Saturday, January 09, 2010

Are GLEEks racists?



I read this fantastically surprising article about racism in Glee on colorlines.com:  [Is Glee off Key on Race?] talking about how liberals often get it so wrong, possessing and re-iterating the same basic racist perspectives underneath what they claim to be race-neutral.  While I'm a fan of the show, and laugh hardest with Sue does her uncomfortably inappropriate hyper-racist ranting, you do have to wonder if and how the show does belittle the minority characters and their travails - how it all might contribute to furthering the very stereotypes that it's - supposedly - seeking to deconstruct.  Or maybe it's all just about good fun and the either naive or bleeding-heart-optimistic hope that we all can "make it."  What's tragic, in terms of our society, when you stop and really think is that many of the charaters won't "make it" - yet the quarterback and pregnant chastity-queen cheerleader most likely will.  Granted - reality television - is anything but what the names implies.  Who wants to watch the reality we live on tv for entertainment.  Yet at what point does entertainment we take in to escape life, become a force that shapes the life we live the next day?

1 comment:

Rebecca said...

I get uneasy when I watch glee for this reason...I feel like they often cross the line...