Highest of the highs: Billions – John Rowland

This week, I’ll be discussing the concept of media and class. Overall, I’ll be looking at the show Billions. This show which premiered on Showtime in 2016 is loosely based on a federal prosecutor of financial crimes and his battles with his hedge fund manager.

In the trailer below: you’ll find several representations of the higher class. Not only are they in suits, the top button is done and the characters are wearing ties. While most “modern men” in New York often dress nice, only those in the highest class wear ties, it seems to me. This is also the representation that they drive nice cars. To drive a suburban anywhere is expensive but in a city as large as New York, it becomes even more expensive. Gas and parking are the two biggest expenses of driving in New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_raEUMLL-ZI

Chuck’s character in the show also struggles with his status as a man in the show as he often struggles with his wife, Wendy, earning a lot of money. This is very interesting given Chuck is Wendy’s “slave” when it comes to their intimate relationship.

Again, the characters within this show all are of higher class. Chuck, in particular, is always found dressed nicely in the courtroom and is well put together. To go against the stereotype; however, a majority of the characters are very witty and intelligent.

This can be very well shown in the clip below. Here, their social awareness helps them to seal a deal. Their social pressures are used to close the case by citing previous statements made in the court of law. They then play on the concept of being bitten by an animal to compare it to the pain that Mr. Axelrod is currently in. Though a snide comment at the end breaks the deal, there could have easily been reconciliation between the two parties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfC54kLXNQg

Another example of the characters being rather intelligent is Bobby’s ability to remember. Bobby displays a memory that aids him greatly when he’s charged with assaulting a man in his backyard. When this happens, Bobby remembers a girl nearby whose iPhone video of the encounter will show that the man had been driving drunk with Bobby’s kids in the car. This instance of remembering shows Bobby has a fantastic memory. Another instance is when Bobby hears news of an earthquake in Mozambique. Bobby is very wise when connecting the two dots of Axe Capital’s investment will be severely harmed when the resulting waves eventually hit the coast. Though Bobby is bound by losing his license, simply knowing this proves his mind is in a very secure place.

While this is a pro-social behavior, Chuck engages in his fair share of antisocial behaviors. This includes when he took advantage of Wendy’s in house position within Axe Capital and looked into her confidential items to gather incriminating information on Bobby. Chuck engaged conversation with his father and his best friend into making disastrous investments that decimate their fortunes in order to trap Bobby. These “backstabbing” behaviors may be attributed to the upper class as they are fighting for the financial gain they can have. Those in lower classes generally are more open about sharing their resources for those in need.

Alright, it’s about time for another video. Let’s take a look at this one where the characters engage with others in the Sushi Shop, particularly Wags. The way the characters engage is important. If you notice the opening lines, they are in a foreign language which they are able to converse with the chef. This is another good example of how upper class people have time to learn a second language because they have enough financial security that they have time to do such whereas others in lower class may be working more to provide for their family. When I think of this scenario, I often think of myself. While me and my family had enough money to get by and go on biannual vacations, we still worked hard to ensure we had enough for the tough times that were ahead in East Kentucky. Now, as a student, who has tried to take the burden of debt off my parents by working my way through school: I no longer have time to pick up learning a second language for the time being. This will likely change after college but I am losing precious time waiting to graduate so I can devote my studies to a foreign language.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-FAcSJ7tbA

Class Analysis: Gossip Girl

Emily Austen Sproul

Over the last few weeks, I have been thinking about what TV show I think best represents class diversity and analysis, and only one show came to mind.  That show would be Gossip Girl.  I know it sounds strange and perhaps very feminine, but this show contains so much diversity and we see different class standards from multiple different angles.  For those who have not seen or heard of this show, let me break it down for you.  Gossip Girl is a TV show that centered around the lives of a few different people who live in New York City.  The show begins with these characters as teenagers, and as the show continues, we see these characters’ lives unfold.  Some of the characters live on the upper east side of NYC; making them some of the most elite of society.  A few of the main characters reside in Brooklyn, which is seen as more of a middle class living area.  The characters’ family backgrounds, financial stability, and attitudes are how we see the different levels of class, and what can happen to those who seem to think money can buy literally anything.

Let’s break this down by character.

First, we have Serena Van Der Woodsen.  This young lady is tall, blonde, and beautiful.  The ideal dream girl who seems to have it all.  Serena grew up wealthy and lived on the upper east side with her mother and brother.  Serena’s mother Lily was married several times to many different men who were not Serena’s father.  Because of Serena’s lack of self-respect from what we, the audience, can tell to be “daddy issues”, Serena is heavily involved in underage drinking, drug use, and partying.  When the series begins, we find out Serena is returning from a boarding school where she had spent the last year of her life.  Despite Serena’s many attempts to behave after attending boarding school, she finds that her class status in society keeps her in the midst of the trouble.

