So here's the thing. I've been on the Glee band wagon since day one. I have a deep and abiding appreciation for musicals and All that Jazz. I was a member of the Drama Club in high school for Pete's sake, so if anyone knows what it's like to be derided at that age, c'est moi! And that's one of the main reasons why I fell so unabashedly in love with this show. Television dramedy conventions aside, I felt the writers really did a great job of tapping into what it felt like to be a creative teen in high school, living on the outskirts of popularity due to a talent that had nothing to do with throwing, kicking, or dribbling a ball. To bask in the unadulterated joy of being enveloped amongst your quirky peers in a room with (sometimes an equally quirky and dare I say downright creepy) adult facilitator, and talking about all the same things. Acceptance at the core. To look into the eyes of others and know that they get you. Oh how good it feels to be got at that age. Hell, at any age really.
And because it felt so authentic in its delivery and its experience, I reacted overwhelmingly with delight and (for sheer cheesy/corny affect) GLEE, at watching a fictionalized version of what I remembered about the best and oddest moments of my teenage years. To put it bluntly, they had me at first slushy. And I've been a faithful Gleek ever since.
I find myself at times, skimming the comment sections as they pertain to this show, just to see what the tweens are thinking. And for the past year and a half, they've been clearly upset with certain choices that have been made in the writer's room. I recall similar dissention in the ranks of the Ugly Betty viewership, but that at least could be blamed partially on the writer's strike. No such excuse this time around. Being an adult and further removed from the redundant and quite mundane activities of the American high school experience, I chalked most of that petulant discourse up to adolescent ignorance, and I kept it moving. Much of what was bothersome to them didn't seem to affect me really, as my main concern is and has always been, the plight of Mercedes. From jump I could see the romantic triangle situation--the Rachel, Quinn, Finn of it all. Then, since they couldn't make Rachel and Finn skip off into happily ever after in the first season, I knew they'd pair her up with someone else. Didn't know it'd be two someone elses (insert Puck and Jesse now). But as I knew it was coming as a way to create jealousy in Finn and get him to realize that Rachel's who he really desires, I wasn't that emotive about it. Color me indifferent. It was entertaining as it needed to be, but I really didn't care as much. Mainly because I'm not a Rachel fan. She reminds me too much of the crazy theater bitches I grew up with, and so she serves as the fictional stand in for my very real (and still salient) hostility. Guess it's true. We never outgrow high school.
Some say last season took a veer off course, and many (critics and friends alike) claim it was weak. I didn't feel that way. I still tuned in week after week. I still enjoyed how the songs chosen for the most part furthered the plot, and it was clear to me anyway, that they were chosen with the character's intention in mind. I enjoyed that even if i didn't particularly like the song. I watched the inevitable reconciliation of Rachel and Finn at season's end. I endured their quadrangle thing with other folks. And more so, I was really easily roped into the whole Kurt situation. I felt season two was finally paying attention to the forgotten members of New Directions. That they were finally trying to delve into other characters' stories, and I was ready for that. Mercedes continued to be stuck in the background, but hey, she's not gay or tormented. She's just the fat black chick. She can wait.
I felt a show like Glee had a responsibility to tackle a topic that was so prevalent in high schools across the country. They were on the cutting edge of the issue of teen suicide and teen homosexuality; and I felt they handled it with integrity and maturity. Very reminiscent of John Hughes, who never condescended to his teenage audience.
But just like with gangsta movies, there's a time to tell that story, and a time to move the fuck on! And what I'm saying to Ryan Murphy et al is precisely that. MOVE. THE FUCK. ON. It just feels like they're stuck in this rut of bullying and gay teens and more bullying, and more gay teens, and Rachel and Finn, and Puck and Quinn, and bullying and gay teens. And oh! Mercedes has a diva fit. And then we're back to bullying gay teens. And Rachel. And Finn. And Santana now and her lesbian gayness and bullying. Are these really the only stories left to tell? Out of all the characters bursting at the seams of the show? And since that singing reality show is gonna breed more nuts to the factory, is this all we, the viewers, are gonna be subjected to? I hate it when I can see the strings. When I know where we're going before we even get there. That's not a journey. It's the road trip from hell in the back seat of my grandfather's Buick listening to Glenn Miller all the way.
