Watercooler: Bully for 90210?

OK, so big ups to 90210 for handling the "Teddy is gay" storyline with as much elegance as is available to a high-school drama set in Beverly Hills. It's an impressive departure from previous TV teens who have struggled with their sexuality (the tennis stud is violently overcompensating to appear hetero, rather than bursting out of the closet with a heavily hyped kiss), but something went down last night that just wasn't right.
Freaked out that Ian, the classmate he'd secretly hooked up with a week earlier, was choreographing the opening number for Silver's bachelor-auction cancer benefit, Mr. Tall Drink of Denial went "all Mel Gibson," in the words of annoying Ivy, and bashed Ian in front of 90% of the show's cast. Firing off the f-word that hits LGBT teens like a bullet, we could almost understand Teddy's attempt to distance himself from the only fella who knows his secret: he's terrified of being exposed, and scared people do messed up things. However, what was up with Liam, Dixon, Navid and Silver not shutting him down for his homophobic hate? Instead, they stood there and allowed Ian to run off alone, ashamed, and reduced to a name that comes with the intimation that he was not worth being defended by his peers.
Granted, the gang did eventually talk about the incident with anger and disgust... to each other. But never once did they go to Ian and show their support. Nor did anyone other than Silver let Teddy know that his bullying was not OK. And that's not an OK message to be sending to young viewers, either. That sort of silent complicity is tragically a reality that turns many lonely teens into the headlines we've seen too many times in the past month. And given that this is the same crew who rallied around the bi-curious Adrianna last season, it not only makes sense that someone would step up and stand up for Ian, it would also make a statement that needs to be made more than ever.
What did you think of the gang's reaction?
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