Let's Talk Glee

Although Glee is one of the biggest shows on TV, I find a number of major problems with the series...especially within the realm of dealing with people with disabilities.  But before we delve right into the hot topics, I do want to applaud this show for 2 significant reasons: 1. I believe that they do an excellent job presenting some of the challenges of being in an openly gay relationship in high school, as seen in the relationship between Kurt (played by Chris Colfer) and Blane (played by Darren Criss) and 2. how they expose the truth about the severity of bullying in our schools.  However, the negative aspects absolutely outweigh the positives for me.  One thing that bothers me about this  show is that we don't  see any of the challenges that Arty (who is not even played by an actor with a disability, which in my personal opinion, makes the show less authentic)  has to overcome that goes along with being a student with a disability. Instead of demonstrating how Arty's disability effects his life in the same way they show Kurt's struggle with his sexual orientation, they simply put Arty in a corner of a  classroom or in the background of a musical number.    I don't think that this is a smart idea on the director's part because it teaches young viewers that it''s perfectly fine to let students with disabilities live on the corners of life, which clearly it's NOT ok on any level.   In addition, I don't think that Arty's imaginary visions of himself walking and the Christmas miracle of him actually walking is ethical.  This is because instead of having a show that helps people who have been in car crashes embrace their disability and who they are, "Glee" unfortunately promotes the idea that you can't have a full life if you don't have the ability to walk. In the same light, I was disgustingly disappointed in how they portrayed the aftermath of the star Cheerio cheerleader Quinn's car accident (although it did teach a good lesson about texting while driving.)  This is because instead of having Quinn go through each of the stages that a "normal" person would go through after enduring a tragedy like that, including denial, sadness, anger, and finally acceptance, they have her act perfectly fine and desperately eager to walk.  I believe that this was a terrible way for the show to approach the issue because it illustrates to the young fans that they have to walk in order to be happy instead of learning to deal with what life has dealt them.  However, the worst part about "Glee"to  me came during the prom episode of last season, when Quinn uses her wheelchair to try to gain pity votes for prom queen.  Television can either be a vehicle of inspiration and change, or sadly like in  "Glee," it can reinforce stereotypes (like the stereotype  that  people need to feel sorry for people with disabilities.)  That's why I deem "Glee"  the worst show.