while schue was being a dick in general in sweet dreams, there’s something to be said for the fact that the most hurtful thing can he can say to Blaine in particular is “i’m disappointed in you for allowing this to go on”. outside of kicking blaine in the core insecurity of needing approval (from authority? in general also but maybe especially that) So So Badly, it also frames him as someone who is At Least as responsible for what’s going on in that choir room as schue himself. like the tragic thing about trying to seem like a Responsible Mature Tiny Adult, which blaine has been trying to do and schue has borne witness to since season 2 when they shook hands at sectionals, is that sometimes adults buy into the act!
i don’t think blaine is quite as responsible in his own life (mainly, frankly, in terms of personal safety) as he lets on, but if this is any indication, the adults in his life (maybe especially this one!) seem to have a very very specific perception of blaine. who is student council president, who has pretty good manners for a teenager, who does his best to be a leader-through-friendship by being Really Really Supportive, and who schue witnessed Last episode at least Try to do Responsible things like moving the piano (which i’ve always been slightly confused by but i saw an article suggest was him Creating a place to hide, which makes sense) and helping artie. like, personal struggles aside, blaine certainly has successfully cultivated the Appearance of a Tiny Responsible Adult.
anyway, schue yells at everyone, and i’d argue what he says to unique is Worse in terms of not just being transphobic but arguably sexual harassment? hashtag yikes. but also, is schue just blaming blaine for the song selection thing, or for not ‘reigning in’ all the various trauma responses around him? saying “allowing this to go on” after berating the others is, uh, kind of vague! but it’s unclear to me.
regardless, there is such a specific framing of the idea that Blaine Specifically should Know Better. which, even if they genuinely had done something wrong, is still pretty fucked. blaine may be a senior, he may be 18, but he is still in high school, and still REALLY young. that is not a fair standard to have on him, or to single him out for. and the fact that all they really did was be concerned about the setlist and meet as a group to talk through and come up with other ideas… blaine was literally doing exactly what he should have as a de facto leader.
there’s also something… similar but different about this and the kind of pressure he put on finn? there was more emotional pressure there because he was constantly putting the whole “i see myself in you” thing on finn, which has, in all honesty, way more insidious undertones To Me than i think the show meant it to. and often used this to justify putting a lot of adult responsibility on finn. whereas with blaine it’s just - falling way too easily for an act no teenager can possibly keep up perfectly and never questioning or examining it too closely, as schue doesn’t with many things, and then getting upset when blaine turns out not to be perfectly 100% obedient or I guess responsible or… in control of his peers and their struggles…. ? okay will!
