Bully on Them

I'm a closeted Gleek.  I actually like Glee, but I keep it on the D.L.  I don't ever watch it on Tuesday nights, since we don't have TV, but I religiously catch up every weekend on our dodgy wireless connection at home.  And lately, Glee has had some really powerful events, most of which relate to the openly gay (slightly stereotypical) character, Kurt.  Say what you like about the character, that he has a penchant for flamboyance and sequins and such, but the last few episodes have been really powerful, since he is repeatedly being bullied by a member of the football team.  What with the news last month about bullying, especially towards the young lgbt community in America, I found this to be a really interesting plot line.  On one hand, Kurt's friend from another school tells him to be courageous and to stand up to his oppressor, only to have him yell back, and suddenly kiss him in a moderately traumatizing move.  Kurt learns that other schools, unlike his public Ohio school, have a zero tolerance bullying policy, whereas at his own school, nothing is really being done about it.  His glee friends struggle to defend him, and even Sue Sylvester temporarily kicks out the bully, only to have the school committee say that there is no proof that the bully threatened to kill Kurt.  The end result is that Kurt decides to leave schools, and go to this private school with the zero-tolerance policy.

It brings up many issues, both within our culture, and within high schools.  So many terrible things happen, in terms of bullying and peer relations, yet people rarely stand up for their friends or colleagues. The girls in glee tell their boyfriends to fight back and defend Kurt, which many of them start to do.  But why did they have to be asked?  Why couldn't people just see the situation and decide it wasn't fair?  It's just another reminder that people often turn a blind eye to other people's pain.  As someone who was unpopular and mostly melancholy during high school, I can absolutely see how the cycle continues.   My school had a zero-tolerance policy for violence and such, but so much can occur without actual contact.  Body language, facial expressions-they can tell so much as well.  I remember in second grade, standing up for the boy I carpooled with, who had some LD (learning disabilities) and this guy, Matthew, was making fun of him.  They were both older than me, and in a bold move, I threw all of Matthew's stuff into a rain-filled trashcan, ruining his books, backpack, and possibly his videogames.  Can't remember.  I  then remember telling my parents about it, expecting them to punish me, but they never did.  They could see the greater implications of the situation, and the fact that I had defended my friend (Ben) against a bully.  I only wish that I could have prevented other, more grave situations for people who have suffered more.  There have been countless times when I could have behaved better as a high schooler and middle schooler (although I was seriously bullied in 6th/7th grade, so it works both ways) and I'm glad that this issue has really come to the forefront of our educational movement.  I only hope that more kids will learn to defend their friends and classmates, and that schools and adults will take these acts seriously.

listening to: Prokofiev 5, in prep for December!