Diana argon posts on tour about the letters glee gets etc.

Aishae

whether or not you're a gleek you might like what glee does - what it supports
i appreciate the support for sexuality and also the support for disability
(come to think of it - i wonder how many folks realise the L in glee is the american sign language l - as ive mentioned that to several people who didnt know so with that in mind i wonder how many things fly over peoples heads - like brittany being bi-curious etc)

i saw this post on facebook - by Diana Argon in a blog format:
http://felldowntherabbithole.tumblr.com/post/6453072763

thought it was quite a well written piece and might be good to share - especially for those younger LGBT folks. but i reckon the sentiment is there for everyone

LegacyUser

I totally disagree. Glee is first off a terribly written show. Contrived, inconsistent, spineless and contradictory (one memorable scene where a character gets mad at his girlfriend for doing something that he told her to do 2 minutes earlier (Tina and Mike in the Bieste episode)).

Secondly, the show has no base. Sometimes its cartoony, sometimes its melodrama. This is a problem because it jokes about and stereotypes so many different people (Jew, black, fat jokes). This would be fine if the show was all about joking. But it's not, it goes above and beyond to show the gay character Kurt as being a total victim (no joking allowed to be made) and that the whole world must revolve around his gayness and that he is allowed be effeminate but get upset when elected prom queen etc.

The show is totally from one minority trying to cover it up as being a show that is cheesily accepting of all. But the reality is that its blatantly biased and treating gay issues in the USA as some sort of agenda whilst reinforcing a stereotype on top of being horribly written which pisses more people off (it's Emmy winnings angred people).

On top of this, the show's creator is quite the psycho. When Kings of Leon refused to be covered (mistaking the request for just a promo as they never heard of Glee), the creator went insane. The drummer tweeted that Ryan Murphy was acting like a girl (a common slagging, he did not know Ryan was gay) and Ryan accused them of homophobia.

In short, good intentions, terrible delivery which is not going to push things forward but piss a lot of people off.

baby and crumble

Aishae wrote:

i wonder how many folks realise the L in glee is the american sign language l - as ive mentioned that to several people who didnt know

Actually I think that comes from the traditional sign for 'loser' in the States, rather than ASL.

I didn't read the blog post, but I love Glee. I think lately it's been doing something odd, musically. But with the topics it does talk about, I think it does a good job highlighting certain issues.

I love how if a creator of a show is gay, and there's a gay plot point somewhere, then the show "has an agenda". If the creator of a show is a black person, with plot points that reference black culture or themes, the show is still just a show. it's so ludicrous.

The show has been shown to highlight unhealthy obsession, a la Kurts thing for Finn in series 1- he did stalk him, and tbh he didn't want to agree that Finn was straight. that highlighted a more realistic side, no?

nuhhuh wrote:

the whole world must revolve around his gayness and that he is allowed be effeminate but get upset when elected prom queen etc

yeah, how DARE someone want to be themselves then get upset when getting bullied for it? MAN UP, KURT!!! :rolleyes:

baby and crumble

I just read the post. Very well written- the more I read and hear her speak and everything the hotter she gets, not just physically (she is incredibly beautiful, but that's kind of a given) but because she has an amazing heart, it would seem, and is very intelligent and articulate. What's not to love?

Aishae

i think this is the kind of show you take as just that - a show. its not perfect but what and who is? it has its fans and its non-fans fair enough. so does eastenders and the like. its telly, as they say.

i agree zoe, that it does it well.
i know the stories tend to be a bit all over the place - so i tend to treat each show as a stand alone thing like a mini movie - with the exception of a few storylines that go on under the surface.
as for kurt being girly - a stereotype. well plenty of people do fit the stereotype bill. not all, not even a large portion. but they exist.
maybe the kurt persona is just one the tv execs felt that more people would accept.

back on topic - she (diana) was saying she wore a t shirt 'likes girls' one day to show her support and she got letters both applauding it and those asking why?
it seems clear from this post in the link at least that she does care about it all. she's not being a sheep doing the currently cool thing for the sake of fashion.

i just wish there were more attitudes like that around

LegacyUser

In no way do I think this because the creator is gay. I think this because I LOVE the premise so much, but die inside every episode I watch. This is a show that makes little sense. It needs to have a stronger backbone or else it just comes across as preachy (but without practicing what they preach). It works in a "gay pride" way I suppose, but its still so horribly written its not going to reach a wide enough audience (there is plenty of hate out there for the writing of the show Emmys and ratings aside).

Basically this is not going to sway homophobic America in anyway. And its purely down to the scatterbrained writing and ideas.

Chuchoter

I like Dianna Agron but I thought the likes girls thing was actually really annoying. I can't stand when people co-opt lesbian and bisexual identities for attention and they do it constantly. If you aren't gay don't say you are, end of story. We have a billion and two 'allies' in the media but actual gay women? Few and far between.

Aishae

crayolastereo wrote: »

I like Dianna Agron but I thought the likes girls thing was actually really annoying. I can't stand when people co-opt lesbian and bisexual identities for attention and they do it constantly. If you aren't gay don't say you are, end of story. We have a billion and two 'allies' in the media but actual gay women? Few and far between.

the t shirt thing can be taken either way though - either a/ we know she's straight and shes supporting us by wearing a shirt that says otherwise
or b/ shes doing it wrong - which i agree with because while i dont find the t shirt thing offensive in itself, perhaps a better slogan would suit more. 'yay lesbians' or something

i think its important to remember what age demographic the show is generally aimed at. young teens. noteable by all the 'things' it tries to teach in each episode. teen things you get in life ed classes. so the fact it reaches fans outside the age group its aimed at, speaks in favour OF the show.

Chuchoter

I'm sure the t-shirt thing came from a good place, but its also so privileged I just find it really irritating. A yay lesbians shirt would have been great, appropriating an identity that's not yours is just offensive. She can take the shirt off and never have to think about it again, the rest of us can't take off being gay. It seemed like she was coming out in a very dramatic way and then she wasn't.

Aishae

i probably would have thought a bit differently about the shirt had i seen it before i read the article though. its easy to understand where it came froom without being shocked at seeing it being done

baby and crumble

But why does 'likes girls' have to mean she's a lesbian? I mean, I like boys, doesn't mean I want to shag one. I think we need more actual allies like this, who aren't afraid to be mistaken as gay- like Daniel Radcliffe, he's one of the celebs, like Diana Agron, of whom rumours have been flying about whether or not nhe's gay. I remember seeing an interview with him where he came out and said he wasn't, but that if he was he honestly would say so, because it wasn't a big deal. That kind of affirmation can only be a good thing.

I read a reply about this whole tee shirt thing today on afterellen (clicky for linky), and tbh it sums up my feelings;

Much of the mainstream media and a disappointing number of lesbian fans all seem to be clinging to the “I’m not a lesbian” part. I’m not going to give the haters any of my time, because their response — “I can’t believe she said she’s not a lesbian! I’ll never think of her the same way again! Appropriating a subculture that's not her own! When she takes off the t-shirt she’ll still be straight! How dare she stand up for me when she doesn’t even like boobs!” — is so myopic and nonsensical that it hurts my brain just thinking about it.

... Dianna Agron likes girls. And you know what? I like Dianna Agron. She doesn’t care that I’m gay, and I don’t care that she’s straight. In the wise words of Scout Finch: There's only one kind of folks. Folks. And Dianna Agron is one of the good ones.