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Suffice it to say that television in 2008 is much different than television in 1998. As if to coincide with the Gay Rights Movement, more and more new television shows are debuting with openly-gay/lesbian ancillary (or in some cases even primary) characters. Here are some examples off the top of my head:
Brothers and Sisters: This newer yet stable drama has pushed the left-wing envelope quite a bit. Sally Fields plays a wealthy early-60s age range widow from Pasadena who has a very large family of late-20s-early-30s children. One of them, Kevin, happens to be an openly-gay attorney (and a VERY open one at that). The series profiles the romantic endeavors and other trials and tribulations that all of the characters face, but I must honestly say that I was caught quite off-guard when I saw Kevin and his partner visibly kissing in a romantic restaurant for the first time in one of the episodes. Doing so here in Scranton would get you kicked out of a restaurant for disgusting nearby patrons. There is also new evidence that Nora Walker's (Sally Fields's character) brother, Saul, who is a bachelor in his 60s, has hidden his own homosexuality from his family for his entire life due to shame. This is by far a series that pushes a "liberal agenda" onto Americans more than most others, especially considering its on ABC, a channel normally viewed as not being so bold.
The Office: I believe it was Season Two of this hit NBC sitcom (based in the lovely metropolis of Scranton, PA, by the way!), in which Oscar's apparent homosexuality came to light. Boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in his misguided ways tried to make Oscar feel more "welcome" by throwing some sort of "coming out" party for a very humiliated and unamused Oscar. This sitcom by and large doesn't have many homosexual references, and Oscar barely even makes the show anymore (we wouldn't know with this stupid strike going on!), but that episode opened a lot of people's eyes to just how delicate the situation of inadvertantly "outting" a co-worker can be. I myself was "outted" at my former employer, and I can't say that I enjoyed it. Another episode showed Oscar and his partner critiquing Pam's (Jena Fischer's character) amateur art work at an art show.
Desperate Housewives: Also on ABC is this once mega-hit comedy that has since been waning in popularity as American suburban women realize the show really aims to poke fun at them. There have been numerous instances of homosexual references/characters on this show. In one episode Felicity Huffman's character (Bree Van de Kamp) squeezes a martini glass so hard that she shatters it when she peers out a window and sees her son, Andrew, making out with another teenaged male on the sidewalk in front of their home. In another episode she walks into his bedroom to find her shirtless son passed out in bed with his similarly scantily-clad boyfriend lying next to him. There are now two very "yuppie" gay males living here in the Wisteria Lane subdivision, and they have become more major parts of the sitcom as Andrew appears less often (which is a shame because I have a MAJOR crush on him, but I digress!)
***** as Folk: I never saw this show as I don't receive premium channels and am too embarrased to rent it at a local video store where I know the clerks would chuckle at me, but from what I've been told it is very...errrmm..."steamy."
MTV: I don't watch much MTV since I feel myself becoming more and more illiterate the longer I watch its idiocy, but occasionally I'm at a friend's home who happens to have a show on. I'm never ceased to be amazed by how mainstream the LGBT community has become on MTV, which caters to the teen to twenty-something demographic. There's even a show on there in which mothers of gay sons interview potential mates for them (I wish my own mother loved me that much instead of tearing them away from me, but I digress).
Ally McBeal: I know this show is long off the air, but I can fondly recall several episodes that featured prominent LGBT cilents of the Boston law firm at which lead character Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart) was employed. I vaguely remember her representing a transvestite male who was later beaten to death in an alley by the rare Boston bigots after Ally had befriended him (or her). Sad music was playing as Ally was at the morgue reflecting upon his life and dressing up his lifeless body with make-up, as she assumed he would have wanted his body to look like as it was prepared for burial.
