What has happened to the writers of ‘Glee’? I don’t get it.
These guys pride themselves on being the vanguards of tolerance and understanding. They have been awarded by no less than GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for their positive and outstanding representations of gays and lesbians in the media. They have been in the forefront of breaking down stereotypes and educating Americans on the dangers of intolerance against groups who don’t fit into the cookie-cutter molds that society would force them into.
So imagine my surprise when they did exactly the opposite to conservative Tea Party activists:
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Kathy Griffin, (herself a GLAAD “Vanguard” award winner for her outstanding contribution to the depiction of gays and lesbians in the media), played a “Tea Party Candidate” who was judging a glee club competition. Dressed all in red and with Palin-esque glasses, her character bursts onto the scene by proclaiming “I am not a witch!” [Insert pause for laughter here].
It’s more than just disappointing, it’s intolerance and bigotry in the name of tolerance and understanding.
The initial reviews of this episode are pretty lousy, even from the show’s fans. And they all seem to single out the Kathy Griffin character as a “dud”. But, none of them understand the real reason why her character was a dud. I’ll explain it for them: Because it was a two-dimensional depiction of a conservative that was not based in any kind of reality or truth. The character was a cartoon image of a “Tea Partier” drawn by a group of writers who probably have never had a real conversation with one of us.
So in this episode of ‘Glee’ the writers have pretty much come full circle in their bigotry and intolerance. They did to us exactly what they feel has been done to gay people on television for years: provided a false and stereotypical character meant to convey a negative image and message to the viewer. There’s a word for that: Defamation (for those of you paying attention, Defamation is what the “D” in GLAAD stands for).
Series creator Ryan Murphy has allowed his franchise to get sloppy and careless. In their desire to promote positive images of gay people, they have fallen back to the lazy and mean-spirited trick of painting the perceived “enemies” of gays in the same way they would hate to be portrayed, as caricatures of themselves.
Look at Mr. Murphy’s speech when accepting the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Comedy:
“(This show) is about education, it is about inclusion and we are using this show, I think, in a great way.”
He then goes on to describe all of the positive and heroic depictions they are planning for the gay teen character on their show. Which is worthy of applause and recognition. The problem is the writers have not figured out a way to promote positive images for their gay characters without showing insulting and false images of conservatives at the same time.
These guys can’t have it both ways. They can’t decry the depiction of gay characters on television while at the same time forcing a false image of conservatives into the homes of Americans every week. Where is the sympathetic religious character? Where is the honest portrayal of a Tea Party member? Where is the honest depiction of someone who respects and loves a gay friend or child, yet also wants to maintain the traditional definition of marriage?
I have a better question: Where is the conservative writer in the room who voices his opinion when he sees the direction the script is going? I’ll give you the answer: They don’t have one. And that, my friends, is the problem.
If ‘Glee’ really wants to be cutting edge and really wants to be inclusive, they’ll hire a conservative writer to help flesh out some of the characters the current staff seems to have trouble with.
What’s that Mr. Murphy? You don’t know any conservative writers? Hmm… Maybe that’s the problem. You sir, need to be a little more open minded.