bookphilia

What I loved:
-Teaching that hate crimes are not okay, even if you are part of the group being hated on, especially if you fear what you hate most in yourself (see various studies done on homophobes actually being aroused by homoerotic porn 1 2)
-Not everyone is perfect or as they seem, as much as you think you know them. Cat's relationship, for example, starts off pretty rocky with Jason because of the pressure and anxiety he is feeling.
-Cat standing up for herself, even if it all sort of fell flat and Tommy wasn't the monster she set him up to be.

What I hated:
-Everyone sort of covered up this hate crime. I know they're trying to save Beef's reputation, but that in no way is okay. It's encouragement for hate crimes to continues without anyone being punished or reprimanded. It may not be detrimental to Patrick, but it's goddamn detrimental to the LGBT community. It's as bad as Cat ignoring Patrick in his time of need. No one is standing up for anyone. I think this is the worst message you could send, especially when Cat has been trying to make things right.
-It was all so predictable. As soon as there was the slightest mention of Beef ragging on gays, I knew he had to be Patrick's secret lover.
-Cat takes offense when people assume she's the backward hicktown chick and she just wants to fit in, but everyone in Black Creek is your typical fucking hick. It seems like everyone has a destroyed family, whether they'd been beaten or have drunks/druggies and absent or dead mothers and fathers. It's basically a hicktown riddled with tragedy and no hope or semblance of a supportive family at all. Surely this can't be true or am I being too optimistic for real "backwoods" towns? Unless this is an economic factor where they are not given enough opportunities and thus have nothing better to do but do meth and drink.

Seriously, someone enlighten me.