Next, we have Blair Waldorf.  Blair is the daughter of a world renown fashion designer who always seem to have her eye on the prize and not always her daughter, which, at times, causes Blair to act out.  Similar to Serena, Blair often finds herself scheming her way in and out of various situations because she believes her class status excuses her from being mature.  Because Serena and Blair are best friends who share the reckless and careless attitudes, the audience often sees them working together to use their class status to alter the world to their liking.

Then, we meet Dan Humphrey. Dan attended high school with Serena, Blair, and a few other upper east side born individuals.  However, Dan was born and raised in Brooklyn with his sister by their former rock star father and their artistic mother.  Dan dates Serena while in high school, and after their relationship ends, they become step siblings when Lily, Serena’s mother, and Rufus, Dan’s father, get married.  Because Dan grew up in a more structured and strict home environment, he is often ruled as irrelevant to those of a higher-class status due to the fact Dan and his family do not come from money.

So, why does this matter?  Well, this TV series demonstrates how having high financial status and power in society can lead to a lifestyle that seems unrealistic and, at times, dangerous in its own ways.  The textbook How to Watch Television discusses how certain shows can alter an audiences’ view of reality.  Just because someone possesses money in high quantities and seems to always be in the spotlight, it does not excuse inappropriate behavior. 

While there are many different shows and characters besides those of Gossip Girl that portray this sense of idiocy in those of a higher class status, it is important to always remember that, while it may be entertaining, it is indeed not reality.

Atlanta: Or why embracing race is important

By: Gabriel Graves

When I first heard of the Golden Globe award-winning show Atlanta, I thought to myself… “Huh?” Then within the first episode there was a pretty powerful little scene I watched. “This dude, he can’t spin worth a shit… Then he goes and plays Flo Rida, back to back! So I calmly pull him aside, and I was just like ‘really nigga!?'” “You actually said that?” says Earnest (Donald Glover) after his white friend said that word in front of his face. This interaction in the middle of episode one: The Big Bang, is exactly what Atlanta is about and why it is an important show to address racial stereotypes. Later on in the show, we see Earnest’s friend repeat the story to his two black friends Darius & Paper Boi (of course he ignored to say this word in front of them) showing that he feels comfortable stating that word in front of Earn because he does not view him as ‘black enough’. This is something MANY white people take advantage of and do not know how to properly address, because mainstream rap culture makes it seem cool and normal to say openly.

Atlanta is one of the few new shows I have scene in awhile; that address serious issues in a way that you can laugh about them within the context of the story… The reason why is embracing the ‘blackness’; while, also, attacking the flaws in the way their race perceives things. In the episode “The Club”, we follow the squad in their endeavors to ‘live it up’ at the famous night club in ATL. Paper Boi must go to the event to help his street credentials and look like a proper rapper.. Whereas, Earn has to have a scheduled meeting with a fellow record label producer since he owes him money for the song that they featured in. This episode does an amazing job tackling what it means to be a successful African-American who is an athlete or musician.

Throughout the entirety of the episode; we see that Paper Boi feels like he is being ignored since there is a more popular celebrity in the club that night having his own VIP section. He tries to emulate this character’s actions to get with a beautiful woman (who is only interested in him for his money), Paper Boi slowly realizes that his two best friends aren’t even in the VIP lounge with him; this is very troubling because he notices that he is paying for ‘free drinks’ to a bunch of random people who didn’t help him get to where he is and don’t even know his true name. This is a huge dive in criticizing how black culture only cares about the materialistic things.

Later on in the episode, we see how Earn finds the music business world to be corrupt where the guy he is suppose to make a transaction with, does not follow through and keeps trying to slip away from Earn in the club. Then after multiple failed attempts, he heads to the bar and drinks his sorrows away. Only, to confess to the bartender that he hates the club… he does not see the point and everyone is superficial, looking for a handout.

Atlanta explores many different sources of racism, whether it is head on or in a subtle way; it talks about an issue and addresses it within the episodes. It talks about issues even outside the racial catalogue, such as in one of my personal favorite episodes “B.A.N.”. In this episode, Paper Boi gets blasted by transgender activist for tweeting out he would never have sex with Caitlyn Jenner. He then has to go on air and debate with the transgender activist and explain what he meant. The argument moves from the hotly discussed panel topic, to a whole new disagreement when a “Trans-Racial” (yes, that is indeed a thing in the show) Antoine Smalls states he is a 35 year old white man from Colorado who loves IPA’s & Game of Thrones.

