Glee: response to Anna

I’ve enjoyed watching Glee, but I’ve often wondered how the show is perceived by people with disabilities.

Artie, one of the most popular and talented characters on the show is confined to a wheelchair, however in real life, the actor has full use of his legs. In one episode, all the Glee club members practice using a wheelchair for a week to see how hard it is for Artie. After watching this episode, I was really impressed, but I also wondered it this was a positive idea or a negative idea. It seemed to be mostly respectfully done, but part of me wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or offended.

Then the show decided to do a scrimmage with a deaf choir. This was a powerful scene, but it seemed almost negated by the caricatured, negative portrayal of the deaf choir’s club advisor, who was made fun of in the show.

Also, two characters with down syndrome were introduced onto the show. The notoriously horrible cheerleading coach decided to select a Becky, a girl with down syndrome, for her squad. Everyone was suspicious of her choice and criticized her for treating her harshly, but the coach explained that Becky would want to be treated just like everyone else. At the end of the show, we see the coach visiting her sister, who also has down syndrome. The inclusion of these two characters was for me the most genuine and commendable. I’m looking forward to seeing how their characters develop, and I hope that they continue to treat them as individuals.

Overall, I’ve been impressed with the show’s inclusion of so many different types of characters. The characters have been well-developed (maybe not at first, but eventually), and each episode addresses issues that a lot of teens can identify with or at least understand and learn from (with the exception of the ridiculousness of the adult characters’ drama).

Many people and critics seem to share this viewpoint, as the show has earned numerous awards (Peabody, diversity award, GLADD media (GLBT), etc), but some people from the groups Glee portrays (minorities, GLBT, people with disabilities) are not happy with Glee’s success. They feel that Glee is reinforcing stereotypes rather than building acceptance.

Smith, S.E. “Any Representation a Good Representation.” this ain’t living. Blog. April 25, 2010. http://meloukhia.net/2010/04/any_representation_is_a_good_representation.html

- The article focuses on the fact that characters are being portrayed stereotypically in Glee, and thus aren’t helping advocate for diversity acceptance

Albiniak, Paige. "Spinning their wheels: 'Glee' cast learns to dance like Artie." New York Post. November 8, 2009.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/spinning_their_wheels_zv81BkmLdjAuHX1e5GQ7SK

- The article focuses on the episode of Glee that has the cast all using wheelchairs. It discusses the talent of Kevin McHale as Artie, the character who is confined to a wheelchair, and the difficulties the cast faced when trying to dance and perform in wheelchairs.

Elber, Lynn. "Glee" Wheelchair episode hits bump with disabled." AP. November 10, 2009.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQAmC_O8Ec2pjgF9uSzZMTQLeH7gD9BSPO2O0

- The article criticizes Glee for hiring a person without disabilities to play a character who uses a wheelchair. It interviews Glee producers, who explain that the show has tried hard to create a cast that includes a wide range of ethnicities, as well as characters with disabilities and mentions that Glee auditioned anyone that could sing and perform. However, he explains that with Artie, they found a great actor in Kevin McHale and they felt that it was more important to include a character with a wheelchair on the show than to have Kevin be a “normal” character because they hadn’t found someone who was disabled to take the role. However, performers with disabilities disagree. They argue that Hollywood is a tough place for them and that they are often not given a chance out of fear of being incapable to do a good job or raising production expenses.

Fernandez, Maria Elena and Denise Martin. "Exclusive: Ryan Murphy calls tonight's episode of 'Glee' a 'game changer.'" Los Angeles Times. November 11, 2009.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/11/exclusive-ryan-murphy-calls-tonights-episode-of-glee-a-game-changer.html

- The article discusses a Glee episode in which the Glee club advisor, Mr. Schuester, makes all of the Glee members spend time in a wheel chair for a whole week. They then perform “Proud Mary” in wheelchairs. It also discusses how the show has worked hard to be fun and comedic while accurately portraying the struggle that misfits face in high school.

Haller, BA. "Did an actual deaf choir perform on "Glee" episode?" Media dis&dat. November 28, 2009.

http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2009/11/did-actual-deaf-choir-perform-on-glee.html

- The article criticizes the show for making fun at the deaf school's choirmaster's hearing impairment. It also questions whether the show actually used a real deaf choir, since it has used actors without disabilities to play characters with disabilities in the past. The author includes comments from a deaf discussion board as well, some of which complain that the touching performance of John Lennon's Imagine was a bit rude and presumptuous in that the Glee chorus interrupted and joined the deaf choir's performance.

Haller, BA. "Washington Post "voters" see no problem with Glee's disabled character being played by nondisabled actor." Media dis&dat. November 17, 2009.

http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2009/11/washington-post-voters-see-no-problem.html

- Haller addresses the Washington Post survey that asks whether it is more important that Artie, the character in Glee that is in a wheelchair, be played by someone who is extremely talented and believable as a person with a disability, or that the person is legitimately a person who is handicapped. 9% of those surveyed believed that it was more important to have use an actor that uses a wheelchair in order to help raise awareness of the issue and give actors with disabilities a chance at a great role. Instead the article suggests that those surveyed feel that it is more important that the role has been created in the first place.

Dean, Jennifer. "19-year-old Riverside resident gleeful about role on new Fox series." The Press-Enterprise. June 14, 2009.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_glee15.4310398.html

- This article discusses an interview with Lauren Potter, a girl that has down-syndrome and will be appearing in an episode of Glee as a character who earns a spot on the Cheerleading team. The actress talks about how she wishes people would she her first instead of her down-syndrome.