Why is homosexuality a joke in TV shows?

It's something I've noticed a lot and it always makes me wonder this

There are countless examples I can think of from shows I've seen (so there are probably more that I don't know) and why? It's like the idea of someone being gay is inherently funny and I don't know why? I doubt there are any shows which use heterosexuality in this way so why is it ok?

Have any of you noticed this and/or do you have thoughts?

Reply 1

gagaslilmonsteruk

Original post by Anonymous

Coronation Street - funnily enough Sean is gay in real life, yet Anthony Cotton seems ok with this stereotypical parody they ask him to portray. I personally can't stand him or his character for that reason. There should be more to his character than being LGBT.

EastEnders, on the contrary though - Syed's religious battle and the recent storyline between Tina and Tosh was handled really well I thought

Friends - I can see your point, the joke was made time and again about Carol dumping Ross for another woman over the 10 years

Doctor Who - We knew about Jack, but it was never really a core part of his story

i'm looking forward to the new trilogy of series on Channel 4 though - Tofu/Banana/Cucumba.

Reply 2

JimmyBignutz

as someone who's pretty much totally disavowed themselves from TV I can only guess, but probably because it's still something that's regarded as outside the norm. shock value in comedy, however little or trivial the shock may seem, can not be undervalued.
(coming at this from an analytic comedic perspective)

Reply 3

Jebedee

Because the archetype of a gay man is someone who is bubbly, funny, a bit zany but very likeable. That kind of character makes for great TV.

Hence you don't see many lesbians on TV....

Reply 4

username1221160

Original post by Jebedee

Hence you don't see many lesbians on TV....

We see far too much of Clare Balding.

Reply 5

John Allman

Original post by Anonymous

Homosexuality is a source of mirth, in the same way that it is a source of mirth if somebody with two identical pairs of posh shoes, accidentally packs the left shoe from both pairs, rather than a complimentary pair consisting of one left shoe and one right shoe, on their way to a posh do, and realises their mistake only as they are changing for the posh do, and is forced to put on the two left shoes, hoping that nobody will notice their mistake, and they won't do themselves an injury by the end of the evening, by having a second left shoe on their right foot.

The way the question is expressed, is in terms of "someone being gay". The assumption behind that deceptive wording is that there exists an innate and immutable biological characteristic of certain members of the human population called sexual orientation, which may be *homosexual*, rather like assuming that the person wearing two left shoes at the posh do must have the abnormality of having two left feet inside the two left shoes.

Some of us are old enough to remember that sexual orientation is a modern invention, a social construct rather than a biological reality. To us, the adjective "homosexual" therefore never describes an individual accurately. It only ever describes a behaviour that some people choose, sometimes. Some still feel that it is *perverse* choice, even in prison, serving a life sentence. They are "homophobic".

Homophobic people - who choose to be homophobic - are equal with non-homophobic people, who extinguish any homophobic inhibitions they discover in themselves, and who are therefore able to enjoy (so to speak) parading round wearing two left shoes.

Others chose to prefer to remain unshod, rather than to wear two left shoes. It is a matter of taste, and perhaps conscience, to them.

It is no more wicked to chose to cultivate homophobia in oneself, than it is to choose not to. But you would not think so, to hear certain speakers nowadays, who regard homophobia as somehow wicked, although they never explain why it's wicked, they just rely upon repetition of the bare assertion that there is something wicked about homophobia, and shouting down any who dissent.

Reply 6

Sandtrooper

Volunteer Team

Original post by Jebedee

Because the archetype of a gay man is someone who is bubbly, funny, a bit zany but very likeable. That kind of character makes for great TV.

Hence you don't see many lesbians on TV....

Ellen DeGeneres?

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Reply 7

Anonymous #2

I am gay and it doesn't normally bother me. However, it does bother me when the character has no such reason to be in the story apart from being stereotypically gay. I just want to point out that they are not all like that in real life. It is funny because my straight friends who all have quite nice gfs act more gay than me, i.e. feminine actions, buys a lot of clothes and shoes and yeah. Whereas I don't feel I fit into the category because I am not very loud nor make a load of girlish jokes. So I don't know maybe portraying a gay character in a comedic way at times is OK but make him have a normal personality the majority of the time.