Glee: Harm in its humour?




The cast of Glee: just more stereotypes?

In any comedy, stereotypes are a staple element, and their use can encourage viewers to reconsider how they perceive others.  When used carefully, they are a powerful critique of society.  With the success of teen-musical comedy Glee, lauded for its celebration of difference, it is surprising to read Andy Denhart's news feature from earlier this year on the 'harmful simplicity' of Glee's characters, particularly in their constructed gender roles.

His point is salient.  Many of the characters, both male and female, are recognisable versions of their gender: the clueless jock, the feminine gay male, the conniving female, or the unintelligent cheerleader. Denhart argues that Glee "accepts society's definitions and reinforces them".  How this may affect young viewers' understanding of the gendered world is unknown.  At a time of life when identity formation is so crucial, television can "reinforce or cause the development of gender-typed perceptions and... stereotyped achievement aspirations and self-image" (Perloff, Brown, & Miller, as cited in Aubrey & Harrison, 2004, p. 115).  While Witt (2000, p. 322) asserts that young viewers "will imitate and repeat behaviours they see on television", more recent research suggests that what is internalised by viewers is only what matters to them (Aubrey & Harrison, 2004, p. 114).  In the case of Glee, its humour is reliant on stereotypes, but it takes a more mature viewer to appreciate the subtleties of the satire and see beyond the "ugly" stereotyping, as Denhart describes it.

Denhart's elaboration of each stereotype rings true, but there is no mention of either the characters' interactions or the issues with which they deal - not even the power of humour as social commentary.  Without these details, he glosses over important aspects relevant for a young audience, such as the acceptance of difference, minority groups, or emerging sexualities.  Indeed, similar arguments could be made about the use of stereotypes in other comedies, such as Summer Heights High, if there is an avoidance of the program's purpose.  Young people crave examples of other identities, so they can work out where they fit in.  (A recent news article in The Sydney Morning Herald even attempted to categorise the youth subcultures in Sydney for better understanding.)  Even if television shows that embrace diverse youth identities, like Glee, continue to be criticised for perpetuating stereotypes, at least there will be an awareness (and hopefully acceptance) of difference.  And surely that is important for our youth to understand.

Greg

REFERENCES

Aubrey, J., & Harrison, K. (2004). The gender-role content of children's favorite television programs and its links to their gender-related perceptions. Media Psychology, 6(2), 111-146.

Witt, S. (2000). The influence of television on children's gender role socialization. Childhood Education, 76(5), 322-324.