This is a genius of both keeping awareness towards and issue, while also, making the subject a bit more fun and easy to laugh at how we overreact to current issues. Personally, I think the greatest thing this episode does is it has commercials throughout the interview EXACTLY like real television and the structure makes you forget you are watching a real show. Some of the advertisements include Arizona Ice Tea, Mickey’s Malt Liquor, and Swisher Sweets which are cultural brands in the black community and they played this into the fact that the ‘channel’ in the show was similar to a black CNN. The most intense and provoking ad is that of a fictional cereal…

The beauty of why Atlanta is the most thought provoking and the most culturally significant show that is currently running on television comes from the fact that Donald Glover’s writing/directing is portraying exactly what it’s like to be poor to lower middle class in Atlanta, GA. He utilizes surrealism and his quirky humor, while writing a well-crafted (strange) plot and delivers knowledge to white audiences such as myself, to keep us understanding other cultures ideas and customs. While, helping shape the African-American audiences views on their societies and trying to tell them what to improve on.. while also praising the awesome and beautiful quirks that they have!

What Atlanta does in critiquing black culture it doubles that in praising the culture. In some ways, it very much is a love letter from Donald to his hometown state Georgia. Not to mention the raw honesty in the show of “being black” is a beautiful and awesome thing. Atlanta, seems to truly appreciate and what to replicate the appreciation of African-American culture to the small screen.. It feels like it is a show for them (the black community) and it wants to be the most perfect show it can be for the race. Speaking as a white male, I cannot fully relate to everything I see or hear on the show. Just like the Fresh Prince or The Cosby show before it, Atlanta tackles very important discussions about race and does it with such ease & humor.

However, I am willing to learn and appreciate black culture just as much as Atlanta wants to show it’s appreciation for the culture as well; having lived in Georgia for a large part of my life I understand more than most people in my demographic probably would get. This show is all about learning from the issues of their community, while also praising the beauty of the community it pokes fun of. Either way, this was my show of 2017 for many reasons and I think it is a game changer in the realm of television. As Childish Gambino would say, “Must stay woke!”.

Depth Over Breadth

Andrew Shoaf

While some would like to believe that diversity in television should be broad, and  expand to a variety of racial groups, others expand on that notion in belief that television should also be deep. This ideal of quality over quantity is not universally agreed upon, unfortunately. Taking a look at modern television, all too often we see a diverse group of characters that are there simply to say that minorities were represented in the show. Those characters essentially serve no purpose to the actual pushing forward of the narrative. This is not always the case, but examples of this are more evident than one would assume. So, the question remains: is it better to have broad, or deep diversity, or both? Ideally, we would like to see a large variety of in depth minority representations in Television, but that is hard to come by. In expanding the diversity in a television show, they limit their time to fully represent each individual race within the show due to time. One way to do this would be to have multiple shows each with strong representations of different minorities, and hopefully everyone would be happy (feel represented well).

One example of a show that works to truly go deep in their representation of a minority group is Fox’s Empire. Releasing in January of 2015, Empire centers around a hip hop music and entertainment company and the drama among the members of the founders’ family as they fight for control.

Many believe that Empire is home to a variety of characters who are empty stereotypes, but an article written from NPR says otherwise. According to Eric Deggans, “there are some simple ways to decode whether characters are empty stereotypes. Are they defined by their race or is race just a part of who they are? Do the characters of color sacrifice their own well-being regularly for the aid or comfort of white characters? Do they act out stereotypical pathologies for no logical reason? Are they isolated, with no other family, friends or lovers of color in a mostly white world? But even the best portrayals of nonwhite characters can feature the double-edged sword of advancing some stereotypes while defeating others” (Deggans, 2015).

I think that with each episode, Empire moves further away from such narrow characterizations of black characters. Whether breaking stereotypes immediately, or defeating one while taking the heat of another, Empire aims to provide deeper and more accurate media representations of minorities one step at a time.

In the Season 2 Premiere which involved a protest concert for a jailed Lucious Lyon. “The episode’s audacious theatrics, symbolism (Taraji P. Henson’s Cookie was lowered to the stage in the costume of a caged gorilla), and unapologetic politics led to a cry reaching far beyond Lyon’s case, on a show that already addressed the #BlackLivesMatter movement” (Poniewozik, 2015). The messages in Empire are every bit messy and challenging to untangle to many viewers, but are necessary milestones in the progress of accurate media representations regarding race.

It is valuable to have deep minority representation within individual shows. A series like “Empire can pass a sort of Bechdel Test: a feminist-criticism measure of whether a story has two female characters that can talk about something besides a man: having minority characters talk about race in a way that’s not always in relation to white people (Poniewozik, 2015). Unlike many minority representations in past Television shows, Empire doesn’t make the majority of conversations about white people, rather about their own experiences or as people in the entertainment industry as a whole.

