Quick Thoughts, Glee 3x07, "I Kissed A Girl"

Okay. So as soon as the semester's over, I'm going to go more in depth with all the episodes I haven't been able to talk about yet. But for right now, this'll have to do.

I have a lot of love for last night's episode--and I am a firm believer that this season is kick-ass and each episode gets progressively better--but there are a few things I wasn't sure about among the things I adored.

First, linkage: Some really incredible thoughts on Santana and Beiste in relation to feminism, as well as a few more thoughts from Deconstructing Glee responding to Dorothy Snarker's thoughts, also regarding similar issues. And then, of course, SillyGleek guest-blogging on DG with what is essentially an open letter to the characters as of the end of the episode. Preach!

Some quick thoughts:

• I am a firm believer that despite the issues brought up in the first two links (with which I agree), Finn had his heart in the right place with the lesson. Finn is not an inconsiderate (insert adjective here) person. (This also goes for his outing of Santana.) He's 17/18 years old. He has flaws. I don't expect him to understand everything about the world at this point. He's slowly learning, and that's all I can hope for. Don't forget about how far he's come since Season 1. 
• Mike Chang is love. He was my favorite in the voting booth montage. 
• What the bloody hell is up with Puck's mohawk?! Did anyone else notice that it's long enough to part at the crown of his head?!
• I can't really wrap my head around Cooter and Sue's "history." Did anyone else find that out of the blue, or am I just slow at putting the pieces together? Mostly I'm frustrated because Coach Beiste a) deserves some kind of happiness but b) Cooter was kind of a douche to her and also because c) the points so beautifully stated in the tumblr post I linked to above. Don't let Beiste lose her awesomeness. Please. I beg you. 
• Mercedes....I pine for the time you and Kurt were BFFs. (I do think it's interesting that there is a kind of shift in the relationship, though. Friendships will change over the years.)
• SHELBY. WHY? SERIOUSLY. This is so messed up. *throws up hands* And while we're on the subject...
• PUCK. WTF IS GOING ON WITH YOU? And most especially, WHY DID YOU TELL QUINN?! UGH. Things are going to get worse. Remember Pacey Witter from Dawson's Creek? This is serious stuff.  
• I don't think I could ever hate Brittany in a million years. 
• Santana was especially cruel this episode. I wanted to smack her for her reaction to Kurt and Blaine singing to her. But...
• I also wanted to punch the guy who wanted to make her "normal." Society is messed up. If one considers the way that Kurt was bullied and mistreated, the way the world (or in this case, WMHS) is treating Santana is both similar and different, but just as awful. I was disgusted. Not cool, society. 
• Also, the scene in which Santana comes out to her abuela made me want to bawl my eyes out. I just want Santana to be happy and have the support she needs from the ones she loves. :(
• Rachel can be very frustrating sometimes, but I still love her as a character, and I was so proud that she admitted to Principal Figgins that she was the one to stuff the ballot box. 
• Kurt's voiceover in the voting booth: "If I lose, I don’t have a chance of getting into NYADA. It’s not fair. The difference between my dreams coming true and managing a Sonic Burger depends on how many people check a stupid box." This killed me. Sonic Burger... *cries* I hope you get in. And I agree with SillyGleek's guest post: you have a whole bunch of kick-ass credentials. Don't give up!! (More on this and Finn's similar concerns about the future at a later date. This is an important thread this season.)
• Kurt and Blaine this episode, from "Perfect" to their little moments. They're just so supportive and in tune with one another. I love them so much. Always and forever, they are amazing. <3 (I love SillyGleek's comments to Blaine. YES SO MUCH SO. Hehe.)

More as soon as I get the chance. It was a great episode.

Edit: Also, I hope Kurt knows that, if he is not accepted into NYADA, there are other options in NY and elsewhere. I just want him to find a place he can be happy and fulfill his dreams. You know? 

[Insert Generalized Group Here] Jokes

Yesterday at work, we started telling jokes to pass the time, as we were bored. I'm not much of a joke-teller; the handful of jokes I remember include knock-knock jokes everyone's already heard and that one really funny nuns-in-Transylvania joke my Aunt Mary told me I save for when conversation falters and no one's saying anything. So I didn't contribute anything except listening.

One of my coworkers started rattling off joke after joke. He started with some general ones, and then became more and more specific as time went on. In other words, he started off with your average blonde joke and suddenly he was spouting ones that were sexist or relating to the Holocaust.

I am not and have never really been one for blonde jokes (mostly because I feel like people purposely tell me them because I'm blonde; though my coworker told me yesterday that my dirty blonde hair didn't count/qualify). But listening to jokes concerning race, sex, and the Holocaust (!!!!) really upset me. It just felt wrong to even consider making jokes about subjects as sensitive as this. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like there is no good thing in making fun of the Holocaust--one doesn't just toss around something that was responsible for tearing apart families and involved the genocide of innocent people.

But then there's the issue of making jokes about race and gender, and honestly, they make me extremely uncomfortable. Other than the crassness of the jokes themselves, I feel like I question the thoughts and motivation of the joke-teller as well. Can I really believe them when they insist they are not racist or sexist? And if they really aren't racist or sexist, then why would they even entertain the idea of telling those jokes?

I understand that we're all human; I've told my share of inappropriate jokes and laughed at stuff that I probably shouldn't have found funny....but I feel awful afterward. How could I even think these things? And I'm still trying to figure out the world in general, so maybe I'm just thinking too much into this. But every time I hear something like that--aside from the omnipresent stereotyping--all I can think about is the fact that it calls out our differences, what makes us unique, and takes and puts them into a bad light. And deep down, isn't that a form of prejudice?

A Billion Cool Points Go To...

...Dianna Agron, Who. Is. Awesome.

Quotage #1:

Acceptance opens doors, makes room for change, diffuses misunderstanding. Every day, people commit hate crimes because of misunderstandings. Hate effects the target, and consumes the person behind the gun. It is crazy to realize that we have been in war for almost our entire existence on this planet. Many times for reasons of greed and hate.

Quotage #2:

 We can’t always put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. But we can try....I am lucky to live in a place where I can wear almost anything that I want to express myself, and that jail is not a probable consequence. Which makes me feel as if I should exercise my right to do so every now and then. Think of the people that have died because of their passion and heartfelt hopes of change? So many good men and women. All because of an inherent wish for tolerance, love and support. 

What a beautiful message and gesture. (She's always quite eloquent and thoughtful on her tumblr, but something about this post makes it extra important.) I think we tend to forget that this kind of hatred is still there and still very real--as unfortunate as it is--in today's society. I've been doing a lot of reading on the Civil Rights movement for my history class, and the more I read about it, the angrier and more horrified I become. How is it that human nature can turn so ugly when one doesn't understand or does not try to understand something that society deems different and unacceptable? How can someone hate another so much because of the color of their skin or their religion or sexual orientation or whatever makes them different? And it's not just limited to the racism of the past and today, but also homophobia, like Dianna Agron points out, something our society deals with on a daily basis.

All because we don't try to understand our world and most especially the people we interact with. We are all different, and that's what makes us unique. We are all human. In the words of Gaga, we are born this way. So why are we so set on judging someone else because they are so different from us? What will we gain from the hatred and intolerance?

Thank you, Dianna, for your inspiration and beautiful thoughts. #letlovein

(Edit: Deconstructing Glee brings up a couple excellent points with this as well. Agreed on all counts.)