Glee returned last night with a new episode called "A Night of Neglect." It was an all-whining spectacular dedicated to—what else?—victimhood, a theme in which this series seems to marinate all too frequently. The problem is that self-identifying victims, just like the real complainers in your life, quickly cease to be compelling. In fact, they can become downright annoying! But not to the writers of Glee, who manage to find a different whiny character to nail to the cross every week.
And oh, how they resurrected their victims this time! Back was Gwyneth Paltrow as substitute teacher and Mr. Schue love-interest Holly Holiday. I think it's important to mention here that Paltrow's appearances on Glee (this marks her third) have given the actress an image-rehabilitating career boost, in much the same way American Idol has for Jennifer Lopez. Sure, we used to find them both icy and unrelateable—but just look how cute they are! Look how well they get along with young, photogenic singers! It's like we've fallen in love with them all over again. So why Paltrow would choose to squander her renewed reputation on a self-pitying speech about her internet haters is beyond me. Let's take a look at exactly what Gwyneth/Holly said, in the scene in which she told a group of hecklers how cowardly and ultimately destructive it is to say mean things online:
I get it. We live in a culture of insults. I mean, we're constantly bombarded with these images of people who are richer than us and happier than us, and have more interesting sex than us, and it makes us feel terrible. You know, we tear them down to feel better about ourselves, but we don't just stop with the people who are on TV and magazines, we do it to everyone, and we think because it's done anonymously there are no ramifications. But there are ramifications, guys, because it makes you comfortable with insensitivity.
Let's start with this notion of being bombarded with images of people "richer than us and happier than us, and [who] have more interesting sex than us." I assume she means herself? She's definitely richer. No doubt about that. The sex thing, who knows? Maybe she has a set of gymnastics rings installed above her bed. The happy thing, however, I'm a little skeptical about. Anyone who has to so aggressively sell themselves to the mass media as a natural-born country singer, when it's pretty obvious she is anything but a natural-born country singer, is probably harbouring some deep and unfillable voids, self-esteem-wise.
Next, this idea of "tearing them down to feel better about ourselves." Look, Gwyneth, I actually like you. I do. I'm not one of the haters. But I think I can speak for the haters when I say that I'm pretty certain they aren't tearing you down to feel better about themselves. They are tearing you down because you repeatedly keep asking to be torn down. Everything from your lifestyles website GOOP to your choice in baby names to your patronising remarks about European superiority to (yes, I'll mention it again) your completely unearned country music career just begs to be mocked relentlessly and mercilessly by the public. And trust me: This still would have happened in the days before the internet—you just wouldn't have been able to hear all the laughter. Consider it a convenience of the modern age.
Am I being too hard on Gwyneth? Did her speech move you at all? Do you agree with her contention that we live in "a culture of insults?" It's time for you to weigh in.
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