Why Glee is Dangerous (Am I turning Conservative?)

I have no problem admitting that I am, in fact, a GLeek.  Since the shows pilot in May of 2009 I have seen almost every episode and the episodes of the Oxygen Network's The Glee Project, well actually just season two.  Yes, people might make fun of me and criticize me but I have always found the show to be the best American "camp" of the day.  I liked the fact that there was such a popular show on television that focused, to a degree, on theatre and was started by theatre people.  Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele, two of the hottest names on broadway teamed up with the fabulous Ryan Murphy and created this following.  It was fun, very stupid, but deliciously wonderful.  Even though the following has turned into a bit of a culture cult, there is still a degree of fun and whimsy that the show produces.  But I don't think I can say that anymore.

For a long time now I have been watching episodes of Glee as they have deteriorated, in writing, acting, singing, producing, format, and most importantly content.  The show that I adored.  The one that stood on the principles of individuality, love, and song has been destroyed because of the unreal expectations that the show now produces.  I loved the show because I was so happy to find a network show, and a network show ON FOX, that supported homosexual rights.  I was thrilled, but I now see this support as the producers attempt to say that their show is progressive and intelligent when really it's a ton of hogwash.  (Not the fact that it supports the LGBT community because that still rocks!)

The expectations created by the cast members give their followers horrific ideas of what it means to be an actor, to work in theatre, to make it in this profession.  I won't even touch on the fact that they are able to shorten the work, by not actually working at all, and yet their dancing, music, choreography was all perfect.  I get that level of suspended belief that must follow with a show like this.  And to a lesser extent if this show was billed as a middle of the road soap opera I would have no gripes whatsoever, but it isn't and this "cult" following is really worrisome.

It's hard in the theatre profession and if you look at the show here are the rules that it teaches you when it comes to theatre:

1.  If you get cast in the wrong part, pout about it:  I speak in particular about the stupid shows that are performed at the fake McKinley High.  Grease and I believe, oh hell I don't remember the first one, but they look at acting as if the best talent should get the roles they want.  Umm hello, that never happens in the theatre profession.  It doesn't happen in college or high school or even the class play.  And when you don't get the "right" part you should what, complain about it.  Oh thanks Glee let us perpetuate a dramatic event that is already to common in our profession, but because we (Glee) are progressive we can cave in.  Fuck no.  Would I like to play the part of one of the princes in Into the Woods, yes, will I, no.  I am 6'8", overweight, and usually ghoulish on stage.  I look more like Shrek than the prince, but does that bother me?  NO. When Shrek rolls around I will have a better opportunity than the other guy.

2.  The only place where Theatre exists is New York:  Now you can argue that Mike went to, oh I don't know to dance, Mercedes went to LA (because of one, ONE, Youtube clip), Dianna Agron (Forget the name) got into Yale for theatre and then there are a couple of misfits, but the story focuses on the fact that if Rachel doesn't get into NYADA her whole life is ruined.  FUCK that, oh and Curt too.  Which brings me to my next point.

4.  NYADA is the only place to go to school:  One, NYADA is not real although it is blatantly based on AMDA in NY and LA.  Apparently Rachel, who has "prepared" for stardom her whole life has no idea that THERE ARE OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. FOR DRAMA.  But the shows focus on NYADA gives people the horrifically stupid idea that if they don't get into their dream school then they will fail.  Wonderful.  I didn't get into my dream school.  Twice.  But I wound up in a great undergrad that led to a fucking fantastic MFA at VCU.  Oh and I work in theatre.

4.  Everyone will be successful, except for Finn:  Everyone is successful.  But how can I say that when Santana doesn't have a job and Puck is well Puck.  Notice that they live very far away and still manage to travel back to Lima frequently.  It costs me over a grand to fly across to California from here.  Also that goddamn apartment in NYC.  They say that because it is so far away they can afford it.  On the low end that is a $5,000 apartment.  

