Domenick Scudera
Professor of Theater and Chair of the Theater and Dance department, Ursinus College
The Bill O'Reilly 'Experiment'
Posted: 04/24/2012 12:03 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/domenick-scudera/the-bill-oreilly-experiment_b_1445621.htmlLast week, on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly discussed his fear that Glee might encourage kids to experiment with "alternative lifestyles." He stressed that the "glamorous" nature of the program might seduce kids into trying homosexuality or becoming transgender. When asked if he thought homosexual or gender identity might be "contagious," he said "I don't know." He concluded that "a lot of these dopey kids are confused about who they are."
Is it true that a television program can influence a person's sexuality or gender? When I was a kid growing up, I loved The Love Boat. Did the rampant heterosexuality on that show influence me to "experiment" with heterosexuality? When Gopher chased Charo, did it make me want to go out and chase a girl? No. In fact, the hundreds and hundreds of episodes of "straight" shows that I watched (The Brady Bunch, Three's Company, reruns of I Love Lucy and Leave It To Beaver, and so on) did not push me into trying heterosexuality at all. Ricky loved Lucy. Marcia had a crush on Davy Jones. Still, I remained gay through and through.
