A Bed of Your Own Making

Yep, I'm back again. Talking about the same subject. Labels, stereotypes, expectations placed out of a false sense of 'representation'.
So many people are upset because Otalia may or may not kiss by the time Guiding Light goes off the air. I can understand the upset for anyone who hoped for a fairy tale ending. Firstly there is not concrete confirmation one way or the other that a kiss did or did not happen. We're going to have to wait until the final frame of the final episode airs to know for sure.
What I don't understand is the massive move to condemn the writers, the network and the owners of Guiding Light and the characters of Olivia and Natalia over what might not occur. The reason I don't understand is that the battle cry seems to be that they are "doing this to us" or "we're not being represented" or "we're being represented in a bad light again." All of these statements of course are referring to homosexuals or lesbians as a group. As a collective mind with a collective will and collective interests. My problem with this, other than that humans are individuals and I still don't feel these labels are in any way accurate and are in fact detrimental, is that these labels are put upon the characters by the audience. The show worked hard to not label the story, the romance, the love that Olivia and Natalia were realizing. So many people scoffed and ridiculed those of us who made an effort to keep the labels away. Those of us who refused to allow this pure story of two souls finding and loving and needing each other had to fight hard and be constantly vigilant in out efforts to keep the labels off of the story and characters. But then people started referring to it as a 'same-sex' love story, and placing all of the expectations on it from every 'gay' or 'lesbian' story that had come before. Setting it up to fail by constantly looking for the same missteps that had damaged 'stories that represent us' in the past. Of course you're going to be disappointed if you're looking for mistakes or comparing to things past.
Maybe this analogy can describe it better. It's like a new lover. They may be the most attentive, kind, thoughtful, supportive, understanding person in the world, but if every time they scratch their nose with that same middle finger and not the index finger, or tap their spoon on the coffee mug 6 times but always in 3 sets of 2, or just can't seem to remember to call when they're going to be a little bit late you're reminded of an ex, then that's your problem and not theirs. If you continue to blame them evenutally the relationship will fall apart. The issue is with you, your perceptions and your expectations, not them. If you don't see that, and work on it from your side then when it does end you've only got yourself to blame.
The audience members who are the most upset about things now, are the members who put those labels and expectations on the show and characters themselves. P&G, CBS, Guiding Light, not even the actresses ever said, "Hey come and watch our amazing gay storyline with lesbian characters that will be the best 'representation' you've ever seen on screen." They simply presented a love story with a classically soapy sense of tumult a Jane Austen sense of societal standards and a Bronte-esque sense of devotion between two passionate, intelligent people. They haven't failed in that.
If you're upset it's because of your expectations not their actions.