One of the characters we love to hate, the sadistic, sarcastic, champion cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester (played by actress, Jane Lynch) must be one of the most fun parts to play on television at the moment. Here is what she has to say on the subject of Halloween:
"You know, Halloween is fast approaching. The day when parents encourage little boys to dress like little girls and little girls to dress like whores and go door to door brow-beating hard working Americans into giving them free food."
Now, that was just for laughs.
A couple of weeks ago, in the episode playing tribute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the debate arises over the appropriateness of kids to perform its (rather 'adult') content, and the generally debatable concept of 'pushing boundaries' in art. In her critique of the situation at hand, Sue Sylvester gets to deliver one of the most profound, cultural truths to have come out of the show to date:
“Just because you’re free to say whatever you want, it doesn’t always mean you should. Artists are free to push boundaries in order to make art, but when pushing boundaries is their only aim the result is usually bad art. There's a time and a place for everything and squeamishness about what we want our children exposed to is not the same as bigotry. Freedom-loving adults are free to have an open, lively debate about what we want our society to be, but let's not make our children fight the culture war for us. They deserve a little better than that." (Emphasis mine)
Unfortunately, the show fails to live up to its own message: the kids go on to perform the show solely 'for themselves', without an audience. Still, it managed to articulate those very good points in a way which I've been trying to do for so long, yet failed.
Artists such as Lady Gaga, whom I have discussed before, should take note of the first point: How about creating music with positive messages, and build your public image simply on a foundation of musical creativity and talent, rather than how creatively (and let's face it, bizzarre) you can present your body in a sexual context?
As for the second point, the public debate over homosexuality and gay marriage springs to mind. Those opposed to gay marriage are too readily painted with the 'bigoted homophobe' brush. They should be free to respectfully(!) express their views and concerns, based on their own convictions without being labelled with hate. On the flip-side, those opposed to gay marriage (Christians especially) need to respect the pro-homosexual viewpoint, and respond without judgement and condemnation. These people are also trying to shape society based on their own convictions. I cringe when I read what some Christians have to say on the subject of 'gays'. Our speech shouldn't be filled with haughty disregard, or self-righteous moralising; this reinforces the perceived rejection of homosexuals by the church.
Yes, there are irrational extremists on both sides of the debate, and there always will be. The majority of us in the middle, however, should be able to debate the issue constructively, and lovingly. Jesus didn't win people with messages of judgement and condemnation, but rather through messages of hope, healing, forgiveness and God's love.
Should we not follow His lead?
6 comments:
This episode is one of the few that I have seen. I remember thinking that the coach raised a good point, however it was diminished by the fact that her motives were less than pure, and certainly weren't concerned with the wellbeing of the students. Disappointing. But oh well, it's better than nothing I guess..
This is true; there is always something which detracts from any inherent merit. It could really have been something to get people thinking, but they seemed to ruin any gain by having the kids stage the show anyway. If they had cancelled the show it would have left the audience thinking about it.
1. Pushing the boundaries is necessary for growth of culture and society. Sometimes the push isn't elegant. Sometimes it breaks away the very foundations of an individual's beliefs.
2. Lady Gaga took some effort to understand. What an awesome, honest, imaginative sense of humour she has. Her art parodies life, producing guilty little cathartic pleasures.
3. Society has no right to deny the love of any two individuals, regardless of gender. To deny them the right to perform a romantic ritual that most people spend half their life dreaming about is just mean.
Thank you for your comments, Anon! I loved how concisely you were able to articulate your thoughts. This is something I need to work on!
So on that note, you'll have to forgive me as my response was too long to post as a comment. I hope you'll refer back to the main blog for my response. I would enjoy reading any further comment you may have to make!
Interesting article here relating to the topic..
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41134.html
Excellent article. Worth reading. Thanks for the contribution.
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