Because I feel it has to be said

[mag_pie]

I think the writers could do more to show why the "bitches" are the way that they are - I mean, I have no excuse for Terri and her sister, but I'm going to have faith in and show compassion for our high school ladies.

Bear with me while I delve a bit deeper into the real issues.

Rachel has never had friends, and she was hoping to have Glee help her out developmentally. She doesn't know how to deal with rejection in the one area she's always been encouraged in, and while everyone else is learning to be confident in performance, she isn't getting any benefit out of the club - people still throw drinks into her face, etc. If someone can take the time to get to know her and not, you know, kiss her and then the next day insult her, that might go a long way. Yes, she is flawed. Yes, she was acting like a diva. But someone needs to reach out to her and teach her how to both be herself and give her a chance to be liked and have friends. High school is really hard without that.

Quinn is a girl in high school who became pregnant because Puck got her drunk and had sex with her - he raped her (she was drunk = no consent, and she obviously didn't want it to happen in the first place), and she clearly hasn't had anyone to talk to about this since it happened. She likely feels violated, ashamed, and scared as hell, especially considering the moral values to which she ascribes. And she has to go to school and see the guy who did this to her every day. I don't blame her for not knowing how to talk to someone about this, and I don't blame her for not wanting Puck to be around. It sucks that she's pulling Finn into the mess, but she's a scared teenager who doesn't know what to do. Someone needs to really help her, and I'm kind of appalled that Will hasn't tried to go to at least Emma or SOMEONE who can give her the help and resources she needs.

So, honestly? Don't give up on these girls. It's easy to write them off as "bitches," but that's how problems don't get solved. Hopefully the writers realize that.

PS I really loved this episode, and Kurt and his dad made me so freaking happy. And Tina's singing was gorgeous :)

Comments

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

Quinn didn't get raped, she did it because she was drunk and felt fat and needed validation. While she always planned on waiting til marriage, it was a spur of the moment bad decision.

I never got a ~rape vibe, and if anything I think the show is going the Gossip Girl route with this storyline. I would hope that if Quinn was raped, the show would show her a bit more damaged... Or mention it.

[secondmezzanine.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... not sure I agree. While I don't think that drunk automatically = rape, I do think that it is very, VERY questionable, and a rape charge would probably be taken seriously. Yes, she did make a bad decision... but he aided that situation with the alcohol and took advantage of it.

Quinn was raped, the show would show her a bit more damaged... Or mention it.
But she's a teenage girl, panicking in her situation. I'm sure she thinks that she has no one but herself to blame... and we don't really know everything she's feeling.

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

I still don't think she got raped. I just don't believe they're going down that road, stylistically and from Puck/Quinn's convo I just didn't get that vibe.

Honestly, I think they're forming a love triangle/quadrangle here with Puck/Quinn being endgame. Making Puck a rapist would kill that plot idea.

I'm like 99% positive it was a drunken mistake.

And honestly, the she was drunk and he took advantage of it was used by many anti-BRotp supporters on IMDB, when they initially hooked up, and I wouldn't call THAT rape. Plus, I don't think Puck was shoving the alcohol down her throat. They never even claimed he provided it, IIRC.

[secondmezzanine.livejournal.com]

Ooooohhhhh no, I DON'T think that they are exploring any kind of rape storyline with Quinn and Puck. I completely agree that they're going for the love triangle type storyline and there's nothing that malicious intended.

I'm just saying that when the situation involves an underaged girl, alcohol, and sex that she wasn't ready for, it's a situation that can be construed as rape.

And she did say "you got me drunk on wine coolers," if I recall correctly.

RE: HIMYM... Robin wasn't drunk, was she? Drinking, yes... but is there any proof she was drunk? I think that's a way different situation even if so. Robin's not a 16 or 17 year old girl, for one thing. And it's a comedy, not a dramedy like Glee, which I guess to me makes a big difference too.

Overall, yeah, I agree. I don't think that's the angle they're going for on Glee. But I do think that when alcohol's involved, the lines of consent are blurred.

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

If we were taking this to court, I'm sure there'd be a good argument to be had. But in this context, I don't think that's where it's going.

And Robin was vulnerable and definitely buzzed. I just remember a huge board war with people calling it rape. And age shouldn't be a factor with Puck/Quinn because they are both under the age of consent. (Law for Dummies FTW)

[secondmezzanine.livejournal.com]

And age shouldn't be a factor with Puck/Quinn because they are both under the age of consent. (Law for Dummies FTW)
I didn't mean that legally, he shouldn't have sex with her because of her age-- I meant that she's young, not very mature, not ready for sex, and doesn't know how to deal with the consequences of her actions.

I agree that Robin was vulnerable and probably buzzed. That said... we don't know who instigated the kissing or the sex between her and Barney. And the same can be said for Quinn and Puck... so who knows!

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

I'm going to give Puck some slack in the area of knowing whether Quinn was ready or not because he's like 17 and hormonal. I highly doubt half the guys I'd know would take that into consideration if given the opprotunity to have sex.

Sad and horrible, but true.

And I'd love Quinn/Puck recap to see exactly how it went down.

[lilybean621.livejournal.com]

(sorry to jump in) I agree that I think it was mostly drunken pity-driven mistake. Though Puck def helped the situation progress.

hmmmm. Maybe we'll get more details?

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

I hope we do get more details! And thanks for jumping in... I felt kind of like a monster for thinking it wasn't rape. (Good to see I'm not alone!)

[lilybean621.livejournal.com]

hahaha. No prob. You're not a monster.
I agree with the post in the sense that it's an issue to which we should be attentive. Rape is serious business.
However, with the information that we've been given, I don't think we can really definitively say that it was rape. And I'm not sure that the show will really delve into the topic. We can only wait and see.
:/

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

P.S.

ONTD comment thread regarding the issue. It's pretty interesting... Arguments for both sides.

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/39464455.html?thread=5934255623

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

Definitely a rough topic, especially when we'll never know what really happened. Thanks for sharing! &hearts

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

No problem. I do hope we learn what happened, because otherwise a whole lot of character damage could go down. For both Quinn and Puck (and maybe even Finn).

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

You can't consent when you're drunk, and that's the bottom line when we deal with sexual assault survivors. Rape = no consent. The writers may gloss over it, because that's the way our society unfortunately sees situations like this, but she would never have done it if she had her mental faculties.

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

But if Puck was drunk too (which I'm guessing he was), there's a greater argument about whether it was rape or whose fault it was. Plus who said Puck initiated it? Quinn could've, the show only made it clear that Puck brought the alcohol, not that he suggested sex. I KNOW, I LEARNED THIS IN HEALTH CLASS.

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

We're not going to know what exactly happened because I know the show isn't going to go that route. What I saw was that she was sullen, she didn't want to be around the guy, and she clearly would never have done it without the alcohol. Beyond that, it's already known that there is serious lack of education about sex, and it is very likely these teenagers know nothing about date rape. Whether or not Quinn initiated it, this experience is clearly something that is causing her problems, and she needs a support system. But like I said, we're not going to see that, because this show is going to throw around drunken teenage hookups and pregnancies around willy nilly and not care about the rhyme or reason - it's not a drama, I don't expect them to deal with the consequences.

[hellolamppost17.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying that the sex wasn't a damaging experience for Quinn, it definitely was, especially now that she has to live with a reminder of it (her pregancy). But at the same time, I'm unwilling to classify it as rape until I get more details of what happened. There's a lot of blanks to be filled in with this story...