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| TV Bullies: Glee and the Perpetuation of Bullying |
I remember when Glee premiered in 2009. I was in eighth grade, a huge theater and choir nerd, and had just spent the better part of the seventh grade year being picked on by the resident mean girl in my grade. So many of the themes in that show resonated with me. I bought every volume of music on CD at my local Wal-Mart and learned every word to Rachel's solos. I'm fairly certain that, at one point, I insisted my mom buy me gold star stickers so I could sign my name like Rachel did on the show. I watched the show through to its finale in 2015, devastated that a series that had been so influential in my life was coming to a close. I felt that I was losing a part of my identity in its airing of the finale.
Years later, all six seasons of the hit show are available for anyone's viewing pleasure on Netflix, and there is a 30-hour, 8-minute playlist on Spotify consisting of every song ever performed on the show available for convenient listening. The playlist makes for a great road trip soundtrack, but, should you choose to go back and watch the show, you best brace yourself for extremely problematic behaviors, plot points, and themes, because there are far too many to count.
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| Sue Sylvester: proponent of bullying directed at students throughout the series |
I've gone back to rewatch it multiple times in the ten years since it aired, and each time, I am utterly perturbed and perplexed as to how so many of the plot points on the show were greenlit. There is one pervasive element on the show, in particular, that is phenomenally insidious in its nature: bullying. Bullying is a very, very present theme and subtext of the entire series. All of the characters are often portrayed as being "slushied" for their involvement in the Glee Club. Bullying directed at the LGBTQIA+ characters, however, is especially violent, with queer-identifying characters often portrayed as victims of physical violence and verbal assaults using homophobic slurs.
Glee was often championed in its hey-day for its inclusion of minority populations as lead characters on the show, specifically queer-identifying individuals. But the context in which it framed homophobia and bullying of its queer character is extremely problematic. According to Gerald Walton, author of "TV Bullies: Glee and the Perpetuation of Bullying," the issue rests in the fact that Glee perpetuates the idea of bullying as a "usual and normal part of growing up" and is exacerbated its addressed not as a systemic or institutional issue, but one that should be dealt with on a personal level. Simply put, that sort of violence and othering against LGBTQIA+ folx is neither "usual" nor "normal," and to portray it as such in a program that was so popular amongst that population is degrading.
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| Kurt Hummel, one of the prolific queer characters on Glee, and subject of homophobic bullying |
In the context of the show, bullying is not portrayed to be an institutional or administrative issue. William Schuester, Glee Club director and incredibly problematic character himself (but we'll save that for another blog post), is the only authority figure who ever intervenes on the bullying, and even the way in which he addresses it is half assed at best. The principal or other school officials never step in, and Walton asserts that this is a demonstration of how the present management of bullying in our schools is, well, mismanaged. Bullying is seen as a personal problem, rather than an institutional one, when the reality is that bullying "poisons school environments and leaves children emotionally and physically unsafe."
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| A real William Schuester line from the series |
Glee also offers an interesting narrative about the "commodification" of bullying, as Walton puts it. Bullying is highlighted in media in a truly destructive way, even beyond just Glee's portrayal. We publicize violent cases of bullying through news media, and there are "anti-bullying" kits and workshops available to schools for purchase. Media has a tendency to sensationalize bullying, when in reality, "bullying is a serious problem that can lead to depression, anxiety, and compromised educational achievement."
Glee was, and--quite frankly--continues to be, and incredibly powerful piece of pop culture in society. It is imperative, however, that when we consume this media, that we critically analyze themes, ideas, and elements of the show. We need to be able to identify areas of media that are inherently problematic, contain bias, and make us ask questions. We need to be incredibly mindful of the fact that bullying, especially against queer folx in the series, portrayed in Glee is not indicative of the type of action we need to take against bullying.
Blaine tells Kurt in the series to "have courage" against his bullies, leading Kurt to take a championed stand. In the moment, this is a powerful scene, tied intrinsically to a romantic plot in the series, but it's not representative of reality of how we collectively need to address bullying. If we want our schools to be safe for our queer students, we need to take actual steps to combat homophobia in our schools and society. Walton raises the question, "Why do so many school administrators and teachers, real and fictional ones in shows such as Glee, claim that their schools are safe for children while homophobic harassment remains prominent and obvious?"
We need to move towards media that propels our societal expectations forward in an appropriate way. Glee possessed a great power for change, and the creators could have used that power to alter the (literal) script around how we manage bullying in our schools, but it didn't. As educators, we have the power to kickstart this change, and we should do so accordingly.
Just... maybe with fewer cover songs.
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