This week in class we had readings and dicussions which dealt with sexual orientation. The clip of Dawson's Creek showed the preconceived notion that most people have for gay people. In the reading, there was a part which talked about Ellen's Show in comparison to friends. Television has presented the subject in a comical way and thus creates homophobia amongst the viewers.
On Monday, I spoke up and asked why shows are being rediculed. At least they are addressing the issue somewhat and trying to make some effort to reach a homosexual crowd. Well, that opinion was before I read the second reading and began to realize what exactly television is displaying. I was trying to give writers the benefit of the doubt and give them credit for addressing the issue. However, I did not realize how they are presenting it to the public. Television is a major means of communication that can drastically influence the opinions of it's viewers. For example, Friends has Susan and Carol make a shirt for their boy, Ben, which said "I love my mommies." That may be cute but to a homosexual this can be somewhat offensive that they are using this phrase to bash their lifestyle. Ellen came out of the closet and her ratings went down the drain. Friends addressed a homosexual issue as a comedy and kept their ratings the same. This just goes to show how the writers don't care who they are affending. As long as the profit continues to role, it does not matter what certain people think is offensive.
In conclusion, I did not realize what I was saying until I read the second essay and looked at it from a homosexuals perspective. Television should not be focused on making their lifestyle a comedy and it would be better off to not address the issue. They are not reaching out to a crowd. They are taking a topic and running with it in the wrong direction.
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You make some really good points. But I have to wonder about yout claim that it would be better to not talk about queerness at all than to talk about it in a comedic context.
I was disappointed to have to cancel class this week because I wanted to give you guys a chance to talk about public discourse and queerness. Perhaps portraying gay people in a comic situation is not the best context, but do you really think that we would be better off not talking about it at all? To pretend that it doesn't exist? One of the things that makes programs like Dawson's Creek important is that it affirms the queer experience. Think about being 15 or 16 and really starting to explore your own sexuality. Now think about what it would be like if your sexual feelings weren't the same as the people around you. Would you feel isolated and depressed? Would you feel like something was wrong with you? Would seeing characters like Jack and Toby make you feel a little bit less alone and help you understand what you're feeling? Would it give you an idea of what questions you might want to ask yourself, or ask someone else?
Queerness is an incredibly uncomfortable topic for most people to address. Do you think that perhaps using a comedic context to break the discussion into public discourse eases that discomfort and creates a space into which more serious treatments might emerge?
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