Why Do We Like…?

As part of an ongoing series, I intend to examine certain social phenomena and how they have become integral parts of gay culture. As a community, we tend to identify with certain types of narratives, people, places, ideas, etc. In this series, I will approach the question “Why do we like these things?” Of course, since the GLBT community is as diverse as any other, please note that I speak in a very general sense that does not apply to everyone.

Glee

On a weekly basis, my friend Stuart hosts a bunch of GMBs in his house to watch Glee. These days, it’s the only show I don’t watch via Hulu a day later. We sit down and joke, make random comments, and snack on whatever Stuart has prepared. (I also tend to watch people’s reactions). Why do we like it so much to set aside this time with work and school, then? (Aside from the man candy…).

Reason #1: The Music

From episode one, we were blown away by the music. Frankly, I can’t listen to the original “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey because the Glee version is so good I watched it about four times in a row the first time I saw it. Music’s pull is obvious on gay men, but goes a bit deeper.

Almost all of the music helps drive or uncover important elements of the plot. It’s almost never expository (for example, singing “I’m Getting Married in the Morning” because that’s what will happen in a couple of scenes). The music brings depth to characters that might otherwise be considered stereotypes.

One of the most amazing scenes was when we first saw Quinn without her Cheerios uniform. Wearing a white pregnancy blouse and singing “Keep Holding On.” Some real tenderness between her, Rachel, and Finn is apparent as they hold hands briefly. And the tears get jerked out of your socket when Quinn lets out a heaving sigh at the end.

The music allows us to empathize with the characters and that’s part of what makes us like it.

Reason #2: The Humor

One of my favorite random blogs, Bri-Tunes: Life on Shuffle, presents a weekly Glee-cap. Brian, the blog’s author, offers some pretty hilarious takes on the show and I tend to agree with him too much. For instance, we share a common appreciation for minor characters such as Britney the cheerleader.

This has a lot to do with the set of stereotypes the show often references. Aside from the adults (perhaps), each character fits (initially) into a distinct stereotype. There’s the jock and the cheerleader. There’s the diva and the loser. And finally a set of minorities that one character nicknames individually “Santana! Wheels! Gay Kid! Asian! Other Asian! Aretha! [and] Shaft!”

Paradoxically, the show plays into these stereotypes to get around them. The cheerleader (Quinn) and football players’ (Finn, Puck, et. al.) initial popularity is stripped of them. Even as an outsider the “Gay Kid” (Curt) teaches the football players how song and dance can fix their game.

We get laughs out of the challenges to these expectations which equate to growth in the characters.

Reason #3: The Utopian vision

Alright, this one might be a bit of a stretch. This show presents a pretty hopeful vision of the future.

While these students challenge their assigned stereotypes and break down barriers, we notice progress towards a world where everyone is accepted, welcomed, and supported despite differences.

Despite the prejudice that the kids face in their society and the terrible things adults do to each other (like faking a pregnancy), they find a way through the latest drama as they help each other. Hopefully, that’s a vision we all hold for the future.

The Obligatory "New Moon" Response

It happened.

I broke down and saw the second installment of the Twilight series. My friend Stuart invited me.

Prior to the movie, I took a pretty uppity tone with my friend Stuart. He had enjoyed the first movie and I had not (although my experience was tainted by the fact that I saw it with a boy who tried taking advantage of me in a foreign country…). We have different tastes.

Here's our exchange of texts for the evening after we'd decided to go:

GMB: Thanks for the invite tonight. Do I have permission to heckle?
Stuart: Over what?
GMB: The cheesiness of the movie.
Stuart: Get over it. You know it's going to be good.
GMB: I'm taking a notebook to write down the worst lines. And maybe to sketch Jacob's six-pack
Stuart: You know we are going for the eye candy!
GMB: Not for the complex plot and 3-dimensional characters and their nuanced romance?
Stuart: Literary junkie!
GMB: Call me a snob if I enjoy the abstract and the aesthetic
Stuart: Now, now. It's just playful banter.
GMB: That's what makes this fun. I like to pull out the word 'aesthetic' every chance I get.

Needless to say, I didn't go into the movie taking it half as seriously as the eight sixteen year old girls sitting next to me in the theater. As the moon appeared on the screen and morphed into the title card for the movie, a chorus of cat calls erupted.

Seriously, what is wrong with these girls? (And twenty-something gay men?)
Although I would have liked to have gained some insight to love or how we treat each other in watching this film, the moral seemed pretty disconcerting. Are brooding men with violent tendencies supposed to be attractive?
Let's face it…even if Edward (or Jacob) is so dang cute (and they are…more so Jacob), shouldn't the potential for domestic violence be a relationship deal-breaker?

Social morality diatribe aside, the film doesn't have much to offer that I couldn't find elsewhere:
If I wanted to hear a teenage girl whine about a breakup for an hour and a half, I would go speak with one of any number of my cousins.
If I wanted cheesy lines, I'd go buy some Laughy Taffy in bulk.
And finally,
If I wanted to stare at hot, half-naked men, I'd go to one of many resources on the web created expressly for that purpose.

Instead, read these rejected screenplays for Twilight and New Moon. You'll save time and not even need to test your threshold for pain.