(This is from the episode "Auditions")

Glee is still getting slushied because they are losers and no one will join the club because they don't want to be a loser. So their goal is to become "cool". As urban dictionary says "When someone is "cool" they are popular, suave, and you like them." This is just another stereotype that society has put on us.


(This is from the episode "Throw Down" Season 1)

This episode is more focused on minorities. Sue takes all the people who would usually be put in the minority group such as the gay, black, handicapped, and Asian kids to be in her group while Mr. Shue gets everyone else. The minority sings a song called "Hate On Me" because they are showing how being a minority they are hated on. I think it is awesome that the show has such a diverse group of people so that the minorities have someone that they can relate to on TV. A lot of the time minorities never have anyone to relate to on TV because TV shows are too scared to confront controversial issues.
Some might say they are focusing too much on the minorities so Ryan Murphy who is the creator of Glee says he added Christian Characters so that Christians can have someone to relate to too not just the gays and the minorities. Ryan says"I'm adding a Christian character, We've taken a couple jabs at the right wing this year, so what I want to do with this character is have someone who Christian kids and parents can recognize and say, 'Oh, look-I'm represented there, too!' If we're trying to form a world of inclusiveness, we've got to include that point of view as well."

Kurt+Blaine=Love

(This is an overview of their relationship)
I really like this clip because it just goes over Kurt and Blaine's relationship and how it has blossomed. I especially like it because it shows that a gay relationship is just as normal (whatever society has decided what normal is) as a heterosexual relationship. It's good that Glee is doing this because there are several people who think homosexual relationships are weird and not normal. From Glee you are able to see that the feminine and masculine role are still played by someone and that it is the same as a heterosexual relationship. It makes it interesting to see in Glee who plays the masculine role and who plays the feminine role.

Glee is just falling into the common stereotype of what is masculine and what is feminine. Who can really say? Urban dictionary defines masculine as "Often defined as aggressive, strong, and unfeeling or stoic. Being masculine means in modern times, at least, no shows of emotion, no flamboyance, no hugging or even looking at other men, must be interested in sports and physical/viloent activity. " They define feminine as"An approving word used to describe a sweet, inoffensive woman who wears fluffy pink sweaters and floral perfume. Usually a passive bimbo with the intellect of a sheep. Sleeps with a cuddly stuffed bunny. The ideal that most men want and most women aspire to: not to be confused with feminist." They define a feminine man as " A man who is cowardly or pathetic. Coined "Girly" because he is not acting macho." They define a masculine women as "Typically a woman who is a lesbian. Micah Carnate. Also referred to as a dike in some cases." These are the common stereotypes that society has made and unfortunately people still believe them. These stereotypes makes you wonder if a guy is really feminine and girl is really masculine does that make them gay? No, it doesn't that is just a stereotype that society has put on us.

In addition, from talking to people I have learned that some people think that Kurt and Blaine's relationship is inappropriate. I even know several people who have stopped watching the show because of it. Even more people stopped watching once Kurt and Blaine Kissed and when Britney and Santana Kissed. To me they are being very narrow minded. Maybe they think it is inappropriate because it is so out in the open and right in your face, but still who are they to say it is not okay? I think it is a great thing that they have these gay relationships because it gives watchers who are gay someone to relate to. In a lot of shows they never have anyone to relate to because TV and society have never really had gay couples on TV because it is viewed as inappropriate, but now through Glee more people are able to connect with a character. Furthermore, Glee doesn't just give gays someone to relate to, but a lot of other minorities someone to relate to, but I will go more into that on another blog.


