"Don't Want No Short People 'Round Here": Confronting Heterosexism's Intolerance Through Comic and Disruptive Narratives in Ally McBeal
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Western Journal of Communication
Volume
66
Issue
3
Publication Date
2002
First Page
300
Last Page
318
Abstract
To illustrate how media narratives can challenge normative heterosexuality, this study analyzes an episode of the television dramady Ally McBeal in which the life and murder of a young transsexual are situated within the comedic context of Randy Newman's bitingly satirical song, "Short People," who, according to the lyrics, "got no reason to live." The narra†ives strategically juxtapose comic and absurd scenarios with dramatic and tragic events, with the effect of disrupting heterosexual ideology and, in turn, offering spectators a humorous and non-threatening media environment in which to experience issues of gender fluidity and the consequences of society's heterosexism, and its inherent intolerance of difference.
Recommended Citation
Cooper, B., & Pease, E. C. (2002). “‘Don’t Want No Short People ’Round Here”: Confronting Heterosexism’s Intolerance Through Comic and Disruptive Narratives in Ally McBeal.” Western Journal of Communication, 66, 300-318.
