I haven't watched "House" in forever but tonight, as I was making dinner, I had the show on in the background. Although I really wasn't watching, I heard Foreman, one of the main characters, say something that caught my attention. I began watching the show after I heard the quote, so I am going to try to fill you all in on the context, or at least what I know of it. A boy, maybe in his late teens, is in the hospital with some mysterious illness... the normal circumstances of the show. However, the boy is also deaf. He was born deaf, and when House presents him with the opportunity to hear by offering to give him a cochlear implant, the boy turns it down. The quote that caught my attention came when Foreman and "Thirteen" were talking about the boy's decision. While "Thirteen" was trying to explain that deafness was a way a life rather than a disability. In response, Foreman said that something that can be simulated with a 3 dollar set of ear plugs will never be a culture. While we can always simulate conditions outside of our own, we are who we are and we cannot change that. Sure, I can put ear plugs in my ears to block out sounds, but when I'm ready to hear again I can simply take the ear plugs out. For people who are deaf, they cannot simply hear when they want to... Their deafness is a part of them and although it does not define who they are, it is a major part of their life. I have always liked "House" but I thought that this quote was incredibly offensive to not only the deaf community but anyone with a disability.

Boy meets Boy

First off, I really enjoyed Levithan's Boy meets Boy. I thought that it was a great book and I found myself getting very involved with the characters as I was able to relate to some of their experiences as well as learn about some first-hand experiences to which I would have never be exposed otherwise. While I thought that story was very inspiring, one thing sort of bothered me. In the beginning of the book, Paul claims that he knew was gay in kindergarten, after reading a note made by his teacher. First of all, I thought that it was crazy that a teacher would feel the need to write something like that about a student at such a young age, but second, I couldn't get over a statement that Paul made about how he liked seeing another young boys shirt get lifted up. While Paul was discussing what it meant to be gay with his teacher he says, "My attention was a little distracted because Ted was now pulling up Greg Easton's shirt, and that was kind of cool" (Levithan 9). I suppose that this memory could have been modified over time, but I was just very surprised to read that as a kindergartner, Paul had sexual feelings. I think that regardless of your sexual preference, at the age of 5 or 6, you really don't see others as being attractive in that way. Although this statement stood out to me while I was reading, I thought that Levithan created an excellent book that can provide not only a mirror for members of the GLBTQ community, but also a window for outsiders to gain a better understanding of their gay and lesbian peers. It was a inspirational story that I feel provided readers with authentic experiences of the GLBTQ culture.