Let's see some real truth. I mean, TV truth, but still. I'm sick of watching these kids love all over top of each other. The unending support for one another is sickening. The kids I went to school with would shank each other with a sharpened toothbrush in order to get the lead in the school play. That could be cause I'm from Jersey, but still. There was always a fair amount of death at stake for a good role. And I don't see that here. Everything feels so sanitized. Like unless we decide to make an episode about kids being mean to each other and bang the hell outta that drum, then we have to make them all love each other. I don't know too many people who would continue to be kind to someone who constantly and viciously berated them. Again, this could be cause I don't know many kind hearted souls. But again, not the point.
I guess what I'm really saying is let's get some other stories goin here--get into some other characters. And let's give this dog some bite. Give him some teeth and watch him rip the tender flesh from the succulent bones of opportunity. Then again, I guess I have The Walking Dead for that.
Till next time, lovers!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Penn State: A Goddamn Shame
This horrific situation has been on my mind since it broke a few days ago. I wondered in vain for days why Herman Cain and his bullshit were the lead story. I really don't give a damn if he pinched some blond asses in 1994. They're grown. They handled it. Got paid and moved on with their lives. But a coach accused of molesting troubled youths (read BLACK) for over a decade, while coaching at a prestigious powerhouse university in the Big East Football Conference--that's not more important? Who cares about the idiotic pizza guy running as the Republicans' Anti-Obama & his all too predictable sexual peccadilloes with young white women.
I read about ten pages of the Grand Jury indictment report against Jerry Sandusky, and I haven't been comfortable since. The graphic nature of how he abused these children haunts me worse than last night's episode of American Horror Story (and if you've been watching that show, you know that's a helluva statement).
I can't go into what was said. You can Google it if you want to have those images seared into your brain, but I still find it so goddamn troubling that so many people witnessed what he was doing and said NOTHING! One janitor in 2000 (according to a CNN report) claimed to have seen Sandusky pin a child against a wall in the shower and perform oral sex on him. IN THE LOCKER ROOM. ON PENN STATE'S CAMPUS. And did nothing. Another, more disturbing account, detailed that of a graduate student (who by the way, is now an assistant football coach for Penn State) who witnessed Sandusky anally raping a boy around the age of ten, also in the shower. And did nothing.
At first, when I read this, I felt for the grad student. The report said he was visibly distraught as he left and called Joe Paterno (the head coach) the next day, after having first discussed the matter with his father. But as I thought about it, I was like, why the fuck didn't he stop it? How could he see that and just leave the child there? How could he not help this little boy? I thought of how scared and confused this child must have been. How much pain he endured. The report said that both the child and Sandusky saw the grad student see them. And I thought how he must have wished for that man to come over and save him. How could he turn his back, go home, eat dinner, talk to his father SLEEP, that night after seeing that? And how could he resume life as normal with this man? Work with him every day knowing what a monster he was. How?
Initially, I didn't preoccupy my mind with the thought of race. I kinda assumed the children were white, even though they allegedly came from Sandusky's foundation Second Mile. A foundation he started for troubled youth. That term is quite telling because it connotes something very specific to most folks. When one hears troubled youth or at risk youth, it is almost automatically assumed the youths in question are black. If not black, then some other minority but definitely not white. But in my mind, I just couldn't fathom that really. I didn't have time to think about it while the despicable details were bombarding the nightly news at a rapid fire rate. But now, I find myself inquiring about it because I think it's a serious factor.
I don't have any confirmation about the race of the alleged victims, but a friend of mine said she heard they're black. And if this is true, it shows how insidious race relations continue to be in this country.
