Glee Episode #3: Acafellas

Words of the day: Guts and confidence. Some people lack one or the other, and the lucky ones are blessed with both. At times, a boost in confidence gives you the guts to do what you never thought you could. At other times, it takes guts to show just how confident you can be.

"Being a man is all about one thing: guts." - Will's dad
Perhaps guts really is what separates the boys from the men. When I say "guts", I don't mean jumping off a bridge, even if you might break some bones (or worse). A boy will do whatever people say without fear of consequences, but that is not "guts." That's idiocy. "Guts," according to the dictionary, is having courage when it really matters. A man will act in spite of what others may say or the personal consequences he faces, because he wants to follow his heart or do something that matters. Of course, "guts" is not gender exclusive; for girls, though, I'd venture to say the bridge is probably more metaphorical.

"They say it takes more certainty than talent to be a star. I mean, look at John Stamos." - Emma
Don't knock John Stamos (Uncle Jesse forever!), but Emma has a point. Talentless celebrities like Paris Hilton or Heidi Montag (or any other reality TV star transitioning into acting or music) demonstrate how it doesn't take talent these days to be famous. But if they're certain in themselves enough to get out there, I guess there's no stopping them. Talent will get them further than the limited success that these "stars" experience.

"He knows who he is, and that's great. And there really is nothing sexier in a man than confidence." - Emma
It's true. Guys who are comfortable in their own skin seem more attractive, even if they are not the most physically appealing. It's like how a salesperson is more effective if they are confident in their product - why would anyone else want to buy it if the salesperson doesn't even believe in it?

"Two weeks ago, I would have agreed that four grown men rehearsing a capella hip-hop in my living room was embarrassing. But busting out some white hot new jack swing - I'll tell you, I've never felt more confident." - Will

"Seeing me feel so good about myself made my wife more attracted to me in every way." - Will

"Of course he doesn't want anything to do with us after you kicked him in the nads... He just doesn't have the confidence to coach us anymore. Guys are really sensitive when it comes to this kind of stuff." - Finn
I tend to forget that guys can be sensitive. Being sensitive isn't a stereotypically "manly" quality, but I suppose if there's anything for a guy to be sensitive about, it would be his manliness. Many guys try to put up a facade of strength, and any suggestion of weakness would be enough to strip away their confidence.

"Is this one of those chick things where you're pissed about one thing but you're just pretending like you're pissed about something else?" - Finn
While this has nothing to do with confidence, I just wanted to point out the insight Finn has, despite his dumb jock image. Not everyone realizes that girls do this, but maybe he has seen Quinn or his mom do this enough that he has caught on to our ways.

"I have enough confidence to say out loud that what happened between us in the auditorium was real. You have feelings for me and you just don't have the guts to admit it." - Rachel
The bullying that Rachel faces at school would be enough to kill the confidence of any high school student, but this girl is so sure of herself (sometimes bordering on unknowingly arrogant) that she can maintain her confidence in the face of social hierarchy. Finn is not comfortable enough in his own skin to defy high school social conventions by facing the truth. I have yet to be as confident as Rachel. Only within the past couple years have I been able to talk to and make friends with the "popular" kids - and it's usually because they are so confident in themselves they don't realize the social divide when they start talking to me.

"Am I hurting your feelings? Did I say something wrong? Because I thought you wanted somebody who respected you enough to tell you the truth. But maybe you don't have the confidence to hear it. Maybe you need somebody who's going to lie to you and tell you things like, 'You've got what it takes.'" - Dakota Stanley, champion choreographer
In a way, Dakota is right. I would rather have someone respect me enough to tell me the truth instead of feeding me lies. And it does take a bit of confidence in yourself not to take remarks too personally. When someone critiques my art work, I have to remember that they are not necessarily criticizing me. The lines become blurry with the art form of dance, where the artist is the art. However, there's a difference between constructive criticism and insult. If I only heard insults, which are damaging to the individual, I would never develop enough confidence to handle the criticism.

"It's never too late to grow a pair and go after your dreams." - Will's dad
What dreams do you want to go after? Mine may have something to do with the pair of pointe shoes sitting underneath my bed.

Mercedes: You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are, Kurt... The whole point of the club is about expressing what's really inside you, remember?
Kurt: I can't. I'm just not that confident, I guess.
Expressing what's inside of you takes a lot of guts, because you risk the rejection of your true self. It's just fascinating (and not uncommon) how someone like Kurt, who seems so confident on the outside, can be so insecure on the inside.

"When you really believe in yourself, you don't have to bring other people down." - Quinn
Whether or not she would like to admit it, Sue Sylvester doubts her ability to outdo the glee club and tries to take them down in order to secure her superiority. It's like what we've always learned - bullies are just insecure and need to put everyone down in order to feel better about themselves. Those who believe in themselves see no need for comparison, no need to be superior. Kurt, held captive by social hierarchy, copes with his insecurity by telling himself he is superior to everyone else, when in reality (according to Finn) everyone is a loser.

*Last week's post was rather lengthy, so from here on out I plan on only including meaningful quotes or ones that relate to the episode theme (word of the day).