(Throughout this piece, I will identify disability status where necessary to make the point that Glee does have genuinely disabled actors portraying disabled characters, all of whom are industry professionals.) Artie's isolation is social and physical, but these experiences are made manifest in his "disabled" body. Isolation is central to the realization of one of the disabled characters, Artie Abrams, by the non-disabled actor Kevin McHale. The themes of isolation and difference in Glee take on a sinister resonance when it comes to the portrayal of disability indeed, they are at the heart of the show's failure on disability issues. The characters' widespread appeal 1 is rooted in their ability to recreate two common high school experiences: the sense of being existentially alone and the deep discomfort with different embodiments. The first-season episode "Throwdown" attempts to deal with the "minority" emphasis of the Gleeks, but ultimately Fox cannot move away from tokenism. Both the negative resonances and occasional joys of such individuality drive the story lines of the series.
I choose my language carefully, because the meaning of "minoritized" here includes a singing prematurely ejaculating quarterback a pregnant cheerleader an African-American student a gay student and an Asian-American goth with a faked speech impairment.
Indeed, each Gleek (a term that applies to both the fans and the club members themselves) is a representative of a somehow minoritized species of student. Strikingly, the students are individually unique, and yet all serve as poster children for well-known high school types. Though within the school, the club itself also occupies loser status - particularly when compared to the football and cheerleading teams - the students in the choir successfully journey through qualifying competitions to regionals. Glee traces the lives and career development of the "losers" who show up to become part of their high school's show choir. I regret that the emphasis on community is lost in contemporary usage, because community and its absence are key to understanding disability on Fox's Glee and, in particular, the characterization of Artie. As a former Anglo-Saxonist, I am accustomed to seeing the Old English word gliw (from which we get modern English glee) used to represent the joy of being in community - both for the singing which took place in community, at a communal meal in a hall, and for the pleasurable sounds of being together. It has been a runaway success since its launch and costs £10.99.In the nineteenth century, the modern English word glee described a piece of music sung in unaccompanied parts. The Take-Anywhere Tap can also be used with a two- or four-way splitter for greater versatility and it will even accommodate a water timer in summer. The solid brass construction includes a push-fit outlet for easy hosepipe connection alongside a ¾ inch threaded outlet, so it works perfectly with multi-way manifolds. With the Take-Anywhere Tap, you can have easily accessible water whenever and wherever you want it. Equally it can be used by a builder for mixing cement. Great if you have a summer house halfway down the garden or if you just simply want to fill up the kettle for that much needed cuppa!Īlternatively, it is great for use in stables and alleviates having to lug heavy water buckets to and from the main water source. It can be simply screwed onto a post, wall or any other out-building located around your property, then simply attach the hose from your mains supply back at the house, and ‘voila’ you instantly have a tap that can be used for a whole host of jobs.
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