Glee

I watch Glee when I have time. For this assignment I watched the three episodes, “Pilot”, “Never Been Kissed”, and “Furt”. The first assumption of this class is “media matters”. I think teachers and parents must pay attention to what children and teenagers are watching on T.V. Glee like many TV programs for teenagers gives certain messages. In these three episodes we can see that the television series Glee want to include characters who are from different racial / ethnic backgrounds, physically handicapped, and people with Down’s syndrome, gay and lesbian people. Since we live in a diverse society T.V. series must reflect that. Teenagers who watch Glee would learn about these experiences.  

The second assumption of the course is “youth is a culturally constructed category.”

In all three episodes of the Glee we can see what is expected from adults, teachers, parents, and teenagers in middle class American culture. For example in the Pilot episode Will Schuester almost changed his career that he liked very much to make more money for his family. However, one of his colleagues convinced him that he should continue teaching, because he has a passion for it. Also in the episode “Furt” the girl members of the Glee club asked their boyfriends to stand up for Kurt. If a friend is bullied that it is not acceptable, the viewers will understand that message.

The third assumption of the course is “teenagers are not some alien life form.” The TV series Glee shows that teenagers are living in the same society with adults. Their thinking and behaviors are affected by adults. For example in all episodes, Kurt was bullied, however the adults in the school did not or could not do anything, especially the administration and he transferred to another school. As we read in our class about bullying and masculinity these are serious issues in our culture.

 What can adults do to stop bullying?