But all of this theatrics is just a small testament to the show's stupidity.  Honestly, who cares about this bullshit.  If you suspended belief maybe this isn't damning theatre kids (it is and giving them false expectations, but hey, that's just me)  The real issue with the show is the content.

WHY GLEE IS DANGEROUS:

I come to the newest rant because of this past weeks episode in which a school shooting took place.  Well there wasn't anyone hurt but the school went into panic and lockdown because of gunshots heard.  The episode caused a lot of controversy because the shooter was a scared down-syndrome character, Becky and because the Newtown Group thought it was exploiting the tragedy.  The real problem is neither of these two issues.  It is the fact that Glee produced a show that had there been a real school shooting most of those kids would have died because of the stupidity of the school.

In most school's there is a lockdown procedure in place in case of a school shooting.  A New Jersey school district called this a Lockdown Yellow and they run drills:

Instructions to the students include:

1. "Go to the room nearest your location in the hallway.
2. "No one will be able to leave room for any reason.
3. "Silence must be maintained (Use of cell phones are not permitted).
4. "Make sure you are marked present.
5. "Do not leave the classroom until directed by PA System, telephone or by an administrator."

Other lockdown procedures at other institutions include barricading the door, having the teacher arming themselves with a weapon, and waiting.  Some consider this to be the wrong plan of attack.

Greg Crane, a former SWAT officer has instituted a new policy called ALICE or Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.  This plan looks the lockdown procedure and adds the element of improvisation due to the situation on the teachers part and possible confrontation such as throwing things at the shooter and running. "We've taught a generation of Americans to be passive and static and wait for police, the people shot and killed in the Columbine library sat there for five minutes before the shooters entered and shot 18 of them."  Said Crane.  Now I won't go into an argument on whether or not lockdown drills or ALICE or other ideas instituted to keep our children safe are good or bad, but I will look at how Glee handled the situation.  

Hero

Teachers such as Vicki Soto and Kaitlin Roig, teachers at Sandy Hook are heroes.  Roig locked her classroom door and then barricaded herself and her 14 students, keeping them quiet, in a locked bathroom.  Soto became a human shield by dying to protect her students.  These are heroes.  And they are in the end ordinary people who stepped up to do extraordinary things.

Mr. Shue and the other teachers/administrators at McKinley High are not.  

First off Mr. Shue is an awful teacher.  He was the Spanish teacher for multiple years before anyone found out that he couldn't teach Spanish and when the school found out they moved him to History.  NO, that is where you get fired.  Another horrific statement about the state of education in this country.  Now when the shots rang out here is a list of things that he did poorly.  

1.  He told the kids to take cover and they did all around the sides of a circular room.  In almost every lockdown procedure list it is said to put all students against one wall, and the wall that is on the door's side so if the shooter were to look in a window they wouldn't see anyone immediately.

2.  He hid with another teacher away from the students.  A teacher's job in this situation is incredibly scary because it is their job should the shooter come in the room to disarm the shooter, or protect the students or both.  Whether armed with a large weapon or barricaded against their students, a teacher no longer can think about their own lives when in a situation that requires them to protect their students.  Kids come first, no exceptions.

3.  He asks his students to use twitter, text, or try and find out what is going on.  Although in this terrifying situation students would immediately use their phones the teacher must try and keep the noise non-existent.  So they would be on silent.  Everyone of those phones was on full volume.

4.  There is too much talking, moving, and overall chaos in the room.  This is not to say that there is not chaos like this in a shooting.  There is terrible lack of remembering these protocols, these steps, but a television show that considers itself a Moral leader has no business showing these types of mistakes.  

5.  The school is re-opened without the gun being found.

6.  The school is re-opened only days after the incident.

And on and on and on.

It is quite possible that I lost steam towards the end of this rant.  I am still suffering from Pneumonia and on a lot of medications, but something that must be looked at is the impact of negative expectations that shows like Glee have on children.  We need to stop celebrating them.