As proposed in the Gates article, it is difficult to represent a minority group by acting right when in the past acting right has meant acting white (Gates, 2015). For Empire, we know certain acts are bad, whereas others are good. There is generally a pretty evident moral compass in terms of deaths. For example, Lyon was rightly convicted for murder, and served time for it. Because of this, generally, we infer that Lyon’s character did not act right because they committed murder. This would have been the case regardless of race. The best way to break the stereotype that acting white is acting right, is to have minority characters commit morally right actions. By doing that, we can get to the milestone that Co-star of The Cosby Show, Phylicia Rashad referred to in the Acham article: “our show is not about black people, it is about human beings… He (Bill Cosby) doesn’t concoct humor that only one group of people can identify with. He deals with human circumstances. I don’t blame him for getting annoyed when people try to make his humor less universal” (Acham, 2013). By having minority characters acting noticeably good, we will forget or at least distort our former notions that acting right is acting white.

All in all, representing race well on Television involves so much more than quality casting; it requires detail-oriented writing, near perfectly calibrated performances and a commitment to discussing and addressing content that actually matters. With each of these things, we become closer to the desired in depth and diverse representations.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2015/03/18/393785570/does-foxs-empire-break-or-bolster-black-stereotypes

Gates Article

Acham Article

8 Mile – Critical Race Analysis

When I think about race/racism and how it is portrayed throughout media, I think of the very popular movie 8 Mile. 8 Mile features one of the most iconic rappers in this generation, Eminem. This movie basically shows you what he went through and what he had to overcome to become the man and rapper he is today. Not only does it show you how Eminem lived growing up but it shows you the hatred between the black and white communities. There are some black people that are best friends and support Eminem but not many people truly like him. He grew up in the era of 2 Pac and Biggie, there were no white rappers. The neighborhood he lived in was predominately black and he lived in a trailer with his mother. He had it rough growing up. From getting beat up by 6 black guys to watching his best friend get shot. He went through a lot of bad times and bad run-ins with the black community. He had to earn his respect at the rap battle club. Attached below is the 8 Mile movie trailer in case you have not seen the movie.

Growing up in the ghetto of Detroit was definitely rough for Eminem, or I should say “B. Rabbit” in this movie. But that did not stop him for chasing his dream to one day become a professional rapper. No matter how much he was beat down by his enemies and his family, he always found his peace through hip hop music. His enemies would always call him names like “cracker” or “white trash.” But Eminem grew up with a tough life in a tough neighborhood, so he had to learn how to accept it and wear it proudly. In fact, in one of his final rap battles he says, “I’m a piece of white trash and I say it proudly.” He was a tough kid if he was able to overcome the obstacles he came across in Detroit.

In the video above, you see that Eminem gets jumped and almost killed by 6 black guys. They jumped him because he beat up one of the black guys for sleeping with his girl. Him and the black guy were actually friends and then he betrayed him. Where Eminem grew up you could tell you could not trust anyone or what anyone says. You can only trust a few limited people and that is it. For Eminem he only had a friend group of 4 or so people and left it at that. It was hard growing up in the hood when the only people are around are gangsters and drug addicts. A lot of violence and only a few black people actually accepted Eminem in their neighborhood. So Eminem had to do what he does best and that is to rap and earn their respect. The gangs did not think he belong and wanted him dead. But the people in the audience in the rap battle club finally respected him once he rapped and won the contest. Below is the final rap battle that B. Rabbit had against the defending champion Papa Doc. The video contains a lot of explicit language, so if you don’t want to hear that you don’t have to watch it.

This video shows the crowd finally earning his respect and some of the lyrics are actually a lot of stuff that he has been through. You can tell in his voice and in his eyes that he has been through hell and back. But he isn’t giving up. No matter what happens to him or his family, he fights and does not quit. After getting beat up and almost killed you think he would back off and never show his face in that rap joint ever again. But no, he came right back and won the competition and won it with ease. This just goes to show you that no matter the color of your skin or where you come from, you can do anything you set your mind to and you should never ever give up. Especially if it is something you feel extremely passionate about. In this case, Eminem was very passionate about music and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Moonlight: Changes

Starting off this movie is very telling based. If the director took out all the dialogue you could still understand the movie, due to the massive amount of visual storytelling and emotion. For a large portion of the movie (almost all of the first part) is shot very tight. Where scenes consist of mostly head shots, while wide angles are only used to establish the scene. I believe this was intentional to completely capture the emotion and facial features of the characters. However, at times it could be suffocating or forced in a way where it forced me to be fully engulfed in the scene. Making the movie so tightly shot it did not allow the viewer to breath, it was always close and personal. At times I felt suffocated by the emotion and feelings of the characters, but I believe it was necessary to properly connect with them and experience what they are going through. As the movie went on I believe the shot became wider and the tension started to ease.  This could be a direct parallel to the acceptance of Shyrone.

