Heather Matthews, Culture Editor
I get it; you hate Glee. You probably rolled your eyes when you read the title. You might not even be reading this editorial anymore, because you feel so passionate about how much you hate Glee. That is entirely your choice. However, that is why this article exists.
Glee has been catching a lot of hate recently, and as a fan since Season 1, even I have been disappointed with this season’s plot holes and some song selections. However, Glee more than redeemed itself with its most recent episode, “On My Way.” SPOILER: shit goes down, and after being outed at his new school, a character attempts suicide. Remembering the string of gay/lesbian teen suicides that rocked our nation in the recent past, I feel that Glee took a huge risk and also a huge leap in creating this episode.
You must also keep in mind that Glee is not the first TV to broach the complication that LGBT teens often face. There have been other pioneers in many mediums, from books to movies, and of course TV shows. However, I can say confidently that Glee is one of the first shows of this generation that has watched that have addressed these topics.
So why did I choose to dedicate my free space to the cause that is Glee? Well, it’s not to convince you to watch it. If you don’t like Glee, then it is 100 percent your choice and you do what you want. But, if you are on the fence about it, or if you have 45 minutes to kill, give “On My Way” a shot. By illustrating a few of the many hardships that LGBTQ teens often feel, Glee begins the slow process of melting this generation’s collective heart a little bit, and gives us (or me, at least) a form of empathy towards an issue that I personally have little to no experience with.
So, you Glee-haters of all shapes and sizes, keep on hating. But, I urge you, keep in mind that Glee is addressing the demographics that, like you and me, feel strongly about social issues or television shows and ask of us to take action and to understand one another. Glee is no messiah of a TV show, and by no means holds our generation’s solutions in the palm of its show-tuned and sequined jazz hands, but maybe we should all take its message to heart. We shouldn’t need a string of teen suicides and a TV show to teach us to care about each other.
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