Glee and POC Part 2:
Anthony Rashad: One of only five Black males at McKinley (at the time), he is revealed to be on the football team as the wide receiver and is a member of the black student union, nothing else is revealed about him, though since he was open to dating Mercedes it can be assumed he is a nice enough guy, who has no issues with people who belong to the glee club. He never appears or is mentioned again.
Cameo: A student at Holly Holiday’s previous place of employment, she is shown to be a volatile, violent and unpleasant woman, with a short and explosive temper, she revealed herself to be a devoted religious believer of the Christian faith, to the point where she physically assaulted Holly for seemingly promoting magic and Devil worship, which she found to be incredibly offensive. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Azimio Adams: A football player and bully at McKinley, he revealed that his father abandoned him and had no part in raising him, though he of course has the clichéd desire to make his good for nothing father proud, he’s often relegated to simply comic relief, often acting in an over the top manner for laughs, though he verbally bullies, harasses over the internet and gets physically aggressive at many times, he has proven to not be completely callous, such as when he revealed that it’s against his moral code to cause harm to those who are handicapped. He is a recurring character, though since his best friend Dave Karofsky transferred schools at the beginning of season three he’s been shoved firmly into the background, only making appearances in reaction shots every once in a while.
Principle Figgins: The Principle a McKinley High School, he’s often shown to be completely incompetent at his job, uncaring as to whether teachers are actually qualified for their positions, if his students are being bullied, the state of the school in general or his students welfare or safety, he’s only ever been seen to take action in his role as Principle when forced to. He’s a devout religious man, who has extended offers of help to Will whenever he feels that Will could use some support, like speaking with his pastor about how best he could help Will’s love and sex addiction, he seems to enjoy music and the glee club very much, often attending their performances at and outside of the school and dancing to the music in his seat. Overall he’s usually only used for exposition and comic relief, he’s presented as simply being uninterested in his job and harmless.
Santana Lopez: A Latin woman who lives on the wrong side of the tracks, who has been shown to steal, manipulate, lie, as well as being incredible aggressive with an explosive temper, to the point of threatening those around her, verbally bullying her friends and enemies alike, and attempting and often succeeding in physically attacking others. She’s often been shown to be completely uncaring for anyone other than herself or her girlfriend Brittany, she is a bitch, she is unpleasant, but at the same time she has occasionally been shown to have a softer side, to be more caring and friendly to those around her, and she has (especially recently) made more of an effort to be a better person and friend, even standing up for and defending her friends from others. Santana is one of Glee’s more complicated characters, she is compelling but sometimes very difficult to like, her actions and words are incredible cruel and hurtful and yet more often than not they’re simply played for laughs, likewise the show often has trouble portraying her as both a Tough Broad and a caring, charming woman.
LeRoy Berry: Is one of Rachel Berry’s fathers, he is gay and has proven himself to be a very calm, intelligent and level headed man, who is incredibly supportive and loving towards his partner, as well as being supportive and proud of his daughter. Overall he’s a seemingly wonderful and pleasant man. He’s a recurring character, who has largely been developed and focused on very recently.
Shelia: She is part of a gang (the Skanks), she revealed she once ate cat excrement, she was in foster care and has stabbed people in the past, an average day for her seems to be spending all day sitting underneath the school bleachers and smoking, harassing and threatening students for money and generally being a good for nothing. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Shane Tinsley: A football player at McKinley, and Mercedes former boyfriend. He’s been shown to be a very nice guy, and a loving and supportive boyfriend towards Mercedes, however he has spouted fairly clichéd lines since he was introduced, like expressing his desire to have coca babies with Mercedes. He was a recurring character, however now that he and Mercedes are over as a couple he’ll probably not appear or be mentioned much anymore.
Roz Washington: The synchronised swimming coach at William McKinley High School, it was revealed she was an Olympian and won the Bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for Individual Synchronized Swimming. She has been shown to be a somewhat strict woman, though with a soft side, and someone who should not be crossed, a woman who is prone to going off on somewhat rambling and nonsensical rants about various subjects at any given time. She is a recurring character and written in a fairly stereotypical fashion, the kind of stereotypical black woman 30 Rock spoofed in Let’s Stay Together.
Once again the POC on Glee seem to constantly get the short end of the stick when it comes to characterization and development, the majority are presented as being unpleasant and stereotypical, while the better written characters of colour aren’t much better off. And once clear pattern which disgustingly emerges is the fact that of course the women of colour are written purposely worse than their male equivalents, because while the men of colour might be just as bad or worse, they’re still written as being good deep down, and redeemable, while the women are merely demonised, with a few scraps of caring and decency thrown their way only occasionally.