In recent portrayals of LGBTQ main characters, the overall ending for that character is happiness. They learn to love themselves and accept who they are, this is argued in Ron Baker’s Gay Narratives from How To Watch Television. In both of the examples (Glee and House Hunters International) he shows how these series end on a good note. The example Baker provides, and Moonlight have very similar circumstances of how they end. However, I believe Shyrone’s situation is slightly different. At the end of the movie Shyrone is held in the arms by his only lover in his life and as the scene pans out it cuts back to when he was a kid at the beach (the only place where he could be himself) and then back to Shyrone, the movie abruptly ends shortly after. Now the biggest difference in this ending compared to the ones provided by Baker is we that we assume his life will get better. Ultimately, we do not know how his life will turn out we can only assume. This is important because I believe there was more of a emphasis on the people around Shyrone changing rather than the positive changes of Shyrone himself.

The changes that Shyrone goes through are the ways he handles himself in public. These changes are obvious with help of different actors and titles to distinguish a time skip. Specifically, there are 3, Little, Shyrone, and Black. None of these changes are necessarily progressive, each nickname showing who he is. Little being the side of Shyrone that hides and avoids confrontation as much as possible. He doesn’t know who he is and why people are attacking him so he retreats, isolating himself.  The man that helps him make his transition from Little to Shyrone is a man named Juan. Juan gave Little an opportunity to be himself and find out who he truly is. As the story goes along Shyrone meets Kevin (his first love) when finally showing himself to Kevin you would think he would fully accept who he is but society and the people around him were not ready. Events left Shyrone in Jail and a way to rebuild himself. While in Jail he changed himself once again hiding himself not by hiding but by standing out and sticking up for himself. Not letting anyone mess with him and portray himself as strong gangster persona.

The gradual progression that occurs is by the mother, the society, and probably the viewer. The mother has the largest change going from someone who degraded her own child to only wanting or using him for her own benefits, to saying that she loves him and wants the best for him regardless of who he is. The society has a steady acceptance over time. The subtle easy of tone as the movie reaches its third and final chapter.

All these changes really reflect the continuous struggle that Shyrone goes through. This movie provides a real and unforgiving look at life for being gay and black but regardless it shows that there is still hope. Continuing to strive regardless of the situation.

Two and a Half Men – Gender – John Rowland

This week I will be breaking down the gender roles in media today. My main focus for this subject will be the role of “Uncle Charlie” in Two and a Half Men as well. Here, I will focus on his depiction as a male on screen and how his character is “over the top.” Charlie Harper is depicted as being over the top in several different ways. In my opinion: he is possibly the most hypersexualized character in the history of television, he is adamant in his denial, and has a deep love for himself.

 

Firstly, Charlie is often seen with many different women in different episodes. Thanks to the shows Wiki page: we see that Charlie Harper has tried or successfully had a one night stand with nearly 50 women. In total: Two and a Half Men spans 262 episodes in total. This is important to note because that means at minimum he has attempted to sleep with or slept with a woman in at minimum twenty percent of the shows. The style of which Charlie is shown with women has various different styles. One example is when he even utilizes his persona as a musical writer to give his phone number to a lady at the grocery store.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUDVmiyetyg

 

This video would challenge Lotz work as Lotz stated that female representation is made a priority which no longer is true according to the way Two and a Half Men is presented. Here, the females are simplified whereas the male representative is magnified. While this is one television show, at its peak it was one of the most popular shows in primetime television and still lives on via syndication. The way in which Lotz is correct about Two and a Half Men is that there is potential for reinforcement of prexisting ideologies. This means that Two and a Half Men perpetuates the stereotypes of man and reinforces the negative aspects of them.

 

In the video below, Charlie offers advice to picking up girls to his brother, Alan. This video shows how Charlie uses alcohol to approach women. This act is hypersexual in nature

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Jw4ZdZNPY

 

Another reason Charlie is viewed as hypersexual is the denial he goes through which is a dominant male stereotype. Throughout the entirety of the show: Charlie has a dreadful relationship with his mother. Again, Charlie is one of the most headstrong characters as he adamantly denies his mother. The scene below comes from early in the show and is the proof his mother did not give him the best childhood.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peTdUFH4lc4

 

This representation would be supported by the fembots piece which states that fembots are created for male desires or to take the place of a wife. While Charlie Harper’s character does not sleep with any robots, he does engage in behavior that fulfills the stereotypical male desires. This is important because it narrows the scope of what men deem important. It marginalizes what men deem important and does not represent all men.

