Hi-C Educates the Masses

ponfarrisforlovers submitted:

Dave Karofsky is a student on Glee who was a football player. He was very homophobic, bullied the other kids but targeted Kurt especially BECAUSE he was homosexual. Eventually things escalated and Dave actually kissed Kurt while they were having a verbal altercation. He grabbed his face and kissed him. Kurt then pushed him away and I believe Dave attempted to continue. Hence sexual assault. 

After that he tried helping Dave come to terms with who he was and at least stop bullying, be a better person, etc, but Dave couldn’t do it. He wound up leaving the school, I believe or maybe getting suspended? I think he transfered though. 

They never addressed Dave’s bullying like they should have. Which is unfortunate. It was a great opportunity to explore the issues David himself had and how he is taking his anger and poison out on others and actually assaulting them when he should be finding ways to process his own anger and confusion about himself and his own sexuality and being accepted. 

He is now coming back and he is a ‘nice guy’ now. For me, I’m 25 and I can watch Glee (I do not any longer) and accept the simple tie ups to stories and bad writing because I can fill in blanks. I KNOW that in real life “Dave” needs therapy and counseling and he needs to suffer the consequence of actually assaulting a person. (Though Kurt himself said he did not want to press chrages so long as Dave went to anger management so there’s that.)

Anyway, they just flopped it. Which means that children (who really shouldn’t be watching Glee to begin with because this is a campy adult show, tbh, no matter HOW they market it.) are seeing this storyline being treated flippantly. Like Dave can suddenly just learn something and be a nice guy. When in reality, the Daves of the world are struggling through multiple issues with themselves but first and foremost need to learn how to cope with anger in a healthy way and understand that it’s not okay to hurt others emotionally or physically. 

What’s happening is that people who ship Kurt and Dave are attempting to justify it. While I don’t necessarily agree that people should just stop shipping something, I think that defending it the way they are is wrong. It’s also part of what they’re learning from the show though. So there’s this messy cycle that’s happening, you know? 

Dave Karofsky is actually one of my two favorite characters. I thought they were really going to take these very common issues and deal with them in a sensitive and appropriate manner. Dave’s character is full of turmoil and some nasty anger and sadness because of his orientation and his inability to accept that. Then he turns around and explodes, takes it out on other people. I was hoping they would show that actions have consequences and also that when someone is this angry and that sad about themselves, they need to address it, not take it out on others. I was hopeful, but you know, television and well, Glee. 

It’s just like with the lesbians they have on the show. They have this beautiful open door to really do some good things. They don’t. I love that a lesbian couple is being portrayed in sex scenes and kissing and that my kids will see more same sex couples in media, but the actual storylines and characterizations? It’s a mess. (which you know that already)

Anyway. FYI. Haha.

Facts on facts on facts!

Man, this is entirely why I don’t watch Glee. Such great set-ups, so many amazing characters, such tight writing (“you smell like craigslist”) and no follow-through.