I’d add:
Santana Lopez: Has been depicted as both promiscuous and as willing to use her sexuality as a tool to manipulate men to her will.
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In the episode Hairography, one of the competing schools is the Jane Addams Academy, a school for female Juvenile Delinquents. Many of the choir’s members are WOC. In fact, it’s the largest grouping of WOC I know of in Glee’s history. The principal of the school is Grace Hitchens (played by Eve). Grace is initially depicted as being caring & concerned for the education, moral fiber, & general well-being of her students. However, at Sectionals, we discover that the Jane Addams Academy & The Haberbrook School for the Deaf have both accepted copies of New Directions’ set list & have chosen to perform songs from it, in a ploy to undermine their (ND’s) chances at winning.
Did I mention that the largest grouping of WOC we’ve seen in Glee was the choir for a school for juvenile delinquents?
*hangs head*
speechless
Glee and POC Part 1:
Matt Rutherford: A student at William McKinley High School, he’s shown to be a team player, a nice guy and a good friend to many of his fellow glee clubbers, though he rarely spoke or appeared in the spotlight. He was transferred schools at the beginning of season 2. He never appears or is mentioned again.
Mercedes Jones: A student at William McKinley High School, she’s been shown to be a confident woman, a team player, a great friend to her fellow glee clubbers, an ambitious woman though still conscious of other’s feelings, who’s willing to sacrifice her own glory and spotlight for the team, she’s level headed and helps her friends and even those who aren’t when they need it, she also helps to keep things civil, both within the New Directions and The Troubletones. She’s a main character on the show, though she’s rarely focused on, and when she is it’s either in a stereotypical or judgemental way.
Tracey Pendergrass: A reporter, who wished to expose Sue as a coward and a cheat, but is completely duped into thinking Sue is in fact a visionary, after seeing Mercedes perform an unplanned solo of Beautiful, in which people of various sizes, genders, etc. took part – He does not view any other performance or interview any of Sue’s colleagues/Cheerios, he merely accepts that clearly this one performance makes Sue a good person and a great coach, even though she had nothing to do with it. He never appears or is mentioned again.
Aphasia: A student at Jane Addams Academy, she is revealed to have been detained in juvie recently, and is a thief, both attempting to rob a bank and trying to pickpocket Will. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Giselle/Andrea Cohen: Two members of Vocal Adrenaline, Giselle has been shown to be unkind and cruel to her competition, stooping to any level to get to them. Andrea meanwhile was revealed to be the winner of the Outstanding Soloist of the Year award and that she suffers from Crohn’s disease, she was nice enough to warn the new Directions about hiring Dakota Stanley. Neither of these girls appear or are mentioned again.
Grace Hitchens: The show choir coach at Jane Addams Academy, a school for troubled youth (and a school which seems to be made up mostly of POC). She starts out as a good woman, who wants to win because of talent and hard work, rather than cheating, but in the end she ends up stealing part of the New Directions’ set list and cheating in an attempt to win, though she does ultimately attempt to make amends and redeem herself by trying to tell the judges the truth. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Sister Mary Constance: A judge at one Show Choir Regionals competition, now a nun she was revealed to be a former exotic dancer, only becoming one so that she could avoid going back to working on a pole. She doesn’t believe cheap pandering should be rewarded and while she enjoyed the duet between Kurt and Blaine she still felt the need to ask whether or not Dalton – “Is it a gay school or just a school that appears gay?”. She is a religious woman who is not actually religious, and apparently knowing whether someone or something is gay matters to her somewhat, she also uses the stereotypical phrase ‘Oh no you didn’t’. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Unnamed Angry Mother: An angry parent who rather than looking towards her own failings as a parent blames McKinley as a school for her son’s illiteracy, angrily yelling at Principle Figgins’ that the school should be focusing more on education, rather than wasting money on school plays. Her points are valid and her heart is generally in the right place, her actions however are not, they and she are very offensively stereotypical – She’s a large black woman with anger issues, who uses violence rather than talking things through, her son is illiterate and she blames the school entirely rather than taking some of the blame herself as a parent. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Donna Landries: Ohio’s Vice Comptroller, it’s revealed that she had been forced to attend a Show Choir Sectionals competition as a judge. She does not care for the competition or glee clubs in general, she is portrayed as being a very volatile and cynical, feeling that none of the glee clubs deserve to win, she is an unpleasant woman with very little patience. She never appears or is mentioned again.
Only one of these POC is a main character, only one other was a recurring character, the others in question had limited roles and screen time; most were portrayed as being unlikable people, and as little more than stereotypes.
You want to tell me Glee doesn’t have a problem when it comes to their treatment and portrayal of POC?
(via moonlite-suspenders)