 

One final reason is his narcissism displayed in the show. Charlie has several quotable moments of where he depicts the deepness of his self love. This is shown in his lavish lifestyle and the comments he makes during the episode. In this example below, Charlie goes to purchase a book but can not come to terms with his lack of vulnerability and ability to self assess his emotions.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-yQJtrc1Rw

 

The typical male stereotype this reinforces is the idea that men are clueless when it comes to self assessments. The typical male stereotype would state that men are clueless when it comes to emotions, which is a driving point in the above scene. This is important because not all men are completely clueless with their emotions.

 

The aloof boyfriend stereotype is also reinforced as Charlie is depicted often as having moments where he gets the girls mixed up with one another. While the aloof boyfriend stereotype is best suited for long term commitments such as Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory, it certainly can be seen that Charlie is often clueless in the show.

The Office: Gay Witch Hunt​

By: Paige Sawyer

Members of the LGBTQ community have historically grown up in a media environment that has offered little visibility. LGBTQ refers to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and those still questioning who they are. In society when we think about the relationship between LGTBQ communities and the media, we are not only talking about how LGTBQ communities are represented but also the ways that members of those communities interact with, make sense of, use, and create media. The Miami Hurricane says that:

“Though representation of gay culture on TV, film, and magazines has increased, the representation conveys a warped depiction of LBGTQ life. Media platforms place gay characters on the sidelines and, on the off chance they do get the opportunity to take center stage, their stories revolve around struggles exclusive to being gay.Nielsen, a company dedicated to studying consumer habits and ratings, found that adults ages 18-24 watch approximately 14.5 hours of TV weekly, ample opportunity for viewers to have their perception of the world melded and comported to the ideology of television. Camden McNeil, a lesbian-identifying sophomore majoring in finance, said LGBTQ characters are portrayed in a one-dimensional way. “Television tries to incorporate gay people but all their issues revolve around their ‘gayness,’” she said. “Even on the L Word, the characters deal primarily with issues related to being gay – one of them questions if she’s bi, one of them has a father who isn’t accepting. The media doesn’t show gay people living their lives and having identities outside of being gay.””

In the TV series, The Office Oscar Martinez was one of the few openly gay characters in broadcast television at the time that the series aired. The actor who place Oscar Martinez, who is straight, did not know his character might be gay when he first signed on. For the 2006–2007 season, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) reported he was the only LGBT person of color character on a regular series. In The Office Season 3 Episode 1 Michael apologizes to Oscar after he finds out he’s gay, for calling him a homosexual slur–but his apology outs Oscar to the entire office. The episode of “Gay Witch Hunt” first aired on NBC on September 21, 2006. The Nielson ratings for “Gay Witch Hunt” indicated that it was watched by approximately 9.1 million viewers, a 23 percent increase from the second season premiere. This shows that people have started to take a liking to the show from its previous season. “Gay Witch Hunt” generally received praise from critics. TV Guides Matt Roush admitted that he “loved Oscar’s self-deprecating reaction to his newfound notoriety”. Roush said that when watching Michael “you can’t help but forgive the idiot while wondering how in the world he manages to keep his job,” and that the kiss between Michael and Oscar was “horrifically funny”. Following the kiss between Michael and, Oscar the company of Dunder Mifflin sends Oscar on a 3 month paid vacation to avoid a lawsuit from the regional manager’s, Michael Scott, mistake regarding the sexual orientation of his employee. Later on, in the series in season 8, episode 24 Oscar then makes a webcam video using the “It Gets Better” tagline. In this, the video he wants to let the young gay community to know that it does get better just like we learned in the reading. He stated, “ Hello my name is Oscar and I am an accountant in Scranton, Pennsylvania and I’m gay. I’m here to tell you that yes it does get better. No matter how hard it gets for them it will get better.” Chris Colfer, the openly gay actor who plays Kurt Hummel, the openly gay high school student on Glee, was one of the first celebrities to post a video to ItGetsBetter.org. (Thompson. HTWT(pp. 135-136).

 

Glee and House Hunters International intersect with the It Gets Better campaign in various ways. When putting together, these gay characters to create a larger narrative that echoes Dan Savage and Terry Miller’s personal story and those of many of the people who contributed to the website. Many It Gets Better video testimonials follow the same narrative structure. In act one, they recount painful memories of being bullied as a teenager; in act two, they describe when things started to get better; and in act three, they explain how good their current life is. In this context, one can read Paul’s successful family and house hunt as the culmination of the journey Kurt is starting. The last shot of the couple—they are framed in a two-shot sitting beside each other in their living room, reflecting on the joys of family life in their new home” (Thompson. HTWT. Pg 135-136). Another moment the office address how the LGBTQ community is seen in the media is when Oscar and Darryl went to the nail salon to receive the couples discount and they were turned away because they were gay. The men then retaliated with reasons why they were a real couple and that they were taking their business elsewhere. This makes a very important point that no matter what people say the LGBTQ community should all be treated just as equal as any other couple.

