Lately I have been watching a lot of Friday
Night Lights (guilty pleasure, bare with me), a
typical high school drama television show filled with all kinds juicy nonsense
that somehow manages to reel me in. This show covers all kinds of issues that an American adolescent in high school may face. Some of these issues include: racism, mental
health issues, divorce, bullying, teen pregnancy, rape, etc. However, one topic
that is never discussed is that of sexuality, especially those that diverge
from the dominant heterosexuality. The only mentioning of homosexuality is in
passing and always as a joke: “That’s a little brokeback, isn’t it?” or when
the mayor of the town is a lesbian and a main character is afraid to join her campaign
for fear of being associated with “the wrong people”. While the television show
received much critical recognition about addressing issues in modern day
America, I find it impossible to overlook this glaring homophobia.
Perhaps because LGBT equality is the most
recent demographic to demand civil rights people feel comfortable shouting out
offensive comments and remaining ignorant to the pain it is causing many people
in our country. Here is a video from Fox discussing the television show Glee and if it is “too gay” to be aired during primetime television.
While it is common to see people of color
on television programs today, many are still playing stereotypical roles that demean
their human dignity. I am interested to see how LGBT characters develop in the
future and if they will still be commonly seen as the flamboyant gay uncle, the
butch “unattractive” lesbian, or other stereotyped roles.
I found Dr. Tatum’s comment on what an
ideal person’s characteristics should be in our society to be an excellent
observation. After listing off dominant traits (white, male, heterosexual, able
bodied, thin, financial secure, etc.) it is obvious that only a handful of
Americans fit this rigid description. Audre Lorde’s comment that, “There is no hierarchy
of oppression” was insightful because it shows that all oppression is harmful
to human dignity. The topic my blog seems to be harping on, perspective, comes
up yet again with Lorde’s comment. It is certainly easy to relax when we fit
ourselves into the dominant societal description, but we always need to
remember where we diverge from this “ideal”. Oppression exists in every
demographic and trait of the citizens of this country, some more glaringly
obvious than others. While in the process of creating this blog we had a
relevant discussion in one of my other classes on Monday.
In this class we discussed the oppression
of men and how it is usually overlooked in courses that tend to focus on women.
While I would never say that men have been as oppressed as women historically,
it was a very interesting discussion to be a part of. We mainly discussed the
expectation that men face growing up as they attempt to discover their own
identity and interests. Men are typically required to have masculine interests
and to enjoy anything that differs from these socially accepted pastimes
questions the masculinity of the man in question. A male nurse, for example, is
still seen to be effeminate, while a female surgeon tends to be more accepted
in modern society. My criticism for this argument was based mainly on a
capability standpoint. While some opportunities for men may seem more feminine for men to have, the fact remains that they have more options that women. It was exciting to have a discussion
where I felt free to express my own thoughts and opinions without discomfort or
guilt.
This notion of discomfort is something that
I think is important to address with discussions of oppression, especially how
it relates to racism. I asked my mother if I ever brought up race when I was
younger and she said it never came up (clearly I received the silent “Do not
talk about it” message). I really hope that when I have children I can explain
difficult matters like race to them in a way that makes sense. That was something
Dr. Tatum seemed to do very well and make a point of actively discussing with
her children, and I thought it was just awesome! Open and honest communication
is so important in most aspects of life and I think much discussion is still
needed with regards to racism in America today. While it is sometimes difficult
to talk about issues like race or disability now, I’m very glad our class
allows for a safe environment of discussion.
Here is an interview with Dr. Beverly Tatum
and Reverend Jesse Jackson following the inauguration of Barack Obama four
years ago. One of the most noteworthy aspects of this video is their discussion
of higher education in America and the need to lower student loans. Higher
education should be attainable by all of those interested and students should
not be forced to drop out due to the tuition costs. Dr. Tatum even says that her one wish for Obama is that he "expand access to college." Education remains one of the most defining factors in the success of Americans.
No comments:
Post a Comment