"And I fell in love instantly..."

Yes, it is another entry about the final project. Since I have solidified my decisions regarding it, I felt discussing it again was appropriate. There are some ideas that I want to explore that I cannot really explore adequately in the paper, because to take the time to find quotes and actually research both pieces would be too time consuming. Still, I wanted to take the time to discuss what I can, without quotes, here while I have the time.

I chose Glee not because I like it, because I had not watched a single episode until yesterday, but because I had heard controversial things about it. For all that it appears to support disabled children and gays it really achieves the opposite. After having watched the first couple of episodes, I can see where this opinion might derive. Of course, having only watched the first two episodes, I cannot make a fully informed statement about it.

For one thing, there are a lot of slurs spread around. Kurt getting bullied because he is gay happens in every episode, where they make it a comedy at him getting thrown in the dumpster. People seem to assume that gays will incorporate typical homosexual traits and, particularly with Kurt, this occurs. Kurt is not only gay, but he is obviously and unequivocally gay, exhibiting all the stereotypical behavior patterns. He is afraid of having tomatoes thrown at him during the school assembly because they will “ruin his facial”.

I have heard that Glee is more gay friendly than that, and since I have only watched the first couple of episodes, I suppose I must reserve judgment. Yet…I wished to draw a comparison between Glee and Welcome to Night Vale, a podcast that has drawn a lot of support in the last few months. Welcome to Night Vale is a mock-radio show where the announcer details all the very strange occurrences within Night Vale. The radio announcer, played by Cecil Baldwin, just happens to be gay. (The actor portraying him is also gay).

This is not treated as a major event. Rather, the response is more akin to: “Cecil is gay. So what? We have a five-headed dragon running for mayor, a glow cloud dropping dead animals on everyone, doppelgangers running around, a dog park with mysterious hooded figures that we are not allowed to enter, and so many other strange things that really, Cecil being gay is a non-issue.” That is exactly how the show treats it. Cecil never mentions being ostracized for his homosexuality. He never goes on tirades about his sexuality or makes it seem like identifying as gay has really altered much about his life.

The listeners only discover he is gay when he mentions Carlos (“beautiful, sweet Carlos”) at which point most listeners usually react with, “Is he talking about another guy?” Cecil and Carlos eventually, after many episodes of Cecil gushing about the scientist and condemning the hairdresser who cut Carlos’s hair, end up in a relationship. This relationship is not treated as anything extraordinary, although Cecil is very excited about it. Rather, it is given the same importance and weight as any heterosexual relationship. One might remark that Cecil/Carlos is the only normal thing about that town.

This seems like a marked contrast to Glee. In Glee, Kurt’s homosexuality is a focal point. He behaves like the stereotypical gay man, whereas Cecil behaves like any ordinary man, save for his fixation on Carlos. In this way, Cecil seems more human (although there have been fan art depicting him with tentacles) than Kurt. Cecil is more accessible than Kurt because Cecil, despite being just a voice on the radio, reacts less like a flat, two-dimensional character. He is not defined by his sexuality the way Kurt is.

This brings us to another moment. Quinn, as well as the jocks on the football team, condemn Finn for joining Glee because they think it is basically ‘homo central’. Anyone with disabilities or showing desire for the same sex is condemned (they locked the handicapped boy in a porta-potty and had intended to flip it over with him inside). The idea that such things are shockingly normal in a show like this unnerves me. Glee seeks to show how all these misfit toys belong together, yet it has not shown much solidarity beyond the club.

Again, I realize I may be misinterpreting due to my limited experience with the show. I have heard every single Night Vale podcast, over 30 of them, and have only seen two Glee episodes. Perhaps once I am ready to complete my final project, I will have had more exposure to the show that will alter my opinion.

I just wish that Glee treated Kurt (and Blaine, who comes in later) as unremarkable the way Night Vale treats Cecil and Carlos. Perhaps this is only possible in a town where “helicopters circle overhead and we all pretend to sleep”.

“Good night, Night Vale. Good night.”