(This is a kiss from the gay couple in Modern Family that wasn't seen as such a big deal by some)

I find this kiss to be very interesting because it isn't straight up in your face. If you watch it it isn't even the main focus of the scene, it is kind of hidden behind what other people are doing and because of this people didn't find it as inappropriate as the gay kisses that happened on Glee. Which is weird because it was still a gay kiss, but it must just because it wasn't right in your face. Again, I think it is great that they are showing gay relationships so viewers who are gay can relate to them, but I think Glee did a better job of it because they didn't hide it like it was something dirty. Modern Family didn't make it the main focus of the scene because they didn't want to cause controversy and didn't want to offend people. They were afraid of what people would say. By doing this I don't think gay people can connect to the Modern Family Gay couple as well as the glee Gay couple.
I also don't think that young people who are gay can relate to the Modern Family Gay couple as well as Kurt and Blaine because Modern Family is more of a comedy. They are poking fun at being gay in Modern Family more so then Glee is. Glee actually tries and makes the gay relationship serious, whereas in Modern Family the gay couple actually make fun of themselves all the time. Now I am not saying that Modern Family is representing gays completely bad because they do have the couple adopt a child and it shows the weird relationship they have with their families because they are gay, but I do think they could do a better job at it.


(This is a reaction to their first kiss!)

I love this reaction! It shows how so many people support this relationship and how it means a lot to so many people. It proves that a lot of people do relate to Kurt and Blaine and it gives them hope that someday they can have something like they have.

"Grilled Cheesus"

I just find this episode a little comical because it is all based on Finn finding the face of Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich and how he prays for it for help. He prays that the football team will win a football game, that he can touch Rachel's boobs, and that he can be made quarterback, all of his prayers are answered haha.
On a more serious note Kurt's dad is injured and each of the Glee members pray for them in their own way. I think this is cool because we are able to see how all different religions sing praises to God. Rachel is able to sing a Jewish song and Merecedes sings a catholic song. It even shows someone who has no faith at all, which is Kurt. He says that God made him gay and then God has his followers going around preaching that it is his choice to be Gay and why would he choose to be gay and to choose to be mocked every single day. His faith on this episode is the relationship between him and his father. I like that Glee is teaching the viewers about other peoples belief systems.
They also bring up the topic of separation of church and state. Basically Sue says it is inappropriate to sing church songs at school if one student doesn't want to, which the principal agrees with and no longer allows Glee to sing praises to God in school. This upsets many of the Glee kids because they feel they should be able to share how they feel. This is a very contemporary issue that Glee brought up because many schools still struggle with the problem, especially in Utah. A lot of people can relate to this topic in Utah because of the prominent church in it and how there isn't a very big separation of church and state. So I can see how this episode might cause some serious controversies. I think it is brave of Glee to bring up so many controversial issues such as this because people can get very offended when it comes to religion.

"Sexy"

The main point I wanted to make about this episode is sex education. Emma thinks that a Celibacy Club teaching nothing about sex or how it works except proclaiming not to have it is the best idea. She thinks that if you teach them about sex they will more likely have it(This is basically the view of Utah and where has that lead us? With being one of the highest teen pregnancy states in America...Awesome...Not). While Holly thinks having sex education is important to have because "information is power"(Actually it is proven that states with better sex education and a place where they can get free condoms have lower pregnancy rates, more likely to wait to have, and more likely to have protective sex). I agree more with Holly that teens should be educated on sex because teenagers can be so naive about sex. And why are they so Naive? Because NO ONE has taught them...hm...interesting how that works...Glee also supports the theory of information is power when they point out the lack of knowledge Glee has about sex. For example; Finn thought he got his girlfriend pregnant in a hot tub without having actual sex, but because they were in the hot tub it made the sperm swim faster to make her pregnant. Now if he had known anything about sex he would know that this is impossible. Also Britney would know that a stork doesn't bring babies on your doorstep if she had been informed about sex. I think Glee is teaching us that kids need to have sex education because without it they wont know how to prevent pregnancies or STD's. Also the more knowledge they have the better they will be able to prepare for sex.

The second important topic in this episode is Britney and Santana's relationship. Over the season they have had an interesting friends with benefits relationship and it has finally gotten to the point to where they are confused about how they really feel. I think their relationship represents the confusion that teenagers go through in discovering their sexuality and how it is hard to discover themselves. In addition, I think Glee teaches how sometimes you might discover who you are and what you want, but the other person might not reciprocate the feeling, which is what happens with Britney and Santana. Santana decides she is in love with Britney, but Britney realizes she likes both, but since Artie is already her boyfriend she is going to stay with him. I think this shows how hard it is to rejected and how you can be rejected by so many different people just based on your sexuality.