Boston Public: This is yet another former favorite series of mine that was yanked by FOX (to put on a hit show like "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" I presume ). I have an even vaguer memory of this show than of Ally McBeal, but I do remember there being a rather emotionally-unstable right-wing woman who was a frequent thorn in the side for the high school. The vice principal and her began to develop a romantic relationship, and then she saw her son making out with another teenaged boy after drama club practice (that should have been her first clue, but I digress).
I could list many more examples as well I'm sure, but I'm a bit fatigued right now and will have to arise early to clear the driveway from our freak snow storm tonight. Do you think that television making the LGBT community "mainstream" is a good thing? Why or why not?
I believe that showing homosexuality as nothing special is a good thing. Someone's sexuality is really not important, unfortunately there's a lot of hate and misunderstanding, particularly from "religious" folk in the US. Kids will watch tv, see nothing special or hateful about someone's sexuality and the issue will go away.
Same thing happened when the black community broke into television. I'm old enough to remember when Sidney Poitier, Paul Robeson, Lena Horne were among the only black actors on screen. It is wonderful to see that times have changed.
I believe that the portrayal of gay actors as people will soften the craziness of those who spew hatred and ignorance today.
I wouldn't know anything about it. Me and my wife have cut our TV watching to 3 hours per week (excluding NFL football ) and that 3 hours includes DVD's or anything that is turned on strictly for entertainment. Honestly the quietness in our home is great, and it is our intention that when we have kids we will cut TV watching down to 2 hours per week MAX including video games.
There are far more important things in life than the idiot box, and my values are what they are. I don't approve of most of the stuff on TV these days, not to mention sitcoms are beyond retarded now and drama shows are so repetitive in their murder topics that it makes me want to barf just to see a CSI commercial.
I don't guess I really care what they do on TV. So long as they don't come to me in person and tell me how to think or live, I will be fine.
Suffice it to say that television in 2008 is much different than television in 1998. As if to coincide with the Gay Rights Movement, more and more new television shows are debuting with openly-gay/lesbian ancillary (or in some cases even primary) characters. Here are some examples off the top of my head:
Brothers and Sisters: This newer yet stable drama has pushed the left-wing envelope quite a bit. Sally Fields plays a wealthy early-60s age range widow from Pasadena who has a very large family of late-20s-early-30s children. One of them, Kevin, happens to be an openly-gay attorney (and a VERY open one at that). The series profiles the romantic endeavors and other trials and tribulations that all of the characters face, but I must honestly say that I was caught quite off-guard when I saw Kevin and his partner visibly kissing in a romantic restaurant for the first time in one of the episodes. Doing so here in Scranton would get you kicked out of a restaurant for disgusting nearby patrons. There is also new evidence that Nora Walker's (Sally Fields's character) brother, Saul, who is a bachelor in his 60s, has hidden his own homosexuality from his family for his entire life due to shame. This is by far a series that pushes a "liberal agenda" onto Americans more than most others, especially considering its on ABC, a channel normally viewed as not being so bold.
The Office: I believe it was Season Two of this hit NBC sitcom (based in the lovely metropolis of Scranton, PA, by the way!), in which Oscar's apparent homosexuality came to light. Boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in his misguided ways tried to make Oscar feel more "welcome" by throwing some sort of "coming out" party for a very humiliated and unamused Oscar. This sitcom by and large doesn't have many homosexual references, and Oscar barely even makes the show anymore (we wouldn't know with this stupid strike going on!), but that episode opened a lot of people's eyes to just how delicate the situation of inadvertantly "outting" a co-worker can be. I myself was "outted" at my former employer, and I can't say that I enjoyed it. Another episode showed Oscar and his partner critiquing Pam's (Jena Fischer's character) amateur art work at an art show.
