In a recent episode of Disney Channel’s hit show, Good Luck Charlie, Amy and Bob Duncan set up a playdate for their daughter Charlie. When Charlie’s friend Taylor arrives for the playdate, the Duncans discover that she has two mothers. Bonnie Faller quotes the introduction of these two characters in an article from Hollywood Life, “‘Taylor has two moms!’ proclaimed Bob (Eric Allan Kramer), upon meeting the two women, to which sassy wife Amy (Leigh Allyn Baker) responded, ‘Wow! Nothing gets past you, Bob.’”
Disney makes history with the introduction of the first openly gay couple on a kid friendly network. Disney describes how they developed the storyline with help from child development experts and community advisers in hopes of reflecting themes of diversity and inclusiveness. The channel’s statement included that, “"Like all Disney Channel programming, it was developed to be relevant to kids and families around the world’”. Disney’s efforts reflect the diversity that resides within their audience.
Some conservative watch groups have expressed opposition to this introduction of a lesbian couple on the network. However, most fans are thrilled with the Disney’s bold move. Days after the episode aired, fans are still tweeting about it. Faller from Hollywood Life provides her readers with fan’s Twitter reactions to Disney’s breakthrough. Katelyn Nicole tweets, “I love how in the Good Luck, Charlie episode, it's not out of the norm at all for Taylor to have 2 moms. ♥” Ellie Laufer shared similar excitement, “wow! Disney introduced their first openly gay couple on Good Luck Charlie! That’s so awesome!” Fans applaud how this decision brought more diversity to the Disney Channel. The media's willingness to provide it’s audience with a better representation of todays world, and the resulting positive fan reactions depict the social progress of media today.
Mobile News. "Disney Channel Introduces First Gay Characters in Family Sitcom Good Luck Charlie."
NewsComAu. N.p., 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Tierneyhl, and Bonnie Faller. "Hollywood Life by Bonnie Fuller." Hollywood Life. N.p., 27 Jan. 2014.
Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Jackie,
ReplyDeleteYour post is well written and informative. I for one had no idea that the Disney Channel had done this. You do a good job in describing why Disney thought this was a necessary move to make. Gay marriage is very relevant in the world today and not exposing children to it seems unjust. It was good that you mentioned that there is conservative groups who oppose this. In our research paper, we will most likely be mentioning a view that goes against our thesis so it was beneficial that you added one in your post. If you decide to use this in your paper, I would go into more depth about the opposing view. I thought it was clever how you added people's Twitter reactions because it shows just how far media has progressed. One thing I wasn't sure about is your thesis. I think you allude to it in your last sentence so maybe make it a little bit clearer. Over all this is a strong, well written post and I think with a little tweaking, will work well in your research paper. By the way, I use to love watching Good Luck Charlie and think it is one of the few good Disney Channel shows left.
Jacqui,
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent post for a couple of reasons. First, your story is unique. I was unaware that Good Luck Charlie had recently made “…history with the introduction of the first openly gay couple on a kid friendly network”. I think the story is attention grabbing due to fact that the Disney channel is such a familiar network and no one would expect them to introduce this controversial topic. Secondly, you bolster your post by including specific tweets from individuals responding to the bold course of action taken by the Disney network. The inclusion of the tweets is a great addition to your post, and your future research paper as they pose as a clever way to exemplify the social progress in media. There is only one thing I would say about this post and that is I might suggest that you maybe explore/talk about your topic a little bit more. You might discuss how your story relates to/supports your argument a little more. However, overall this was a well-written, interesting post.
Aaaaahhh hi Katrina. Didn't see you there. This is awkward and i'm not quite sure what to do. I had no idea you posted a comment before me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback guys! I was compelled to respond due to the humor that is Caitlin's response to Katrina's post.
ReplyDeleteHi all. Jackie or Jacqui, the content of your post is great. I agree with Katrina and Caitlin that the tweets add a little contemporary relevance to your analysis. You might include some tweets in your research paper, but don't overdo it. You still need scholarly research to give yourself credibility. My only complaint about this post is that some of the formatting is sloppy - and therefore distracting. You might find a clearer way to integrate the quotes in your first paragraph. You might just use the actual quotes, instead of the "proclaimed Bob..." stuff. The parentheses only make it more confusing. Similarly, I'm not sure what's going on with all the quote marks in your second paragraph. Finally, why "the Disney" and it should probably be "fans'" not "fan's".
ReplyDelete