Glee

[chasingtides]

So, I made two mistakes. One, I watch another episode of Glee. (Warning: Mattress comes with unexamined domestic violence, discussion further in.)

Then I went on to make my second mistake - I tried to talk about the issues with Glee (as per what I've seen: racism, ablism, sexism, domestic violence; I have seen discussions of issues of queerness).

People seem to be using, "But it's satire!" as a way of shutting down issues with the show. I won't deny that the songs are catchy and fun, but I am having a lot of trouble seeing how the issues I'm having are satire on the show.

Will pins his wife to the wall, gripping her wrist so hard that we can see the strain in his hand, even after she tells him he's scaring her and asking him to get away. Then, while she seems near tears, he lifts up her shirt and tears the baby belly off her and starts screaming. (FYI, I think she's right that the club is an unhealthy obsession for him - example: writing the check for the yearbook ad when they obviously didn't have the money for it. Also using it as a cover for emotional cheating.) I wouldn't have as much of a problem, except we are supposed to see him as the put-upon victim.

Quinn says Puck got her drunk the night he got her pregnant - but somehow she's the cheating lying slut? And Terri's clearly scared of Will and got some mental issues, but she's the shrewish angry wife? And what's with the minority kids getting less screen time and I won't even touch the ablism?

Can someone please explain how this is satire and not really offensive crap?

[In other news: I'm apparently working extra hours and six days a week until Christmas. Oh god, I'm going to die.]

Comments

[lotus-bright.livejournal.com]

I think they took the pregnancy pad storyline too far along for it to be really plausible, to be honest, but when they've shown them in bed Terri always has her back to Will (when they're both awake, they're usually spooning) and Terri's been extremely careful to never let Will touch her belly. Which makes sense when she's awake but I'm kind of surprised that he never, for example, put an arm over her when she's sleeping and he isn't.

That said, to a certain extent, even if he did pick up signs, he may have ignored or explained them away as something else since he had no reason to believe she was anything other than legitimately pregnant and people can ignore a lot of what they aren't expecting to see. Still, though: went on too long to be plausible.