Glee: Bashing Special Needs Kids

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Yeah, I have a complicated relationship with TBBT. I still wtch because it's funny and I adore Sheldon, but I don't think the writers realise that their main audience are the kind of geeks they make fun of so much, and I definitely don't think they realise how many of their audience identify with Sheldon and are on his side more often than not.

I hate how his behavoir is treated as so unreasonable. The worst one was when Penny touched his food, Sheldon freaked out - predectibly - and when Penny continued to make light of the situation and made no effort to respect his needs, he refused to allow her in his space. Which is fair enough, IMHO, but all through the episode Penny was treated as the one in the right. Honestly, how hard is it to just not touch someone's food? I get that it wasn't a big deal to her, but it was a big deal to him, and surely when something isn't important to you but is important to someone else the reasonable thing to do is let them have their way and expect the same courtesy when the positions are reversed.

I realize that any teacher who was REALLY like her would be fired. But in a way I prefer the idea of having teachers like that who insult people to their faces rather than saying the same BS and worse behind their backs like my own relatives who work in the school system do. Also, the main point of shows like glee is to show the most exaggerated, outlandish scenarios and fact that they are so unrealistically ridiculous is what makes them funny.

Now I'm even more glad I stopped watching it long before this.

Seriously? A walking machine? Way to deny every positive aspect of disability culture ever related to wheelchairs.

Obviously, Artie's one goal in life has to be walking. He can't want anything else more than that, can't be anything else than the crippled kid. He can never feel good about being disabled, can never feel proud of his wheelchair. We're supposed to feel sorry for him. We're supposed to feel happy that we can walk.

To put it succinctly: Characters like Artie are there to remind us how lucky we are that we are not like them.

I feel more sad for characters like Sue Sylvester.

Now I have a good reason not to stay up to watch Glee.

i think the point of the walking thing was more 'oh look christmas wishes can come true'
it's only a TV show.

What if we all wished for Glee to be cancelled, would that Christmas wish come true
Even though it's not Christmas. Will have to wait a while for that one.

And the Christmas wish reinforced just how oh-so-terrible it is to be in a wheelchair and how awful it must be to be unable to walk. Disability as the fate worse than death.

"It's only a TV show" has no meaning. Criticism is criticism. If a show can't withstand any, then it has no business being on the air.

well it is on the air, and it'll stay that way for at least 2 more seasons as far as i'm aware.

I know, Emilion, I was just kidding about it being cancelled.

yeah i know.
it was just a statement to no-one in particular.

I wasn't seriously suggesting it go off the air. It is much more likely that criticism will continue.

I do not understand why people resist criticism of pop culture.

I just watched Glee for the first time ever. I wondered if I mistakenly started watching High School Musical, at first. A quick look at information on the cable guide told me I was on the right channel
The episode is a repeat, about a substitute Spanish teacher taking over the glee club while Mr Schuester is sick. A shortage of tater tots went into effect after Principle Sue outlawed them.
Nothing I saw entertained me. The show is kinda blah.
I mean, the jokes aren't even that witty, though I did laugh once. A lot of Glee is singing, which is appropriate considering the title, or people trying to make others feel like crap about themselves.
I thought it would be worse than it was, but it wasn't very good in the first place. I give it a three on a scale of one to ten with ten being awesome and one being disgusting.

That episode and most of the others I've seem since the first season were blah. The first season had more funny stuff and a pretty twisted plotline (weird fake preggoness + actual preggoness).

TV shows affect real people's views on the subject discussed, especially people who have little or no personal experience. Storylines like this perpetuate harmful stereotypes, which - I cannot stress this enough - do affect real people. Besides, even if it didn't, it's a slap in the face to viewers who are happy with their wheelchair, much like surprise!negative portrayals of Autism are for us.

Glee is awful, how many stereotypical characters can you get in one show?

Gay kid - Check (not just a gay kid, but the the type that acts like a really annoying 13 year old girl.)

Geeky kid - Check (gotta have one of these since geek chic is so popular now. and he is also disabled? way to kill two birds with one stone!)

Fat kid - Check

Jock - Check

Cheerleader - Check

Hot guy - Check

Hot chick - Check

Am I missing anyone? Yawn.

I've heard that the show is meant to be parody of similar shows, but I don't see it. I also heard that these kids are meant to be outcasts, WHAT!? As far as Sue Sylvester goes, she is basically a female version of Dr. Cox. Her type of character has been done before and far better.

I think Charlie Brooker explains it best.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLVVjntjWjE[/youtube]