Hollywood -
After several gay teen suicides, a lot of "Glee" fans were hoping the show would transmit a powerful message about bullying. On Tuesday night, some fans walked away sorely disappointed.
In case you missed it, on the latest episode, Mr. Schuester (the Glee advisor) sees Kurt Hummel (the gay kid) getting bullied. Instead of punishing the perpetrator, the adult encourages Kurt to stand up for himself.
Kurt also meets another gay boy who goes to a private school. The new character encourages Kurt to stand up to bullying, too.
Kurt takes the advice to heart, and when a football player slams him into a locker, Kurt chases the bully into a locker room. They argue, and then, out of nowhere, the homophobic jock kisses Kurt.
You can watch the scene in question here:
Later Kurt and a new openly gay character, Blaine, confront the bully who remains confused and angry. The situation remains unresolved leaving producers more opportunity to address bullying in future episodes.
Critic Leah Anthony Libresco, writing for the Huffington Post, believes the whole episode was dangerous and counter-productive.
"I hate to imagine a queer student living in a bad school district who watches Glee and decides that s/he has a responsibility to confront his/her tormentors," she writes. "Children, particularly children already being target, do not have a duty to put themselves in danger to try to be an object lesson. People who are abused or harassed do not have an overriding responsibility to redeem their abusers; they have a responsibility to protect themselves and flee if necessary."
However, Jillian Mapes of Billboard thought it was great.
"For a show that premiered with the premise of speaking for those who feel like high school outsiders through contemporary hits and Broadway classics, speaking out against bullying seemed sincere and appropriate. Last night's 'Glee' was a social commentary on relevant issues," Mapes wrote.
And Lisa Respers-France of CNN called it the "Best. Episode. Yet."
In case you missed it, on the latest episode, Mr. Schuester (the Glee advisor) sees Kurt Hummel (the gay kid) getting bullied. Instead of punishing the perpetrator, the adult encourages Kurt to stand up for himself.
Kurt also meets another gay boy who goes to a private school. The new character encourages Kurt to stand up to bullying, too.
Kurt takes the advice to heart, and when a football player slams him into a locker, Kurt chases the bully into a locker room. They argue, and then, out of nowhere, the homophobic jock kisses Kurt.
You can watch the scene in question here:
Later Kurt and a new openly gay character, Blaine, confront the bully who remains confused and angry. The situation remains unresolved leaving producers more opportunity to address bullying in future episodes.
Critic Leah Anthony Libresco, writing for the Huffington Post, believes the whole episode was dangerous and counter-productive.
"I hate to imagine a queer student living in a bad school district who watches Glee and decides that s/he has a responsibility to confront his/her tormentors," she writes. "Children, particularly children already being target, do not have a duty to put themselves in danger to try to be an object lesson. People who are abused or harassed do not have an overriding responsibility to redeem their abusers; they have a responsibility to protect themselves and flee if necessary."
However, Jillian Mapes of Billboard thought it was great.
"For a show that premiered with the premise of speaking for those who feel like high school outsiders through contemporary hits and Broadway classics, speaking out against bullying seemed sincere and appropriate. Last night's 'Glee' was a social commentary on relevant issues," Mapes wrote.
And Lisa Respers-France of CNN called it the "Best. Episode. Yet."
