What is the scandal regarding the TV show Glee's last episode?

I have no idea either, but my wife just mentioned the same thing. Now I want to know.

The parents of the murdered kids of the Sandy Hook shooting are sore about it because someone dared show a school shooting on an episode. There comes a time when the mileage about this needs to stop. Theres going to be someone who will tell them to stop trying to boss everyone around because they don’t like something. It won’t be a popular thing to convey to them but it will eventually need to be done.

Here you go. @woodcutter, I like your bluntness and honesty. Whether I agree with you or not, it is refreshing to see someone who can say things without beating around the bush and filling it full of ego or propaganda.

I hadn’t heard about it until now.
But this is what I’m wondering:
They weren’t glorifying any horrific acts.
They presented a realistic situation, in which no one was actually in danger.
Guns were not glorified or condoned.
So why shouldn’t a popular, sometimes controversial show that challenges us to think about how we view the world bring up the subject of guns and gun violence?
The way I understand it, those who disapprove of this episode are doing so because they think guns shouldn’t be represented in any way, shape, or form on public television.
This is what comes to mind:
Liberals want tight regulation on guns – maybe even completely remove them from existence. OK, so how would they go about convincing the public that this is a good idea?
Would they sweep under the rug every mention of the word “gun”, every picture there is of guns, and every symbol for guns or the culture around them?
Or would they show people the bad effects of these things and not let us forget about the bad that can happen with guns?
Which would result in the people actually wanting tighter regulation? Which would result in the people forgetting that such a thing exists and not believing they’re a problem? Which course of action would a TV show with liberal leanings take?

OK, sorry if I got a bit off-topic here… Hope you don’t mind. But I hope I showed how ridiculous this discussion seems to me! Oh, and a side note: The horrific crime that no one can get out of their minds around here right now, which did not involve guns.

EDIT: I just realized this is in General… Maybe I got a bit too “social”.

Let me get this straight. A bunch of people are up in arms about a school-realted show addressing school-related issues, but they let it go when the show ripped off an artist? Okay…

The group who warned against watching the episode was the Newtown Action Alliance. Their statement was:

“According to someone who blogs for an Internet site that is a TV spoiler site, the TV show, “Glee” that airs tonight on Fox is going to depict a school shooting from the vantage point of the students hiding in the dark. He said it is extremely harrowing and it even freaked him out and he’s not from here.

I would suggest if you do watch this TV show to either not watch it tonight or watch with caution.”

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting people who might be traumatized by the actual shooting that there would be a “harrowing” tv episode about a shooting, and that they should judge for themselves whether they want to watch. I think they should have addressed the warning in that way, instead of essentially telling everyone not to watch. That was inappropriate.

There was a similar situation many years ago with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which they had scheduled an episode about a school shooting (Earshot) to air a few days after the Columbine shooting took place. The episode had been written, shot, and scheduled long before the actual shooting took place, but show creator Joss Whedon had it pulled because of the timing. It was ironic, because of course the theme of the show was positive, and it addressed the emotions of teens who might want to commit this kind of act – the point being that it could help someone decide not to do that. But he didn’t want to further traumatize those who were affected by the real shooting, and he didn’t want to be seen as capitalizing on the shooting. So it aired only many months later. In that context, I ask myself whether the Glee episode was planned before or after the shooting, and whether it aired too soon. I don’t particularly think that it aired too soon.

But are they not just expressing themselves just like the show expressed itself? Where is the problem?

@flo The problem is that their response is stupid. Like @glacial said, it would have been more appropriate to warn about possible triggers instead of getting falsely outraged about a high school show talking about something that happens in high schools.

@Patton
So, the following paragraph (@glacial‘s quote from Newton Action Alliance)
says don’t watch it?
“According to someone who blogs for an Internet site that is a TV spoiler site, the TV show, “Glee” that airs tonight on Fox is going to depict a school shooting from the vantage point of the students hiding in the dark. He said it is extremely harrowing and it even freaked him out and he’s not from here.”
I read the alliance reporting how it made the blogger feel. So, I see it as a warning. It is completely subjective whether or not it essentially says don’t watch it. Take the people directly involved in making the episode for example, definitely, they would sincerely think it essentially says don’t watch it. The truth is not with the ones with a vested interest in the show.
And the parents of the children who died in that incedent on the other hand would see it differently.

@flo It’s the part after that which I read as a warning not to watch the episode:

“I would suggest if you do watch this TV show to either not watch it tonight or watch with caution.”

Although, in fairness, it could be read as “record it and watch it when you’re ready” or “watch with caution if you think you’re up for it.” I think they should have worded it more carefully, to avoid this kind of confusion.

@glacial The ones with the vested interest in the show for example, would pretend to be confused. No matter how carefully it is written, they woud still make noise.

“...I would suggest…”
”if you do watch…”
”...either not watch it tonight…”
”...watch with caution….”
”How much more carefully worded can it get? It is giving options in fact.