Among my black friends, we always laugh and joke about CWP shenanigans. For those that don't know CWP stands for CRAZY WHITE PEOPLE. They're always doing something stupid, fearlessly stumbling along the way, cloaked in their whiteness and using it as a shield or a kind of currency if you will, to pay their passage. Most times it works out. The joggers jailed in Iran? White. Freed. Those Christian missionaries jailed in some Muslim country for trying to convert the citizens to Christ? White. Freed...eventually. The kid caned in Singapore. White. Oh, guess it didn't really work out that great for him, huh? Still, the country rallied for him. When was the last time you saw an international incident involving American citizens in peril who weren't white? Or related to Lisa Ling? Lemme rephrase. Were any of those folks black? Hell no! Cause we know if we get into some shit oversees we're on our own! Even if President Obama was ready to send in the troops to save his own, best to believe Congress would impeach his ass first. We kinda joke about it and make light of the fact that our government won't lift a finger to save its black citizens from being accosted, raped, or killed should we fall into less favorable international hands. That's just the way it is. And there's something sobering about that. It keeps us from acting crazy in international time zones.
But what's funny in a Dave Chappelle comedy sketch, or as a joke when I'm chillin with my friends, loses its humor when the topic of sexual molestation comes into play. My cousin posted an article to my facebook page--the topic, how poor black children are more apt to be victims of molestation. Why you may ask? Because who's gonna protect them? They're easy targets because still, with a black President, African Americans are still second, third, and fourth class citizens in our own country. We're non persons. A predator like Sandusky, wants to get away with his crime. So he's gonna choose accordingly. Who's gonna care that he's raping a black boy in the showers? Who's gonna even give it more than a moment's thought? Apparently no one.
And I was angered when I thought and then heard (unsubstantiated though it may be) that these alleged victims of abuse are possibly black. Because I thought, is that why you chose them? Because you knew you could do whatever you wanted, in front of whoever was around, and no one would stop you? Is that why none of these adult men called the cops or pursued it any further? Great, you told your boss that this guy was being inappropriate with young boys, but what then? Did you harass your boss until action was taken? Did you call the cops? What kind of follow up did you do? Oh, that's right. Nothing. It was better, safer for you to keep your damn job. What if these children had been white from good homes? Had money? Would the police have been notified then? What is so sick and twisted about us as a people that our racial indifference extends all the way down to the children? Damn. Heartless.
I was initially against firing Joe Paterno. I don't care that much about college football. But I feel his accomplishments there are certainly legendary and commendable. I'm not a gung ho football spectator, but it's a huge part of my life. Or had been. It's a part of my family's genetic make-up just like the DNA strands in our blood. Every man in my family has played it--my father, my brother, my uncles. My cousin's husband makes his living as a coach in the NFL & has done so for over a decade. He also coached on the collegiate level. So I enjoy it as much as some, maybe not as much as most. And I feel bad that Joe Pa as he's affectionately referred to, was fired due to the vomit inducing actions of one very sick son of a bitch. That now his legacy is tainted and not really by something he did himself. But as I think about it again and listen to his statements of regret, I realize that his inaction was an action. That he chose to let sleeping dogs lie and continue to think about football and his players and everything else except for this child predator in his midst. How the hell could he sit across a coaching table from this man and talk about plays, attendance, boosters, players & players' eligibilities & all that other shit, and KNOW he was looking into the eyes of Satan himself. That the man before him enjoyed having sex with children. I keep coming back to that question HOW? because it just baffles the mind. Seriously, my mind is literally blown by this whole thing.
I'm sorry these grown ass men didn't make better choices. I'm sorry that the team is now covered in the same shit stains as their former assistant coach & athletic director, and that they have to pay the price. I'm sorry that they, as boys themselves in some respects, can't just play the game they love, but have to undergo this stress and turmoil of losing a beloved coach before their season comes to a close. I'm sorry that they can't have this time again. I'm sorry that football on the collegiate level (more so than on the professional level even) hasn't been a game for a long, long time, and that because of that everyone lost sight of good old fashioned human decency.
