Issue 8 the Race to Change Perceptions Erin Mcquade Explores the Impact of One of TV's Most Recent and Popular Cult Hits
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Issue 8 The Race to Change Perceptions Erin McQuade explores the impact of one of TV's most recent and popular cult hits. Here’s the question; how can one the struggles of being an openly gay man gender and sexuality such as “gender- programme create such a colossal in the world we live in today. They tell a fluid”, “non-binary” and “genderqueer”. change in the way we perceive the variety of stories - from being bullied at a They’ve unlocked the cage that society LGBT+ community? young age, for being different, by their has forced gender and sexuality into, RuPaul Andre Charles took this peers to being physically attacked for allowing gender just to be a concept of responsibility upon his own two shoulders their sexuality or having their own the mind and non-defined to the world. and used his influence through families reject them after coming out. But how much has it helped? Out there in performance to fill everyone with the These queens tell their heart-wrenching the world, drag queens are still knowledge they needed. The airing of his stories without fear, knowing full well that discriminated against for expressing their show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” in 2009 it could change the life of any of the art and individuality. The popularity of the allowed drag queens to come forward millions of viewers. The contestants show and the introduction of new LGBT+ and show that drag was more than just a relate this back to them and realise how rights doesn’t mean that everyone in the man dressed as a woman. The their lives could have been different if world has changed their views on the contestants within the show present the they had heard such stories when they community as a whole. You can’t always agonising and lengthy process of were younger. open the minds of the ignorant. becoming a queen to the audience. The Race, sex and religion play a key and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been ever show is based upon “America's Next Top vital role within the making of the show. It growing in popularity, with it racking up Model,” where the queens compete in is a clear representation of the trying vieweing figures of 723,000 from just challenges and battle it out in order to times, that the LGBT+ community face. season 1 0 alone. As a result this means win the crown. We watch them create “RuPaul’s Drag Race” provides, what on the show doesn’t just reach its main new outfits out of what appears to be thin the surface appears to be a light hearted target audience of 1 8-49 year olds, but air, before padding and tucking to outlook on life, but on further viewing it instead reaches a whole new variety of completely transform into something reveals a much more insightful side to audience. Consequently, this has extraordinary. Then we expect them to the show. It fueled discussions about popularised highly expressive LGBT+ flip, act and lip-sync their way into the many political topics such as the pursuit community slang such as “the tee”, next round. Every year we watch the of marriage equality in the states. “reading” and “throwing shade”, all the quality of drag increase and the bar is “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has sparked the while gaining a deeper insight and raised to a brand new standard. confidence in many LGBT+ young people understanding of the LGBT+ community. However, over the course of ten seasons, to be themselves and to unapologetically Generally speaking the LGBT+ we’ve seen over one hundred queens live the life they want. The concept of the community has been more greatly step into the workroom. Each person show was taken to Thailand, giving accepted by society since the beginning shares their personal life and struggles Thailand’s best drag queens a chance to of the show almost 1 0 years ago. The throughout the show. This causes us to show their talents as well. In turn, this production of the programme still sparks see just how real these drag queens are, challenged damaging and degrading conversation and controversy between and just how hard their lives can be. ingrained perceptions of Ladyboy culture those unwilling to accept the new norm Every queen on the show falls into the for which the country had previously and be more open to new limitations bracket of the LGBT+ community - either been famous. associated to gender and sexuality. Now being gay, bisexual or even in some The show has introduced and educated all that’s left to say about people with cases, transgender. These queens reveal the world with new concepts about minds like that is, sashay away! thescope@ blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ @TheScopeLHS larebrthighschool.co.uk fa/thescope/ Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: The U.S and Their Dying Dream Bethany Duffell asks whether the long held American Dream is floundering in modern America. What dream can they believe in? This dream of having financial security is drifting further away from the everyday American, the debt has creeped up on them and is now hanging over them, stopping them from being secure. The idea of moving up in the world has faded. It has been found that since 1 979, all of the income gains have been captured by the top 1 % and wages have stagnated for everybody else. The people at top of the ‘food chain' keep their wealth and don’t give a damn about those struggling to even pay for food. How can anyone expect to move up in the country when there is no guarantee of economic stability? Equality is an ongoing issue. It means that everyone has the same worth. Nowadays, people don’t feel like they are as equal as they should be. America has powered through slavery, the civil right's movement, marriage equality, gay rights, women’s rights. To sum it all up - human rights. Yet, issues still exist with equality in America. In a land where there is an unsettling amount of growth in diversity and inequality, the Dream of being equal to your fellow American is becoming further out of reach. People are constantly protesting to achieve equality, but do they really expect this to happen by the snap of their fingers? Especially now that they’ve got the most homophobic, racist, sexist, disgusting President's America has ever seen. Over 50% of minorities in America feel pressured and unfairly treated. You can’t expect The American Dream. The set of ideals in which Gambling became increasingly popular, and many everywhere and everyone to be equal, but in the freedom includes the opportunity for success and people invested extra cash into the stock market. ‘country of success’ you’d expect them to be close. prosperity. This is supposed to allow you to be Anyone and everyone wanted to be high-class and The Dream of being equal has gained rights for some whoever you want. ‘Supposed to’ being the key were desperate to be at the top of the economic people, but that success is being shadowed by the phrase. Is this American Dream actually achievable? pyramid. The high that came with prosperity blinded fact that we’ve seemed to go backwards. What Is the modern-day America anywhere near the people from seeing the eventual negative effects. happened to moving forward in life? America this dream originated in? Everyone was focused on living in the moment rather We have just witnessed the most diverse candidates In 1 931 , James Truslow Adams - the founder of the than protecting themselves from economic downfall. being elected to congress that we have ever seen Dream - defined the American Dream as “the dream The Dream had changed. It was no longer about before. The 201 8 midterms just happened and we are of a land in which life should be better and richer and making your life better, consumerism was way more starting to see the Trump administration crumble. The fuller for every man, with opportunity for each important. republican stronghold is crumbling. The diverseness according to his ability or achievement”. Of course, After the Second World War, the Dream skyrocketed. of the new elected officials is the largest diverse this concept existed way before Adams claimed it as America was growing faster than ever, becoming a government the US has seen before. An LGBT his own. From John Winthrop, who gave his ‘City world superpower. Prosperity increased. Industrial candidate is the first openly gay governor America Upon The Hill’ speech to fellow colonists in 1 630, to advances and a booming economy brought modern have had, Texas have elected their first Latino the Declaration of Independence in 1 776 which conveniences to many families. The war brought women, younger woman have been elected to asserted that every American was entitled to ‘life, millions of women into work, allowing them to focus Congress, Massachusetts have elected their first liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ (conveniently on their own version of the Dream rather than their black congresswoman, two Muslim women have been ignoring the fact most of the men who signed it were husband’s. Even though there was a post-war elected to Congress and Native American women slave owners). But it wasn’t until the late 1 800s that economic growth there was still around 20% of have been elected. This is just a few examples of the the words “American Dream” started to appear in American families living in poverty in the 1 950s.