Sources:

Ethan Thompson. How To Watch Television (p. 135). NYU Press. Kindle Edition.

Kathleen Battles “Resistance”

“Media Portray One-Dimensional LGBTQ Characters.” The Miami Hurricane, 3 Nov. 2017, http://www.themiamihurricane.com/2017/11/01/media-portray-one-dimensional-lgbtq-characters/.

Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are

*SPOILERS AHEAD*- enter at your own risk!

This week we dive into queer criticism we can see from the readings and just in modern-day media how it has changed so much, from the representation of characters, all the way from the actors that play them, and how they are portrayed. From Charles Bing better known as Helena Handbasket the cross-dressing father to Chandler Bing, Kurt the flamboyant fashionista the young boy who is just struggling for acceptance and you can compare them to two very different stories set in a not so different time period from Simon Spier a high school student hiding what seems to be like an earth-shattering secret. To the power couple that was “Calizona” formed of Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins, you can see how these two represent life after the “It Gets Better Project”

I guess starting with Love, Simon you can see the all American boy son of the high school football player and valedictorian you can see how the pressures to be perfect were important for him. But instead, he was struggling with his internal “problem” he’s gay thinking about how traumatizing high school was for most it’s even harder for those that identify as different. From the threats of physical violence, you can see how bad and extreme they can get in the How to Watch Television Ron Becker talked about how in Glee Dave threaten to kill Kurt. In Simon’s case, it wasn’t like that from the introduction speech he describes his friendship as mildly popular but very carefree “Two of them I’ve known since pretty much the beginning of time or at least kindergarten. One of them I just met a few months ago, but it feels like I’ve known her forever. We do everything friends do, we drink way too much-iced coffee, we watch bad ‘90s movies and hang out at Waffle House dreaming of college and gorging on carbs.”

(Exhale)

After this video, we can see how Simon has the ideal coming out even though he was forced out of the closet and feeling pressured to come out to his family he talked about how he was still him you can see that his mother just being there for him is something that everyone wants. We see this when looking at Kurt and his fathers’ dynamic from Glee, but you can look at how Simon reacted before this speech and it was very similar to how Kurt has this internal struggle knowing who he was and how others would react, but after high school it got better, as to where for Simon it got better when he had a boyfriend its like these characters needed secondary support systems.

Greys Anatomy this story starts a little further back in 2006 you’re introduced to this amazing Orthopedic surgeon very bold very brash and very bad ass; she is seen dating a male doctor but then we jump to 2009. Callie in 2009 isn’t different from where we first met her other than she has come out as Bisexual and really coming into her own and accepting herself, from her personal life but also her professional life. This year/season has been a lot for her because this was a whirlwind for her from finding love, losing her family, getting cut off and finding love again and trying to find herself and be accepted. So we fast forward to 2011 and season 7 of Greys Anatomy you can see “Calizona” this strong power couple and that their marriage finalizes this because when you first see these two separately they are strong and dynamic women but when they are together they are a force to be reckoned with and this is kind of talked about in Doty article when you see the parallels talking about strong women and their sexuality doesn’t define them but is just a key part of who they are.

It Gets Better, a simple phrase but its something that so many can take for granted you can see in the how these two media are bridged together. From Love, Simon and this introduction on how coming out can have positive outcome other than the minor fall out of his friendship you can still see at the end of the day he was still accepted and you can see the ups and downs it took for him to finally have that “it gets better” moment from his parents who he thought wouldn’t understand to his friends since childhood toeveryone in his life. And without giving too much away you can see why we Love Simon.

Looking back you can see how the “Calizona” relationship how it has run its track on the Grey’s storyline but you can see how it worked for so many years, and truly show how adulthood coming out you can see similar parallels that coming out when you are a teenager but being in a different place in your life you can see how Arizona had the ideal acceptance but Callie had the resistance from her religious family. So, all in all, you can see how these two stories tie very well into it gets better project.