The last interesting subject in this episode is the "talk" Kurt's dad has with him. It is already hard enough having the sex talk with your parents when you are straight, but imagine how hard it is for a dad to have the sex talk with their gay son. I love it how Glee shows so many different examples of what Kurt and gay guy has to go through and how complex and difficult it can be. I mean I would never have thought of how you have the sex talk with a gay kid until Glee brought the topic up. At the same time though having the sex talk with a gay kid is the same as having it with a straight kid in a way. Parents still don't want their child to have sex until they are older and ready and they still want them to use protection, the only difference is how you have sex. I like how at the end of the sex talk that Kurt and his dad have his dad still makes it known that he wants his son to be loved by someone else and to use sex as a way to connect. It is teaching the watchers that gays want to be loved just like heterosexual people and why is a gay relationship any different then a heterosexual one?

Here is one song from the episode to analyze. The song is one Emma chose the Celibacy Club to sing to educate the Glee Club not to have sex.

"Afternoon Delight" Lyrics

Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
gonna grab some afternoon delight.
My motto's always been; when it's right, it's right.
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night.
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day.
And you know the night is always gonna be there any way.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite
looking forward to a little afternoon delight.
Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite
and the thought of rubbin' you is getting so exciting.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Started out this morning feeling so polite
I always though a fish could not be caught who wouldn't bite
But you've got some bait a waitin' and I think I might try nibbling
a little afternoon delight.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Please be waiting for me baby when I come around.
We could make a lot of lovin' 'for the sun goes down.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Repeat chorus.

The funny thing about this song is that Emma had the Celibacy club sing it not knowing the true meaning of the song. She think it literally means people getting deserts at lunch time, but I think we all know what it really means...haha. This just proves again how naive people can be if they are not educated on what sex is.

"Furt"

IT’S A GLEE WEDDING!!! And guess who is in charge of the wedding plans??? The one and only Kurt! Who else would they have plan the wedding? A straight man like Finn? No, no, no he couldn't do nearly as good of a job as a gay guy. At least this is the stereotype that Glee is portraying when they make Kurt the one who is in charge of planning it. It is actually very disappointing that they are creating such a strong stereotype here. Basically they are saying you have to be feminine to be able to plan a wedding.
Furthermore, on the subject of femininity Glee has made the main gay guy in the show the stereotype of a gay guy, which is very very feminine. Those who are struggling with their sexuality and watch the show start to believe that to be gay you must be as feminine as Kurt to be gay and they can't be anything else, but very feminine because this is what they see on TV. This also makes those who aren't gay and watch Glee assume that all gay guys are very feminine and if a guy is feminine at all he must be gay. The stereotype Glee has created is very narrow minded and only gives a very small scope of what a gay man can be and is.
Another interesting subject to analyze is the fact how Kurt is so excited to plan this wedding. It makes you think why is he so excited to plan the wedding. Partly it is because it is his dad's wedding, but another good thought is that he is so excited because he realizes that he will probably never be able to plan his own wedding because he is gay and gays can not get married. He is making it his dream wedding because he wont ever be able to have his dream wedding so he is taking full advantage of planning a wedding. I think the Glee writers are sending a subtle message about how unfair it is that gays wont ever get the chance to plan or have their own wedding.
In addition, the wedding isn’t the only topic of interest in this episode. Another main subject is the fact that Kurt decides to leave McKinley High to go to Dalton Academy where A. Gays aren't bullied and B. Glee club is cool. He decides to leave McKinley because he was getting bullied by the football player Karofsky and he was going to be expelled, but the school board overturned that decision so Kurt no longer felt safe at McKinley.
I think that Glee brought up an important point of how bullying is very harmful to ones self esteem and can even lead people to kill themselves, but luckily in this example Kurt transferred to a new school before he got to that point. Glee also showed how hard it can be to be a minority such as being gay and how minorities have so many struggles in life. Glee is a good example of the struggles a gay guy goes through and how hard it is to stand up for yourself and ignore what others think. Luckily for Kurt he at least had friends in Glee who were standing up for him, but still that wasn't enough to stop the hurt the bullying was causing so it lead him to leaving McKinley. But that is all I am going to talk about for now about minorities and Kurt since they will be discussed in later blogs.

