tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post2082425713253680854..comments2023-12-24T19:38:00.242-08:00Comments on Mendelson's Memos: Equal rights means equal responsibility. Why Glee's 'breakthrough gay scene' succeeds as drama but fails as a teachable moment.Scott Mendelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08131426080984100749noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post-55630530034539082332011-05-13T10:53:43.112-07:002011-05-13T10:53:43.112-07:00I usually agree with you Scott, but in this case, ...I usually agree with you Scott, but in this case, I think you're leaving out some context. Specifically:<br><br>1) Kurt was not actually as happy about having Finn as a roommate as he was before, because of his father's preference for spending time with Finn in a way Kurt can't. But Kurt was trying to make Finn welcome without changing himself. (He already tried that the previous episode and found it didn't work.) <br><br>2) Finn didn't just issue a gay slur. Finn accused Kurt of planning to jump him and leer at him, which is the typical prejudice gay males experience -- that it's believed that they can't keep it in their pants and heterosexual males are scared that the gays will make a pass at them. (Such as the arguments about the military.) <br><br>3) Kurt had in a previous episode accepted Finn's orientation as straight, and knows that his crush is not going to be returned. That doesn't mean it's gone, or that Kurt doesn't like to hang around in Finn's presence, but that doesn't mean that Kurt doesn't respect Finn's orientation and was making a pass at him. <br><br>4) I agree that Finn was being put upon, and the threat to throw him out of the house was overcompensation, but Finn's main reason for going on a rant with Kurt was that his fellow football players were calling him gay and weak for associating with gays and singing in the chorus and insinuating that he and Kurt were having sex. So while Finn was uncomfortable because Kurt had a crush on him, his lashing out was more about Kurt acting too gay (and theatrical -- the theme of the episode,) and making Kurt feel bad so that Finn would feel more like a tough guy, rather than that Kurt was actually coming on to him. It was part of Finn wondering whether to drop glee club as well as his new family situation. <br><br>When Kurt's dad yelled at him, it woke Finn up, and made him realize that he was conforming to someone else's image of himself again. So he accepted himself as part of glee club and Kurt as what he is -- an open, effeminate gay male. And it also was Kurt's dad realizing what he'd asked of his son. <br><br>What's interesting about the show is that they are trying to show the development of a friendship between a gay male and a straight, athletic male, including the bumps, such as both gays and straights trying to overcompensate and deal with sexual impulses that aren't in sync. So yeah, Kurt's dad wasn't perfectly right, but he's Kurt's dad. And both Finn and Kurt did grow out of it, which is the idea of the show. <br><br>So I don't think the scene fails as a teachable moment. I think it teaches gays and straights about the difficulties involved, and it's pretty typical of the show.KatGhttp://katgoodwin.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post-9906933546377636002010-06-07T08:29:49.616-07:002010-06-07T08:29:49.616-07:00Thanks for that KatG. Tis the best defense of sai...Thanks for that KatG. Tis the best defense of said scene that I've read.Scott Mendelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08131426080984100749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post-61733900991742481772010-06-01T15:38:17.007-07:002010-06-01T15:38:17.007-07:00I usually agree with you Scott, but in this case, ...I usually agree with you Scott, but in this case, I think you're leaving out some context. Specifically:<br /><br />1) Kurt was not actually as happy about having Finn as a roommate as he was before, because of his father's preference for spending time with Finn in a way Kurt can't. But Kurt was trying to make Finn welcome without changing himself. (He already tried that the previous episode and found it didn't work.) <br /><br />2) Finn didn't just issue a gay slur. Finn accused Kurt of planning to jump him and leer at him, which is the typical prejudice gay males experience -- that it's believed that they can't keep it in their pants and heterosexual males are scared that the gays will make a pass at them. (Such as the arguments about the military.) <br /><br />3) Kurt had in a previous episode accepted Finn's orientation as straight, and knows that his crush is not going to be returned. That doesn't mean it's gone, or that Kurt doesn't like to hang around in Finn's presence, but that doesn't mean that Kurt doesn't respect Finn's orientation and was making a pass at him. <br /><br />4) I agree that Finn was being put upon, and the threat to throw him out of the house was overcompensation, but Finn's main reason for going on a rant with Kurt was that his fellow football players were calling him gay and weak for associating with gays and singing in the chorus and insinuating that he and Kurt were having sex. So while Finn was uncomfortable because Kurt had a crush on him, his lashing out was more about Kurt acting too gay (and theatrical -- the theme of the episode,) and making Kurt feel bad so that Finn would feel more like a tough guy, rather than that Kurt was actually coming on to him. It was part of Finn wondering whether to drop glee club as well as his new family situation. <br /><br />When Kurt's dad yelled at him, it woke Finn up, and made him realize that he was conforming to someone else's image of himself again. So he accepted himself as part of glee club and Kurt as what he is -- an open, effeminate gay male. And it also was Kurt's dad realizing what he'd asked of his son. <br /><br />What's interesting about the show is that they are trying to show the development of a friendship between a gay male and a straight, athletic male, including the bumps, such as both gays and straights trying to overcompensate and deal with sexual impulses that aren't in sync. So yeah, Kurt's dad wasn't perfectly right, but he's Kurt's dad. And both Finn and Kurt did grow out of it, which is the idea of the show. <br /><br />So I don't think the scene fails as a teachable moment. I think it teaches gays and straights about the difficulties involved, and it's pretty typical of the show.KatGhttp://katgoodwin.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post-51465895619921513292010-05-30T06:02:37.134-07:002010-05-30T06:02:37.134-07:00I would have loved to have seen a closing scene wh...I would have loved to have seen a closing scene where Kurt presents a bedroom with a true divider that is decorated to fit both personalities and maybe some sort of music-oriented public space where they can hang out together. The show even sets up for such a character arc with Kurt's slip of the tongue earlier when he says the room will represent what Kurt wants Finn to be, the corrects himself. But you're so right, Scott, it never follows through. I'd say maybe they'll address it in a future episode, but given that such a scene would literally have taken 40 seconds to wrap up that subplot, it seems unlikely. I doubt they'd tack on such an important scene to the next episode when we likely will be focusing on other characters.Dananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post-1458548067114405772010-05-28T15:46:48.502-07:002010-05-28T15:46:48.502-07:00Your post is a sterling example of the positive ro...Your post is a sterling example of the positive role that good criticism should play. An excellent read on the sequence, and equally impressive of you to call the show out for it.Kyle Leamanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04418642592946535731noreply@blogger.com