Glee: Realism + Optimism

Written by: Hannah Brookshire

Through its character development and interpersonal relationships, the hit television show Glee shows its audience a healthy balance of realism and optimism surrounding the contemporary gay lifestyle. The optimistic vision of contemporary gay life that is represented in the It Gets Better campaign can be both witnessed and challenged in the TV drama Glee. This healthy mix of realistic and optimistic viewpoints are seen heavily in the show’s individual characters and interpersonal relationships. Looking specifically at contemporary gay lifestyles, we can focus our attention on the character Kurt Hummel, one of the central figures of the show, and the relationships he has with other characters. We can categorize these characters that Kurt encounters by the show’s use of them to convey either realism or optimism to its viewers.

Kurt Hummel:

Kurt is a closeted but assumed gay mainly due to his interest in fashion and the glee club. Throughout the series, we see Kurt go from this shy and insecure closeted gay kid to this confident and incredibly inspiring young man. In between this transformation though, we see Kurt struggle with self-confidence issues as well as some intense bullying ultimately causing him to switch schools. Through each of the hardships he encounters, Kurt never retreats from who he is and the dreams he knows he is destined for.

 

Characters Influencing Realism

Sue Sylvester:

Sue is the cheerleading coach at McKinley and is an enraged monster a majority of the time. She is known for her wildly inappropriate behavior and rather offensive name-calling. Sue continuously refers to Kurt as either “Porcelain” (because of his delicate features) or “Lady Hummel” (because of his obvious feminine demeanor). Sue relays the message of realism because of what she represents in the show’s entirety. She embodies, to the extreme, the overly negative and close-minded group of individuals in our society that cannot and will not accept anything different. To Kurt and to anyone watching the show, Sue represents all of those people in life that will never stop bringing you down.

David Karofsky:

Always wearing his letterman jacket, Karofsky is a star player on both the hockey team and the football team. He is a stereotypical jock jerk, alpha male, and homophobe who has it out for Kurt. Throwing him up against lockers, throwing slushes in his face, and even threatening his life, Karofsky is clearly the head bully at McKinley. Later we learn (when he suddenly plants one on Kurt after screaming at him) that he has been a closeted gay this whole time. He continues to bully Kurt and stay in the closet even after this encounter. He eventually can’t take holding in his secret any longer and attempts suicide. Karofsky portrays the darkest of stories in the realm of contemporary gay lifestyles. His character represents the lowest of lows one can find themselves at if they don’t stand up for who they are. As awful as it is, lots of those in the LGBT community find themselves at this low point at some point in time, which is why his character works to show the audiences an extreme case of realism.

 

Characters Influencing Optimism

Rachel Berry:

Rachel grew up with two gay dads so in her eyes Kurt’s “lifestyle” is completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of or bullied for. She has seen firsthand how it can all work out for gay men in this rapidly changing society. Her dads lived the ultimate fantasy that modern gays dream about; they fell in love, got married, raised a daughter, and ended up very well off. In his chapter in the book How to Watch Television, Ron Becker states that House Hunters International gives off an overly optimistic view of the future with no regards to the current state of life in LGBT communities. Rachel Berry has been raised her whole life in this future fantasy that is discussed here and has quite literally grown up surrounded by this idealistic view that is portrayed in House Hunters International. Because of this, Rachel’s character heavily contributes to the optimistic outlook contributing to the healthy mix of views that this show holds.

Burt Hummel:

Burt Hummel is Kurt’s single, simple, all-American dad. Burt represents the optimistic view in Glee because he is in many ways the ideal parent of an openly gay kid. Instead of the somewhat irrational response that we typically expect from TV dads when hearing that their son is gay, we simply hear the words “Kurt I know. I’ve known since you were three.” From there Burt continually stands up, fights for, and cheers on Kurt in all of his endeavors. Burt Hummel didn’t even blink when he found out that his son was gay. Because of this I think he is the perfect representation of the optimism seen in this show. His character exhibits exactly what one would hope for when coming out to their parents.

 

Unfortunately, in more cases than not we see the realism outweigh the optimism and no real progress being made on this front. Though we see characters like Rachel Berry and Burt Hummel, who represent this future fantasy described by Becker, we know that this is still far from becoming a reality. Even more unfortunately, we see increasing evidence of this realism, represented by Sue Sylvester and David Karofsky, being explored in the media and everyday life. Chris Colfer, the actor who plays Kurt Hummel, puts it this way: “The world will always choose convenience over reality. It’s easier to hate, blame, and fear than it is to understand. No one wants the truth; they want entertainment.” This statement by Colfer demonstrates why it may be that Glee chose to incorporate such strong influences of both the realistic and the optimistic stances within their show. While they of course wanted to make a statement, their ultimate goal was to entertain the audiences, so they needed a healthy balance of the two viewpoints in order to make Kurt’s story unfold effectively.

 

Works Cited:

Thompson, E., & Mittell, J. (Eds.). (2013). How to Watch Television (pp. 130 – 138). N.p.: New York University Press.