Now to Analyze Some of the Glee songs-

"Marry You" lyrics

It's a beautiful night
We're looking for something dumb to do
Hey baby
I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares, baby
I think I wanna marry you
Well, I know this little chapel
On the boulevard we can go
No one will know
Oh, come on girl
Who cares if we're trashed
Got a pocket full of cash we can blow
Shots of patron
And it's on, girl
Don't say no, no, no, no, no
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And we'll go, go, go, go, go
If you're ready, like I'm ready
'Cause it's a beautiful night
We're looking for something dumb to do
Hey baby
I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares, baby
I think I wanna marry you
I'll go get a ring
Let the choir bells sing like
Ooh, so what ya wanna do?
Let's just run, girl
If we wake up and you
Wanna break up, that's cool
No, I won't blame you
It was fun, girl
Don't say no, no, no, no, no
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And we'll go, go, go, go, go
If you're ready, like I'm ready
‘Cause it's a beautiful night
We're looking for something dumb to do
Hey baby
I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares, baby
I think I wanna marry you
Just say I do
Tell me right now, baby
Tell me right now, baby, baby
Just say I do
Tell me right now, baby
Tell me right now, baby, baby, oh
It's a beautiful night
We're looking for something dumb to do
Hey baby
I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes
Or is it this dancing juice
Who cares, baby
I think I wanna marry you

I think that this song is making fun of how easy it is for heterosexuals to get married and then just as easy to get a divorce. The song is showing how heterosexuals take advantage of marriage. Moreover, marriage isn't really that big a deal for heterosexuals to get married because it is something that they have always had the right to have and have never had it taken away from them. And because of this they think like the lyrics say "It's a beautiful night. We're looking for something dumb to do. Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you." To heterosexuals it's just like hey we are bored, we have nothing better to do, lets go get drunk and get married. Whereas for homosexuals marriage/commitment is a big deal to them because it isn't that easy to come by. They would never just be like "If we wake up and you wanna break up that's cool. No, I wont blame you. It was fun girl". They wouldn't do this because homosexuals look at marriage as a bigger deal because they don't have the right to get married and can't just go get married one night and a divorce the next like heterosexuals.

"Just The Way You Are" Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Her eyes, her eyes
make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair
falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday (yeahh)
I know, I know
When I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so
Sad to think that she don't see what I see
But everytime she asks me "Do I look okay?"
I say
[Chorus:]
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
'Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are
[Verse 2]
Her lips, her lips
I could kiss them all day if she'd let me
Her laugh, her laugh
she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday
Oh you know, you know, you know
I'd never ask you to change
If perfect's what you're searching for
Then just stay the same
So don't even bother asking if you look okay
'Cause you know I'll say
[Chorus:]
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
'Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are
The way you are
The way you are
Girl you're amazing
Just the way you are
[Chorus:]
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

Right before this song Finn made a toast saying that this new brothership was made between Finn and Kurt which makes "Furt" which leads him to sing the song "Just The Way You Are". The funny thing about this song is the fact that Finn is singing it to Kurt at their parents wedding and it is a love song. What makes it even more interesting is that Finn is very straight and Kurt was in love with Finn. So it makes it a little ironic that Finn is singing this love song to Kurt when he isn't in love with him, but if you kind of twist the meaning you can see how Finn is singing it to Kurt in a unromantic way. Finn is telling Kurt that he is perfect just the way he is and that he doesn't have to change for anyone. Finn lets him know it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks and that he shouldn't listen to what the bullies are saying. Finn is also letting Kurt know that he will always be there for him if anyone tries to hurt him. I think this song is a good representation of how a song can have several different meanings. I think the Glee writers did a great job at changing this song to represent the relationship between Kurt and Finn. I also think this song is sending a message that no matter who you are you are amazing just the way you are and you should never change for anyone.