I’m writing this on Wednesday night, just 5 minutes after the latest episode of Glee ended. Like the rest of the five blondes and so many other people, I’m a major Gleek. Glee can do no wrong.
Until tonight.
It wasn’t the music – that was fine. The plot? That’s ok too.
Do you remember the scene where Glee member/Cheerio Brittany demonstrated her ‘hairography’ skills to the club? First she compared her body movements to being tased. Then came the line “it’s like cool epilepsy“.
Now, wait just a hair-tossing moment!
Having a seizure is like being tased? Epilepsy is uncool?
Maybe I’m reaching, but what is a young kid with epilepsy supposed to think about this? Epilepsy is not just shaking your head and hair around. Epilepsy can suck. I speak from experience. But nobody should be sending the message that a disability is uncool. I am not uncool because I have seizures, just as Artie is not uncool because he is in a wheelchair, and the students from the glee club from the school for the deaf are not uncool because they are hearing impaired.
I’ve had epilepsy for nearly 10 years and although it is not an easy thing to deal with psychologically, only one person ever made me feel as though I was less of a person because of it. I’m comfortable enough with my disability that I can joke around about it with friends, but it is really disappointing when it is joked about on a top primetime television show.
That is definitely NOT a seizure.
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I thought of you during this scene. I didn’t tweet you, but I thought of you and I was pretty annoyed. I never liked her character and I hate her even more now – I hope Glee does something about this because I would hate to think that a show as great as Glee that is TRYING to show exactly what you’re talking about here could actually allow themselves to impart this sort of notion on people (especially the impressionable sort who tend to watch the show).
{{hugs}} Eri xo
fragileheart´s last blog ..For the love of fiction
Hey,
So I was reading your post and I watched this episode last night and I was thinking about it and I interpreted the scene a little bit differently.
So, before this comment is made Mr. Schuester says something like “take it away Brittany” (I think that’s her name) and she goes “take what away?”, and a short while later she makes that comment. So, first the show discredits her, by making her look stupid, and then they have her say something very ignorant. What I’m getting at is that in a subtle way the show is saying ’stupid people make ignorant comments’.
Maybe I’m reading into the scene too much, but that’s another way to look at it.
For some reason, people still think it’s funny to joke and make assumptions about disabilities, which results in a very tangible sense of oppression for the potentially disabled parties involved.
I still have a memory that haunts me from when I was 17 – I was at the mall with Micaela and while walking into the mall a man yelled at me and said that “anorexia is a disease” and that I needed to get help. Whether or not he thought he was being funny (or remotely helpful) is besides the point, and it really hurt me. I wasn’t anorexic, just extremely thin, but if that comment did me damage while healthy, imagine the damage it would have done if I had, in fact, suffered from anorexia.
People are insensitive, and while that small insance likely won’t get any media coverage due to the whole Adam Lambert oral sex/makeout sesh taking over the world, Glee (or any tv show or anybody) should take it’s audience into consideration next time they joke around about a serious disease.
Leah´s last blog ..Disabilities are NOT uncool
I knew all along Glee wasn’t all it was cracked up to be…
Micaela´s last blog ..Disabilities are NOT uncool
I also have epilepsy, and found that line very offensive. I’m not sure if it was meant to be funny. Still it doesn’t help that it’s always made into a joke.
This post has been included in a linkspam at Access-Fandom. Thank you!
Thanks for highlighting something I missed while busy being irritated by the patronizing Deaf choir scenes!
Shannon´s last blog ..Four Empathy-Boosting Gift Books
I couldn’t condense my comment on this, so I wrote a post about it.
http://uncreativewriting.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-28-rant.html
I also have epilepsy, and I am a very cool person (as I am sure you are), BUT having epilepsy is in no way cool. It is horrible. So I think I might have to agree with Brit on this one…thrashing your head around to show your hair off is definitely a “cool” version of epilepsy…one that can be controlled, one that you can stop at will. Yeah, if my seizures were like that, that would be pretty cool.
You’re right — having epilepsy is *so* cool. It’s like the coolest thing ever. Why would they imply that having epilepsy is not cool, when everyone knows it’s super awesome and they’re jealous and they clearly want to have this disability as well.