Every round of finals, I have to have the perfect TV show in the background. I can’t stand trying to study without sound! To find the perfect one, I need a show that I have seen before, so I won’t be too interested in watching it, but entertaining enough so I’ll be able to keep writing. This year that show ended up being Glee. I hadn’t seen it since it was on TV and honestly forgot about it a little bit (because how many teenage drama shows are there?). I remember watching it in high school and since I was in the drama department, I kind of fit the description so it was a show we all watched at talked about. I, of course, loved Sue Sylvester and her amazing one-liners, as well as the epic rivalry between her and Will Shuster. I also absolutely loved Brittany and all her comments because they were proof that it was able to live inside your own fantasy world and still function as a person (yeah I connect to this for some reason). Don’t get me wrong there were a lot of things (people) that annoyed the shit out of me about that show. Like Rachel and how she ordered everyone around, but then again that was just good writers doing their job of creating an annoying character. When I started watching again, though, I started to remember the reason why I really loved it in the first place, the very important subjects it brings up, and how we should still learn from them.

Let me just start with Will Shuster. Sure he’s a little dramatic sometimes and even though he keeps accusing Sue of being evil, he does quite a bit of evil towards her. Aside from that he is such a freakin' good example of how much an excellent teacher can motivate you. I swear I know a Will Shuster in real life and he saved me in high school. High school sucked for me (the same as it sucks for everyone else) and had I not had my teacher I wouldn’t have made it. Will Shuster is that teacher that will talk to you if you have a problem instead of accusing you of being a teenager with a bad attitude. Do they exist these bad attitudes? Oh for sure, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t just need someone to talk to. He’s the professor that you want to write in your yearbook (do you guys really do this? Or is this just a movie thing? No?) because you want to take it out in a few years and remember that teacher. Will Shuster is the teacher that will let you sleep on his couch if you have nowhere else to go, and not say anything about it. We need more teachers like this in high school. I get it, you’re younger than them, you think they have no clue what’s going on in the world, but at that age, it feels like everything is the end of the world and sometimes all they need is some help.

How they bring up being a gay teen is awesome. First of all Chris Colfer and how he plays the character Kurt Hummel is just mesmerizing. I love Kurt because he represents so many young guys and I think it’s important for everyone else to see that the way he is, is perfectly normal. Listen, I don’t care if you have a closed mind on this and feel that boys should be boys, and girls should be girls, but at least acknowledge that you can still be nice to people. I honestly think gender is fluid and how we feel is nothing we can change. Just because I look like a girl, and mostly dress as a girl, that doesn’t mean I feel very much like the definition of femininity. Honestly, I hate wearing dresses, I NEVER wear skirts, I can’t stand high heels, and I know nothing about makeup. My whole life people have been trying to put me in a box because I happen to wear Disney leggings, and I’m a little bit weird, and that apparently create a need to define me. What Kurt and I have in common is that we don’t give a single bee sting about what other people think about us. Kurt also represents a group of people who are continually being judged by the community, and while the naked eye may see him as another stereotype, he is a symbol of how we all get put in boxes and that’s not ok. We should be able to learn that all people are different, and that’s an awesome thing.

The heartbreaking stories also had a place in this show. Max Adler and his beautiful portrayal of Dave Karofsky, deserves so much praise. He represents those who have been taught to think that being gay is wrong, and that you should hate yourself and be ashamed for it. In the episode where he attempts to take his life, I feel helpless because the thought of anyone having to live in a world where loving someone is wrong, makes my heart break. I truly want to live in a world where no one would have to feel that way, that no parent would have to find their child trying to end their life. Life is cruel enough as it is, let's at least stop shaming each other for how we are born.

Let me tell you all the ways I love Becky Jackson. First of all, having a person with Down Syndrome being a part of the somewhat regular cast of a huge TV show is absolutely wonderful. There are so many misconceptions about Down Syndrome, and people with disabilities in general, and shows like this will help in breaking down some of those misunderstandings. Becky represents a group of people who have to deal with challenges that most of us don’t even think about. On top of that, people with disabilities that alter their appearance in a specific way, are subject to endless bullying simply because they look “different.” Honestly, the story between Sue and Becky (and Sue’s sister) touched me more than anything. Sue might be very difficult, but she is the type of person that will connect with those who need it the most and feel different from society.

Watching a show with Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and African Americans in the lead is just delicious. Yes, that’s what I said. Now, this show is far away from complete equality, because honestly, we need more shows featuring more females of color and white women being the minority, but Glee is a start, and something we should learn from. Since Glee went off the air there have been several new shows featuring more people of color, and this is the direction we need to keep going in. TV and movies are so popular and how are we ever going to be equal, if the things we watch aren’t even equal? How are young girls supposed to learn that all colors are beautiful if all they see on TV are white people?

While Glee still has some lessons to learn when it comes to diversity. After all of their cast are mostly white Americans, and the subject of religion could have been broader. However, over the past year, we have learned that discrimination based on racism, sexism, religious misconceptions, and whom you love, happen every day. We need to learn from this and make more shows that represent us all, not just one group.