But most of all, most importantly--I'm sorry that Penn State University, its officials from the President on down, that the coaches, the interns, the Athletic Director, the Director of Finance, their attorneys, the board of trustees, Second Mile Youth foundation, the janitorial staff, all who either knew or should have known, let a predator rob these defenseless children--these little boys, of their innocence. That they allowed him to do it with impunity, without fear of discovery or punishment. And that their voices were silenced for far too long, and threaten to remain so amid this circus.
But mostly, I'm afraid that the firing of everyone involved will fail to keep this from happening again at Penn or anywhere else. That's the symptom. It's not the disease. When the welfare of the few (the college & it's lucrative football program) comes before that of the many (the innocent children) the result will always be the same. The only thing to change are the players, not the play.
Till next time, lovers!
I read about ten pages of the Grand Jury indictment report against Jerry Sandusky, and I haven't been comfortable since. The graphic nature of how he abused these children haunts me worse than last night's episode of American Horror Story (and if you've been watching that show, you know that's a helluva statement).
I can't go into what was said. You can Google it if you want to have those images seared into your brain, but I still find it so goddamn troubling that so many people witnessed what he was doing and said NOTHING! One janitor in 2000 (according to a CNN report) claimed to have seen Sandusky pin a child against a wall in the shower and perform oral sex on him. IN THE LOCKER ROOM. ON PENN STATE'S CAMPUS. And did nothing. Another, more disturbing account, detailed that of a graduate student (who by the way, is now an assistant football coach for Penn State) who witnessed Sandusky anally raping a boy around the age of ten, also in the shower. And did nothing.
At first, when I read this, I felt for the grad student. The report said he was visibly distraught as he left and called Joe Paterno (the head coach) the next day, after having first discussed the matter with his father. But as I thought about it, I was like, why the fuck didn't he stop it? How could he see that and just leave the child there? How could he not help this little boy? I thought of how scared and confused this child must have been. How much pain he endured. The report said that both the child and Sandusky saw the grad student see them. And I thought how he must have wished for that man to come over and save him. How could he turn his back, go home, eat dinner, talk to his father SLEEP, that night after seeing that? And how could he resume life as normal with this man? Work with him every day knowing what a monster he was. How?
Initially, I didn't preoccupy my mind with the thought of race. I kinda assumed the children were white, even though they allegedly came from Sandusky's foundation Second Mile. A foundation he started for troubled youth. That term is quite telling because it connotes something very specific to most folks. When one hears troubled youth or at risk youth, it is almost automatically assumed the youths in question are black. If not black, then some other minority but definitely not white. But in my mind, I just couldn't fathom that really. I didn't have time to think about it while the despicable details were bombarding the nightly news at a rapid fire rate. But now, I find myself inquiring about it because I think it's a serious factor.
I don't have any confirmation about the race of the alleged victims, but a friend of mine said she heard they're black. And if this is true, it shows how insidious race relations continue to be in this country.
Among my black friends, we always laugh and joke about CWP shenanigans. For those that don't know CWP stands for CRAZY WHITE PEOPLE. They're always doing something stupid, fearlessly stumbling along the way, cloaked in their whiteness and using it as a shield or a kind of currency if you will, to pay their passage. Most times it works out. The joggers jailed in Iran? White. Freed. Those Christian missionaries jailed in some Muslim country for trying to convert the citizens to Christ? White. Freed...eventually. The kid caned in Singapore. White. Oh, guess it didn't really work out that great for him, huh? Still, the country rallied for him. When was the last time you saw an international incident involving American citizens in peril who weren't white? Or related to Lisa Ling? Lemme rephrase. Were any of those folks black? Hell no! Cause we know if we get into some shit oversees we're on our own! Even if President Obama was ready to send in the troops to save his own, best to believe Congress would impeach his ass first. We kinda joke about it and make light of the fact that our government won't lift a finger to save its black citizens from being accosted, raped, or killed should we fall into less favorable international hands. That's just the way it is. And there's something sobering about that. It keeps us from acting crazy in international time zones.
