Contemporary America

http://www.fox.com/glee/

I have chosen the website for the TV show, Glee. It is a hugely popular show set in a high school and is about a group of outcasts who come together because of their love of singing and dancing. Its characters are all different, there is a Latino, an Asian, an African American, a Jew, a boy in a wheelchair, a gay boy, two cheerleaders and a pregnant teenager. They seem to have tried to identify as many minority groups as possible, all of them treated a bit differently and brought them all together to create the ‘melting pot’. There is also a lot of emphasis on the American Dream idea – that they can all achieve what they want if they pull together and work hard. I know its cheesy and completely over the top but it presents an image of contemporary America that we can all recognise from many other films and TV shows and one that hasn’t changed a great deal over the years. There are many of us who grew up influenced by the idea that American High School is so much better than our comprehensives!