Since it’s Glee, we are treated to the Down Syndrome character, Becky, as the shooter. Even without addressing the irresponsible message implied in having the shooter be someone with DS, it’s worth pointing out that whenever shots are fired in or near a school, it is almost always at the hands of a white male. School shootings perpetrated by females are exceedingly rare. Either Mr Hodgson did not do his homework, and given the many tactical flaws of the episode, this would not be a surprise, or Mr Hodgson simply could not bring himself to make the shooter be a white male in a show that is now almost entirely dedicated to white male empowerment. (x)
Besides the fact that an able-bodied person was hired to play a disabled person, Artie's storylines have consistently been about imagining what his life would be like outside of a wheelchair. His self-expression only happens in dream sequences when he physically leaves the chair.
There was also that ridiculous episode with the disabled football player whom Finn takes Rachel to see, so that she can feel sorry him & therefore better about her own life.
They sing Proud Mary, after Schue makes everyone use wheelchairs for a week so that they can all feel sorry for Artie & what it's like to use a wheelchair.
Basically...like pretty much every other social issue highlighted on Glee, a few characters are supposed to be representing a group of actual RL people, but it's done in a really half-assed & offensive way.
“Taking a gun to school is something very serious and would likely come with a mental health condition. That’s not appropriate for someone with Down syndrome and not a stigma they need.”
I'm already not interested in what disability advocates have to say--unless they're self-advocates (e.g., someone who is disabled and therefore knows what the fuck they are talking about)--but that shit right there is fucking disgusting. We do not need our so-called advocates furthering the stigma of mental illness by pushing the blame off their pet disability cause onto another group of disabled people. She's absolutely right that people with DS don't need the school shooting stigma, but neither does any other class of disabled people.
I haven't watched it, and I'm not going to, but everyone I know who did pointed out how utterly wrong it was that Becky was the one who brought the gun. As has been pointed out it's almost always a white male and as was already pointed out I think it was probably Flopson's inability to write straight white men as anything but the hero that is to blame.
From what I gather, they didn't want to do an actual school shooting but they wanted to benefit from the idea of one potentially happening. A girl with DS taking a gun to school for her own protection is far different from someone taking a gun to school with the intent to kill someone.
The episode had no point, which only makes it that much more offensive. I hope no one tunes in next week, 2 minutes of the originals together in a Rachel Berry dream sequence is not worth it.
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Since it’s Glee, we are treated to the Down Syndrome character, Becky, as the shooter. Even without addressing the irresponsible message implied in having the shooter be someone with DS, it’s worth pointing out that whenever shots are fired in or near a school, it is almost always at the hands of a white male. School shootings perpetrated by females are exceedingly rare. Either Mr Hodgson did not do his homework, and given the many tactical flaws of the episode, this would not be a surprise, or Mr Hodgson simply could not bring himself to make the shooter be a white male in a show that is now almost entirely dedicated to white male empowerment.
(x)
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His self-expression only happens in dream sequences when he physically leaves the chair.
There was also that ridiculous episode with the disabled football player whom Finn takes Rachel to see, so that she can feel sorry him & therefore better about her own life.
They sing Proud Mary, after Schue makes everyone use wheelchairs for a week so that they can all feel sorry for Artie & what it's like to use a wheelchair.
There's a round-up here which mostly discusses issues in season one.
Another post specifically about "Dream On."
Basically...like pretty much every other social issue highlighted on Glee, a few characters are supposed to be representing a group of actual RL people, but it's done in a really half-assed & offensive way.
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I'm already not interested in what disability advocates have to say--unless they're self-advocates (e.g., someone who is disabled and therefore knows what the fuck they are talking about)--but that shit right there is fucking disgusting. We do not need our so-called advocates furthering the stigma of mental illness by pushing the blame off their pet disability cause onto another group of disabled people. She's absolutely right that people with DS don't need the school shooting stigma, but neither does any other class of disabled people.
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The episode had no point, which only makes it that much more offensive. I hope no one tunes in next week, 2 minutes of the originals together in a Rachel Berry dream sequence is not worth it.
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