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Glee

At the beginning of the chapter, we talked about the hit musical comedy Glee, which depicts the complexity within and between co-cultures with a satirical take on high school life. Let’s revisit Glee, and see how the show relates to and reflects some of the concepts described in this chapter.

  • Glee reflects culture in the United States in terms of the diversity of the cast as well as in the overarching themes. The members of the McKinley glee club are underdogs not only at their school but also among the other show choirs with whom they compete. As part of an individualist, low power distance, and masculine culture, Americans tend to believe that with a level playing field and a lot of hard work anyone can be successful. Glee taps into this sentiment, following a long tradition of underdog stories.
  • Glee also explores the ways in which cultural differences can threaten, but not necessarily damage, relationships. Kurt and Mercedes may be best friends, but their different views about faith pose challenges that threaten their friendship: Mercedes is a devout Christian, while Kurt, a young gay man, has an extremely negative reaction to religion. Through exploration and discussion, the two learn to respect each other’s views, even though they do not agree.
  • Think about social identity. The first impression most people get of Puck is that he is a jock, but he also identifies closely with his Jewish heritage. Artie, who uses a wheelchair, is often seen as “different,” but when popular cheerleader Brittany finds him attractive, others come to view him as a “normal” teen. In addition, members of the football team (ingroup) and cheerleading squad (ingroup) who also participate in glee club (outgroup) try to balance expectations of themselves.