Desperate Housewives: Also on ABC is this once mega-hit comedy that has since been waning in popularity as American suburban women realize the show really aims to poke fun at them. There have been numerous instances of homosexual references/characters on this show. In one episode Felicity Huffman's character (Bree Van de Kamp) squeezes a martini glass so hard that she shatters it when she peers out a window and sees her son, Andrew, making out with another teenaged male on the sidewalk in front of their home. In another episode she walks into his bedroom to find her shirtless son passed out in bed with his similarly scantily-clad boyfriend lying next to him. There are now two very "yuppie" gay males living here in the Wisteria Lane subdivision, and they have become more major parts of the sitcom as Andrew appears less often (which is a shame because I have a MAJOR crush on him, but I digress!)
***** as Folk: I never saw this show as I don't receive premium channels and am too embarrased to rent it at a local video store where I know the clerks would chuckle at me, but from what I've been told it is very...errrmm..."steamy."
MTV: I don't watch much MTV since I feel myself becoming more and more illiterate the longer I watch its idiocy, but occasionally I'm at a friend's home who happens to have a show on. I'm never ceased to be amazed by how mainstream the LGBT community has become on MTV, which caters to the teen to twenty-something demographic. There's even a show on there in which mothers of gay sons interview potential mates for them (I wish my own mother loved me that much instead of tearing them away from me, but I digress).
Ally McBeal: I know this show is long off the air, but I can fondly recall several episodes that featured prominent LGBT cilents of the Boston law firm at which lead character Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart) was employed. I vaguely remember her representing a transvestite male who was later beaten to death in an alley by the rare Boston bigots after Ally had befriended him (or her). Sad music was playing as Ally was at the morgue reflecting upon his life and dressing up his lifeless body with make-up, as she assumed he would have wanted his body to look like as it was prepared for burial.
Boston Public: This is yet another former favorite series of mine that was yanked by FOX (to put on a hit show like "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" I presume ). I have an even vaguer memory of this show than of Ally McBeal, but I do remember there being a rather emotionally-unstable right-wing woman who was a frequent thorn in the side for the high school. The vice principal and her began to develop a romantic relationship, and then she saw her son making out with another teenaged boy after drama club practice (that should have been her first clue, but I digress).
I could list many more examples as well I'm sure, but I'm a bit fatigued right now and will have to arise early to clear the driveway from our freak snow storm tonight. Do you think that television making the LGBT community "mainstream" is a good thing? Why or why not?
I hate to sound like a spoiled middle class American, BUT, I love my cable t.v.... I think those dimples on McCain are just pot marks upside his face anyway, think the gay rights movement is entitled to a few shows if they like...
For those old enough to remember (before my time...) - my grandmother told me about the uproar and controversy when All in the Family went on the air.
Television changes as societal acceptances change.
Listen to the radio. The "D-Word" no longer has to be bleeped. The "F-Word" is, however the "H-Word" and "A-bomb" and certain other terminologies aren't. It all deals with "perceived societal norms."
Having "LGBT" Community on "regular TV" is one of those changes. It's for the better that we not ostracize them for who their partner is.
I obviously think it's fine. I watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. I mean, we've already had Will & Grace and the Ellen DeGeneres sitcom run their course with success. Obviously mainstream America has little problem with it or these shows wouldn't be successful.
When I was a kid, my parents wouldn't let me watch Three's Company just because there was a character who pretended to be gay. I think that was the first time I ever heard the word gay, so it was probably earth-shattering at the time!
Overall I believe it's positive for the gay community and is a progression in further acceptence.
You ask the question as if the television industry is trying to manipulate the non-gay public as some sort of agenda.
They just reflect their viewers, and want as many people watching their programs as possible.
If there are now gays included on tv, in programs and the news, it is only because they, too, watch television, have families and friends, and have disposable income to spend with tv's advertisers.
I am sure there are plenty of programs on tv that gays don't watch - that's why there is more than one station. To each their own.
It depends on if someone being gay is important to the script. I don't like when you watch a show and it seems they're just trying to force it down your throat or are somehow trying to demonstrate how liberal and hip they are for writing a show with a bunch of gays.
Kudos to the "Logo" channel. TV has always been 10 years behind the times. TV is more about selling product than altering society's perceptions.
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