Naturally...
Feb. 18th, 2004 08:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brinshannara... as soon as I sit down to type out my Social Deviance notes from earlier in the semester (as a means of studying), I am reminded of some thoughts I had this morning (in class) regarding The L Word.
So Dana on The L Word is this gay, closeted tennis player. She's awkward about her sexuality because she's never really been open about it. Today, in class, I learned exactly how this character (who has been called "so, so gay" twice in five episodes) is completely out of the loop when it comes to gay stuff.
First, she has no gaydar. None whatsoever. Granted, my own lesbian-based gaydar sucks, but even I know a lot of the stereotypes, often looking at myself for the template of a gay woman, much like Alice and Shane told Dana to do in episode two. "Would you wear flared jeans and high heels?" they ask. "... yes?" she answers. Shane and Alice are like, "uh, no."
Second of all, Dana is also unaware of terminology. She didn't even know the word for gaydar. Not that I know where it came from (unlike "lesbidar", hee), but I know the terms. I know a fair amount of the language that gay people tend to use. I don't know all of it, because I'm not active in the gay community, but I know enough to feel comfortable, you know? Dana does not.
While sitting in Social Deviance today, I realized that although Dana is gay, she does not belong to the gay subculture. From my notes:
"Subcultures are cultures where people share lifestyles as a part of the larger culture, without being in conflict with the larger culture."
Members of subcultures communicate with each other through language and gestures, which are collectively called argot.
Dana has neither the language nor the gestures of the gay subculture argot. This is why she is so seemingly lost and awkward. Despite her gay friends and her own sexuality, she has somehow managed to entirely elude becoming a part of the subculture, no doubt due to being closeted and her discomfort with being publicly gay.
I gotta say, it's difficult to be entirely out, at least for me, but I can't imagine being so disconnected from a subculture consisting of people who have this big thing in common with me. I mean, what lesbian doesn't understand the connotation of the words "toaster oven"? I can't fathom being so thoroughly out of the loop.
Still, this is television, and some things have to be exaggerated, so I still see Dana (who also has the athlete/tennis subculture to be a part of) as a very believable character. Part of what scares me, though, is the idea that this is what I might have been like if I hadn't discovered the Internet and met other GLBT people. They play it for comic relief on the show, but imagine feeling that alone, that scared, that isolated. I remember feeling that way, and sometimes I still do, but at least I absolutely know for a fact I'm not alone. Hopefully we'll see Dana grow more over the course of the show, and see her learning more about the queer subculture, and therefore herself.
This all went through my head before nine in the morning. Aren't you proud? I know you are.
So Dana on The L Word is this gay, closeted tennis player. She's awkward about her sexuality because she's never really been open about it. Today, in class, I learned exactly how this character (who has been called "so, so gay" twice in five episodes) is completely out of the loop when it comes to gay stuff.
First, she has no gaydar. None whatsoever. Granted, my own lesbian-based gaydar sucks, but even I know a lot of the stereotypes, often looking at myself for the template of a gay woman, much like Alice and Shane told Dana to do in episode two. "Would you wear flared jeans and high heels?" they ask. "... yes?" she answers. Shane and Alice are like, "uh, no."
Second of all, Dana is also unaware of terminology. She didn't even know the word for gaydar. Not that I know where it came from (unlike "lesbidar", hee), but I know the terms. I know a fair amount of the language that gay people tend to use. I don't know all of it, because I'm not active in the gay community, but I know enough to feel comfortable, you know? Dana does not.
While sitting in Social Deviance today, I realized that although Dana is gay, she does not belong to the gay subculture. From my notes:
"Subcultures are cultures where people share lifestyles as a part of the larger culture, without being in conflict with the larger culture."
Members of subcultures communicate with each other through language and gestures, which are collectively called argot.
Dana has neither the language nor the gestures of the gay subculture argot. This is why she is so seemingly lost and awkward. Despite her gay friends and her own sexuality, she has somehow managed to entirely elude becoming a part of the subculture, no doubt due to being closeted and her discomfort with being publicly gay.
I gotta say, it's difficult to be entirely out, at least for me, but I can't imagine being so disconnected from a subculture consisting of people who have this big thing in common with me. I mean, what lesbian doesn't understand the connotation of the words "toaster oven"? I can't fathom being so thoroughly out of the loop.
Still, this is television, and some things have to be exaggerated, so I still see Dana (who also has the athlete/tennis subculture to be a part of) as a very believable character. Part of what scares me, though, is the idea that this is what I might have been like if I hadn't discovered the Internet and met other GLBT people. They play it for comic relief on the show, but imagine feeling that alone, that scared, that isolated. I remember feeling that way, and sometimes I still do, but at least I absolutely know for a fact I'm not alone. Hopefully we'll see Dana grow more over the course of the show, and see her learning more about the queer subculture, and therefore herself.
This all went through my head before nine in the morning. Aren't you proud? I know you are.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
im proud!
Date: 2004-02-19 03:23 pm (UTC)You are right, watching Dana is painfull and funny at some points. How can she be so innocent to her surroundings when she's one of the stereotypical gay types? Blame it on Showtime? But, to be honest, we cant. They are a lot of people out there who still dont know what a gaydar is, nor Lesbionic, nor toaster oven or the reference to K.d.Land or Melissa Etheridge has anything to do in a conversation about everything else that isnt music. Sometimes, in my opinion, been apart from the subculture protects you from getting hurt. Some gay woman feel that, if they are associated to that comunity, they are going to suffer the hardships that comes with it. They like woman, there's nothing wrong with that, but been gay? can be a scary step. Woman like Dana, are really not hard to find. I have known my share and im always asking them "Are you sure...you are gay??" when i mention something that anyone would get.
As far as the argot, is mostly do to television in general. I didnt know about the Toaster Oven till Ellens coming out Episode. Lesbionic? By K.D.Lang you are gay? All that from Will and Grace. Do i use them? oh yea! they are funny, if used correctly. Whats funny is...most of this words and the usage are born from the streets, from the gay comunity, then are picked up for a show and then back to the gay comunity and some straight ones that think are funny.
Are they playing the dumb role on Dana so strongly that can get anoying really quick? I think so. Even though she's the lighter character...how can you be so naive at her age? unless she was a new Lesbian, which she isnt, I just dont see it happening. You tell me that Jenny dosnt know about gaydar and stuff, I would totally buy it! but Dana?
She needs to get her facts "Gay" pretty soon.