In many ways, we are a product of what we see. When things are presented to us in a glamorous or sensationalized way, we tend to consider those things as good and become some version of it. That is the reason that shows which portray teenagers or high schoolers in a negative (or in some cases, positive) light can be damaging. Some of the most highly-rated shows are ones either predicated on the belief that high schoolers are overly dramatic, promiscuous and combative or ones that glamorize the plight of certain teenagers. While it is good to bring certain issues to light that we have been afraid to talk about in the past (Sex, sexual orientation, drugs, etc), when those are the only elements shown, you can cross the fine line between warning kids about potential horrors and perpetuating the actions and situations that you show.
There are two shows, or types of shows, that I want to focus on. First are the shows Degrassi and (the reboot of) 90210. Degrassi has lived off the same premise for a decade now: they follow a diverse group of high schoolers throughout their high school years and document their troubles. If you count the original, 90210 has been doing the same for even longer. The next show is MTV’s hit series Teen Mom. While it is (hopefully) designed to educate teenagers about the potential consequences of promiscuity, I think that it has accomplished the opposite most of the time. Even more troubling is the fact that this was the spin-off of a similar show, 16 & Pregnant, and has spawned a spin-off itself, Teen Mom 2. Again, with these shows, we are coming dangerously close to crossing the line between education and glamorization.
The problem with Degrassi and 90210 and other shows like them are that they rarely display any positive aspects of high school or being a teenager. Nearly every episode of every show is melodrama, for both programs. There is constant feuding between students over ”relationships” and other trivial issues, dangerous use of drugs and alcohol, discrimination and bullying, insecurity, promiscuity, and many more of the negative issues that high schoolers face. In earlier episodes of Degrassi, there are even stabbings and shootings. While I am a proponent of shows that depict real issues, at what point is it too much? At what point do teenagers start to embrace the drama that they see constantly on TV and slowly evolve and morph into an example of it? High school isn’t all bad. It isn’t always drama. At least, it doesn’t have to be. And we don’t have to always portray it as such.
The issue with Teen Mom and shows of that type are similar, but different. While teen pregnancy is an issue (although, like many things, I think it’s always been a big problem but is just reported more nowadays), I certainly wouldn’t call it a normality. Furthermore, the actual show isn’t a very realistic representation of the hardships that *most* teen girls who do get pregnant actually go through. Most of the time, the girls shown have stable families, homes, and boyfriends/husbands who are at least in the picture. That isn’t usually the case. If you want to enlighten teenagers to the dangers of teen pregnancy, then show us the girl who’s single, on welfare, and is ridiculed at school. Show us the guy who has to drop out of school to get a job. The way it is now, the show makes the situation seem manageable and plausible most of the time. And like Degrassi and 90210, it displays these issues as normal and commonplace. It’s not fair to most teenagers. We aren’t all troubled. Sure, we all have hardships, but it isn’t all strife and dissension, and usually doesn’t have to be.
Link: Degrassi Season Preview - Drama, conflict, various things and situations going awry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5qlHeu1SPc&feature=related
Kyle, for the most part, these t.v. shows do portray a negative image about highschool that mostly is not true. I recently talked to a freshman and he said before the Frosh orientation, he thought highschool was like how it is in the movies and tv shows, which scared him until the orientation. Yes, there are still drama,drugs, and bullying in hishschool, but a lot of time, they exaggerate it too much in shows, and they forget to mention the good things that happen in high school because there are MANY postive things that happen here.
ReplyDeleteKyle, I think you brought up excellent points about the media sensationalizing real life situations, playing into stereotypes, and I agree that it definitely affects our perspective on these situations. TV shows, more often than not, only show a one-sided view of things. They either make things out to seem way better than they really are or worse. I watched Degrassi when I was younger and to be honest it, along with other shows and movies, affected the way I thought high school was going to be. I'm sure there are some aspects of these shows that perpetuated themselves into our experience in high school but a lot of it turned out to be nonsense. I definitely agree that there is a fine line between education and glamorization and many times popular TV shows cross into glamorization, playing up certain roles. They do bring some necessary light to subjects that are taboo in our society whether it be teen pregnancy, sex, drug use, etc. but there are times I feel things become unnecessary and they're trying to get a rise out of their audiences, as a way to keep them around. I just hope people can use their common sense to distinguish between what is reality and what is mere entertainment.
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