For ages our country has faced many difficulties in accepting the differences of others. From the segregation of blacks and whites to the equality of men and women our country has taken steps to making a level playing field for everyone. But one issue that still has not been conquered is the equality of homosexuals within our culture. Only recently have homosexuals been brought into television shows in a more accepting light. The television shows "Modern Family" and "Ellen" are examples of shows accepting equality for homosexuals.
The treatment of homosexuals in the past couple decades has been almost as bad as or equal to the treatment of African-Americans during segregation. Homosexuals have been denied rights, beaten, murdered, and in general have been separated from society from some time. You could hardly ever find a homosexual within the media world unless it was for something negative. If there was a homosexual character in a television show or a movie they were shown as the outcast, a freak. This caused many lesbians and gays to keep their sexual orientation a secret. Humans strive for acceptance among groups; we need social interaction to survive. So when being seen as an outcast because of who you are is the likely outcome many homosexuals couldn’t accept themselves when they knew the rest of the world won't.
As our world started to accept the idea of gays and lesbians within our culture we began to see more and more homosexuals integrated into the media world. Some of the first shows on TV to have homosexual characters were soap operas such as “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital”. Today TV shows are taking leaps and bounds out of the box to move the world forward in the acceptance of homosexuals. The television show "Modern Family" includes a gay couple raising a baby in their cast. The actors that play the two gay characters make a point saying that the show took a big step but is not focused on the fact they are homosexuals, it's that they are first time parents raising a family. This is an important point that needs to be accepted more in our society. Except for personal preferences homosexuals are the same as heterosexuals; they are human beings with rights.
Another show that has been widely accepted is Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show “Ellen”. The show is exciting and free spirited and is one I have personally watched and enjoyed. The talk show is not about homosexuals but Ellen DeGeneres is a known lesbian within society. She is greatly accepted within society and although I’m sure people are not okay with her, many people are. Her show averages around five million viewers per episode.
Although we are not there yet I believe our world will one day be more accepting of homosexuals. It’s going to take a lot for some people to accept the integration of homosexuals into our culture. Some people whose beliefs are modeled after their religion may never accept it. But I hope that they will be able to learn to coexist. If everyone can learn to coexist with the differences of other people then hate crimes and segregation wouldn’t be as prominent in our world, which I think would be a very nice change.
The following article analyzes the two new TV shows “Modern Family” and “Parenthood”. They talk about the differences in the “sitcom family” which used to be the perfect family where the mother stayed home and cooked and cleaned. These two new shows show families more realistic to current family dynamics; people can relate to them more.
Representation of Difference
For ages our country has faced many difficulties in accepting the differences of others. From the segregation of blacks and whites to the equality of men and women our country has taken steps to making a level playing field for everyone. But one issue that still has not been conquered is the equality of homosexuals within our culture. Only recently have homosexuals been brought into television shows in a more accepting light. The television shows "Modern Family" and "Ellen" are examples of shows accepting equality for homosexuals.
The treatment of homosexuals in the past couple decades has been almost as bad as or equal to the treatment of African-Americans during segregation. Homosexuals have been denied rights, beaten, murdered, and in general have been separated from society from some time.
As our world started to accept the idea of gays and lesbians within our culture we began to see more and more homosexuals integrated into the media world. Some of the first shows on TV to have homosexual characters were soap operas such as “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital”. Today TV shows are taking leaps and bounds out of the box to move the world forward in the acceptance of homosexuals. The television show "Modern Family" includes a gay couple raising a baby in their cast. The actors that play the two gay characters make a point saying that the show took a big step but is not focused on the fact they are homosexuals, it's that they are first time parents raising a family. This is an important point that needs to be accepted more in our society. Except for personal preferences homosexuals are the same as heterosexuals; they are human beings with rights.
Another show that has been widely accepted is Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show “Ellen”. The show is exciting and free spirited and is one I have personally watched and enjoyed. The talk show is not about homosexuals but Ellen DeGeneres is a known lesbian within society. She is greatly accepted within society and although I’m sure people are not okay with her, many people are. Her show averages around five million viewers per episode.
Although we are not there yet I believe our world will one day be more accepting of homosexuals. It’s going to take a lot for some people to accept the integration of homosexuals into our culture. Some people whose beliefs are modeled after their religion may never accept it. But I hope that they will be able to learn to coexist. If everyone can learn to coexist with the differences of other people then hate crimes and segregation wouldn’t be as prominent in our world, which I think would be a very nice change.
The following article analyzes the two new TV shows “Modern Family” and “Parenthood”. They talk about the differences in the “sitcom family” which used to be the perfect family where the mother stayed home and cooked and cleaned. These two new shows show families more realistic to current family dynamics; people can relate to them more.
Modern Family Article
Home