But what's funny in a Dave Chappelle comedy sketch, or as a joke when I'm chillin with my friends, loses its humor when the topic of sexual molestation comes into play. My cousin posted an article to my facebook page--the topic, how poor black children are more apt to be victims of molestation. Why you may ask? Because who's gonna protect them? They're easy targets because still, with a black President, African Americans are still second, third, and fourth class citizens in our own country. We're non persons. A predator like Sandusky, wants to get away with his crime. So he's gonna choose accordingly. Who's gonna care that he's raping a black boy in the showers? Who's gonna even give it more than a moment's thought? Apparently no one.
And I was angered when I thought and then heard (unsubstantiated though it may be) that these alleged victims of abuse are possibly black. Because I thought, is that why you chose them? Because you knew you could do whatever you wanted, in front of whoever was around, and no one would stop you? Is that why none of these adult men called the cops or pursued it any further? Great, you told your boss that this guy was being inappropriate with young boys, but what then? Did you harass your boss until action was taken? Did you call the cops? What kind of follow up did you do? Oh, that's right. Nothing. It was better, safer for you to keep your damn job. What if these children had been white from good homes? Had money? Would the police have been notified then? What is so sick and twisted about us as a people that our racial indifference extends all the way down to the children? Damn. Heartless.
I was initially against firing Joe Paterno. I don't care that much about college football. But I feel his accomplishments there are certainly legendary and commendable. I'm not a gung ho football spectator, but it's a huge part of my life. Or had been. It's a part of my family's genetic make-up just like the DNA strands in our blood. Every man in my family has played it--my father, my brother, my uncles. My cousin's husband makes his living as a coach in the NFL & has done so for over a decade. He also coached on the collegiate level. So I enjoy it as much as some, maybe not as much as most. And I feel bad that Joe Pa as he's affectionately referred to, was fired due to the vomit inducing actions of one very sick son of a bitch. That now his legacy is tainted and not really by something he did himself. But as I think about it again and listen to his statements of regret, I realize that his inaction was an action. That he chose to let sleeping dogs lie and continue to think about football and his players and everything else except for this child predator in his midst. How the hell could he sit across a coaching table from this man and talk about plays, attendance, boosters, players & players' eligibilities & all that other shit, and KNOW he was looking into the eyes of Satan himself. That the man before him enjoyed having sex with children. I keep coming back to that question HOW? because it just baffles the mind. Seriously, my mind is literally blown by this whole thing.
I'm sorry these grown ass men didn't make better choices. I'm sorry that the team is now covered in the same shit stains as their former assistant coach & athletic director, and that they have to pay the price. I'm sorry that they, as boys themselves in some respects, can't just play the game they love, but have to undergo this stress and turmoil of losing a beloved coach before their season comes to a close. I'm sorry that they can't have this time again. I'm sorry that football on the collegiate level (more so than on the professional level even) hasn't been a game for a long, long time, and that because of that everyone lost sight of good old fashioned human decency.
But most of all, most importantly--I'm sorry that Penn State University, its officials from the President on down, that the coaches, the interns, the Athletic Director, the Director of Finance, their attorneys, the board of trustees, Second Mile Youth foundation, the janitorial staff, all who either knew or should have known, let a predator rob these defenseless children--these little boys, of their innocence. That they allowed him to do it with impunity, without fear of discovery or punishment. And that their voices were silenced for far too long, and threaten to remain so amid this circus.
But mostly, I'm afraid that the firing of everyone involved will fail to keep this from happening again at Penn or anywhere else. That's the symptom. It's not the disease. When the welfare of the few (the college & it's lucrative football program) comes before that of the many (the innocent children) the result will always be the same. The only thing to change are the players, not the play.
Till next time, lovers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)