Gleeful Thoughts: March 22

I was at a loss for what to write about last week's Glee. I've been thinking about it since last Tuesday... dreading the reality that I may not actually be OK with where the show is going and what it stands for. I'm not stupid. I wasn't surprised by anything from last week. I knew it was coming. And honestly, if you didn't know it was coming, you need to check your grasp on reality.

But I'm in my own personal battle here. I'm not sure how much I want to share, for fear of being treated as Victoria Jackson is being treated right now for writing this on her blog:

"Did you see Glee this week? Sickening! And, besides shoving the gay thing down our throats, they made a mockery of Christians—again! I wonder what their agenda is? Hey, producers of Glee—what's your agenda? One-way tolerance?" {via}

But I have decided to be true to myself and let you decide to like me or not. So here are my top 5 hesitations with Glee:

1. It promotes sex lightly. I actually think that Burt's talk to Kurt about sex was good. But it's not enough. There is a one-way view on sex on the show. If you don't like it, turn it off. It doesn't affect my personal decisions, so I keep watching. But I'm concerned with the 13 year olds out there, unsure of what they believe. (Parents -- make sure you're talking to your kids. No matter what they're watching on TV)
2. It does negatively portray conservatives (of any religion, philosophy, belief, etc.) From Rachel's "homely dress" to Kathy Griffin's "tea party" judge bit last week, conservative views aren't praised. At the very least they are portrayed neutral. But neutral can be negative. I understand that good TV pushes boundaries. Ryan Murphy and the crew aren't conservative. And the music industry isn't conservative either. I understand that. I just am a little saddened when a show can't show a conservative view as a legitimate one.
3. Glee has become the Wal Mart of the music industry. It goes in, takes what it can get, and gets pissed if you don't adhere to their rules. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters recently spoke up against this fact, after his band refused to allow Glee to use their song "Times Like These". Grohl said: "It's every band's right, you shouldn't have to do [...] 'Glee.'"
4. Like the point before... we have created a monster. Just like we created with Lady Gaga. It may be too successful for its own good. It has drawn in its fans (I'm included in this... so don't think I'm pointing my finger at anyone...) and has started to do what it wants with them. Give them a bad episode? Ok, that's fine. Give them a good episode? That'd be good too. Make them think people who criticize us are just homophobes? That sounds good. I just fear of it becoming more of a lifestyle and less of an enjoyable TV show.
5. When the stories outside of your show are bigger than the show itself, I fear an invisible line has been crossed. A line that goes from "entertainment" to "culture". And I'm not sure I want Glee defining the culture in my country. I want to watch it for an hour a week, buy its soundtracks, and talk about it with friends. I don't want it to enter every part of my life... either by my own doing or that of others.

Like I said at the beginning of this post... I'm a Glee fan. I have been right from the start. I wasn't surprised by last week. It didn't catch me off guard. What did catch me off guard was my inner reaction to what I was seeing. I'm not sure if my mind's made up about the future of my relationship with the show. But I think it's good to remain critical of all mediums around you. It keeps you from being brainwashed, keeps you on your guard, and it keeps you from changing who you are.

So, go think for yourself. Watch Glee or don't. Hate me for voicing a few criticisms or not. Just remember to think

Glee is on hiatus until April 12... until then, happy singing :)