Interesting Mormon Glee Commentary. Really.
So I was googling around for Klaine, as you do, and found this: "‘Shipping Klaine? What Mormons think about Glee." The title immediately struck me as an interesting paradox-- a Mormon commentary on a Mormon site that is familiar with the term "shipping" and the use of a portmanteau for a ship? Reading the article immediately undermined the assumptions with which I had come to it.
What struck me immediately was that amid the knowingness and too-smart-to-be-anything-but-cynical vibe that defines everything in our generation, this show stands out as relentlessly cheerful. I searched and scrutinized for the “we’re being so happy ironically angle,” but my search was in vain. This really was earnestly chipper. Je savais what this je ne sais quoi was: it was high-octane Mormon.
That's right. The author argues that Glee is "high-octane Mormon," among other things. She also identifies herself as a progressive liberal Mormon, and highlights the "intersectional feminism" of the show. She then goes on to worry about the effect of Glee on (Mormon, I would assume--though possibly all) kids. As of the writing of the article, she had only seen season 1 (and so had not yet gotten to the canon shipping of Kurt and Blaine) and concluded thusly:
For my part, I think I’m veering in the direction of being disheartened by the promiscuity, very unperturbed about the gay themes (assuming continued non-promiscuity), and in the end still a sucker for the spirit-lifting happy vibe and thoroughly enjoyable musical numbers.
And I found the comments even more interesting than the article itself. This one may sum up what I was struck by:
Religious conservatives view GLEE as a means to advance the dreaded Agenda (homosexuality, extramarital sex, et. al.). But a strong argument can be made that its core message is about embracing the outcast, actually a very Christian theme. So it makes sense that Mormons might feel ambivalent. If you believe homosexual behavior is sinful yet feel good when Kurt’s dad accepts him (not just Kurt-as-son, but his gay identity, desire for a boyfriend, etc), maybe you’re experiencing some cognitive dissonance. This ain’t no love-the-sinner-not-the-sin pseudo-acceptance of a gay child.
In addition, I find it fascinating that many of the commentariat's issues with the show are the same as that of me and my friends. The writing is inconsistent. Schu is not as good a teacher as the show likes to claim he is. The incredibly stupid hysterical pregnancy storyline. The stereotyping (they're not wrong that the depiction of Quinn's parents was shallow and awful.)
Anyway, it was a random find, and got me thinking about my own assumptions upon finding a Mormon commentary on Glee. The comments, and the Mormon Glee fans themselves, are surprisingly diverse and overwhelmingly thoughtful. I thought some of you might be interested as well, and so I thought I'd share.
I should be writing on my rationales, or planning the Fall class I'm developing for next year (or the Spring one), but I just did this instead. Time to go back to work. :)
Also posted at http://kouredios.dreamwidth.org/186194.html ; feel free to comment there if you so choose: add comment/
comments.
What struck me immediately was that amid the knowingness and too-smart-to-be-anything-but-cynical vibe that defines everything in our generation, this show stands out as relentlessly cheerful. I searched and scrutinized for the “we’re being so happy ironically angle,” but my search was in vain. This really was earnestly chipper. Je savais what this je ne sais quoi was: it was high-octane Mormon.
That's right. The author argues that Glee is "high-octane Mormon," among other things. She also identifies herself as a progressive liberal Mormon, and highlights the "intersectional feminism" of the show. She then goes on to worry about the effect of Glee on (Mormon, I would assume--though possibly all) kids. As of the writing of the article, she had only seen season 1 (and so had not yet gotten to the canon shipping of Kurt and Blaine) and concluded thusly:
For my part, I think I’m veering in the direction of being disheartened by the promiscuity, very unperturbed about the gay themes (assuming continued non-promiscuity), and in the end still a sucker for the spirit-lifting happy vibe and thoroughly enjoyable musical numbers.
And I found the comments even more interesting than the article itself. This one may sum up what I was struck by:
Religious conservatives view GLEE as a means to advance the dreaded Agenda (homosexuality, extramarital sex, et. al.). But a strong argument can be made that its core message is about embracing the outcast, actually a very Christian theme. So it makes sense that Mormons might feel ambivalent. If you believe homosexual behavior is sinful yet feel good when Kurt’s dad accepts him (not just Kurt-as-son, but his gay identity, desire for a boyfriend, etc), maybe you’re experiencing some cognitive dissonance. This ain’t no love-the-sinner-not-the-sin pseudo-acceptance of a gay child.
In addition, I find it fascinating that many of the commentariat's issues with the show are the same as that of me and my friends. The writing is inconsistent. Schu is not as good a teacher as the show likes to claim he is. The incredibly stupid hysterical pregnancy storyline. The stereotyping (they're not wrong that the depiction of Quinn's parents was shallow and awful.)
Anyway, it was a random find, and got me thinking about my own assumptions upon finding a Mormon commentary on Glee. The comments, and the Mormon Glee fans themselves, are surprisingly diverse and overwhelmingly thoughtful. I thought some of you might be interested as well, and so I thought I'd share.
I should be writing on my rationales, or planning the Fall class I'm developing for next year (or the Spring one), but I just did this instead. Time to go back to work. :)
Also posted at http://kouredios.dreamwidth.org/186194.html ; feel free to comment there if you so choose: add comment/
comments.