For this assignment, I decided to pursue the intense interest I have noticed that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have in Amine and Manga. I took a look at what the difference is between the two, if any. I also used the social group as source to help me understand. I also did some looking into online communities of individuals with ASD and I watched some anime on youtube and some other internet sites. I tried to find some research on what it is that attracts this group to anime.
In our social group this year, each of the participants gave a presentation on their interests. About three quarters of them had an intense interest in anime and manga. Last week I asked them to help me with my project. I asked each student to tell me about their favorites and why they like them. The responses included the action, humor, lots of fighting, stories, violence, etc. It was interesting to hear them describe various characters. One Piece is a show about a 17 year old boy who ate some special fruit. Inuyasha is about a 14 year old Japanese girl who falls in love with a half-man half-dog. There were not really able to help me understand what it is about anime that they prefer over regular television. I also asked which regular shows they watched. A few watched shows like Friends but not too much interest. Our most severe autistic student called them live action shows. He could not think of any "live action" shows that he watched, but he sure loves Yugio.
My next stop was to search the web for online communities. This turned out to be really easy. I found a site connected to wrongplanet.net called the online resource for Autism and Asperger's. They had a discussion board with a question "why is it that every person with Asperger's I meet has this thing with anime?" Several responses were much more thought filled than our group. Some responses: "there's something for everyone, whatever you're into they have something for it", "it is very creative that it makes our imagination flying in the sky easy", "it is rumored that the creator of Pokemon was an aspie", "a big attraction for people with ASD is that the characters are easy to recognize (vivid hair, clothing, markings)", "I love anime, it's easy to recognize characters and it is very easy to tell how a character is feeling", "I really have to work myself up to watch anything live action, actors emotions area a lot harder to read, body language and stuff is lost on me, I can't tell the difference between the characters.", "anime doesn't necessarily have to do with ASD, I always knew a lot of stereotypical neuro-typicals that watch it". The second last response was definitely the most helpful. There were several negative responses where they didn't like it at all but they were the minority. The last response was interesting. I think the term neuro-typicals, which includes those of use not on the Autism spectrum, has become a common term for a lot of aspies, as they call themselves. One post referred people to the website www.veoh.com where you can find just about any show you would want to watch.
Another site I found is called aspiesforfreedom.com. It was similar to wrong planet but had a few more links. One interesting link on one person's post was aspieauty.deviantart.com. It said that it is a sight for autistics, friend of autistics, and anyone who supports the concept of neurodiversity (support and acceptance for all people, regardless of how their brain functions). The site contains more interesting comments and pics. Many posts listed their favorite anime series. Outlaw star was a favorite of several. When it was referred to as the best science fiction show ever made, I had to check it out. I found a 20 minute video and checked it out. I did some further research on another highly regarded show called Azumanga Daioh. According to wikipedia, it is a Japanese comedy manga. It is drawn as a vertical=panel comic strip called yonkoma. Yonkoma manga, 4-koma for short- is a Japanese comic strip which usually consists of gag comic strips within four cells printed top to bottom. This was adapted into an anime in 2002. It chronicles the everyday life of six girls in a Japanese high school. The more I looked into this whole area, the more overwhelmed I became. I had no idea it is so complex.
My next goal was to look for research that may help me understand what it is about anime that attracts individuals with ASD. I learned about the history of anime from wikipedia but that didn't help me much. I looked at some research dealing with ASD and facial expression as well as ASD and brain function. There was a wealth of information as you would expect, some that seems to contradict others. For example, some have concluded (Ami Klin) that individuals with ASD tend to focus on the mouth when attempting to determine meaning from an expression. Another study refuted that. On sciencedaily.com, researchers at the University of Nottingham published a study in the Journal of Child Development (2007) that indicated children with Autism do make use of information form eyes when interpreting facial expression. They felt their children were particularly reliant on the eyes and mouth for clues to figuring out emotions. They concluded that more accurate measure of abilities can be obtained though sophisticated digital imaging techniques with animated facial expression. The article didn't really explain what that meant but it seemed to help answer the question, at least in part, as to why the love for anime. Just like the gal said on wrongplanet when she describe her difficulty reading emotions from live action. She was better able to accomplish that with anime. My theory why only one person said that is that very few individuals with ASD are able to achieve that level of introspection. DSM IV emphasized both facial expression processing deficits and social dysfunction as features of Autism and Asperger's Disorder.
I feel like I just barely scratched the surface of this topic but it did help me in several ways. For example, I learned a lot more about the world of anime and manga. I also feel like I gained a bit more insight into the subculture of "aspies". I have to admit that I understand how some of the show can draw you in. My students said that they do maintain story lines that keep you watching them. I found Naruto to be an interesting character. I also have admit that some of the art work is amazing. The Naruto clip is an opening to a show I believe. Naruto is the one with yellow and and whiskers like a cat. He wears a headband with a piece of metal in the middle. When one of my students wore a similar headband at bowling, I was a little embarrassed for him. At least I know where it came from now.
I think it would be interesting to ask a group of my students the following questions: Do you plan to see Stop Loss? Why or why not? Have you even watched an episode of the FX drama “Over There”? Have you watched any movie or television show that in some way deals with the Iraq war? I would think that the initial discussion would be quite interesting way to start a unit on War and Pop Culture. It is such a broad topic that if each student completed a research project and shared it with the rest of class, the group probably would not have much repetition. The idea is fictitious because I do not think I’ll ever be in a position to teach such a unit. Be that as it may, I may be able to use some ideas with groups in my current job or my future job as a school counselor.
Lesson I. Research and discuss current films, TV shows, music, video games, etc. that deal with the war in Iraq. If any one has watched one of the movies, they could share that experience with the class. I would like to show a film clip, if appropriate, and discuss the series “Over There”. I have not watched more than a few minutes of an episode but I would share with the students that it follows the US Army’s Third Infantry Division on its first tour in Iraq as well as dealing with the families back home. The show was not continued after the original 13 episodes. I would like the group to contrast the current situation with that in the Vietnam era. Films about the Vietnam war did not appear until years later. Gordon Arnold, a professor at Montserrat College of Art, doubts that we’ll see a masterpiece about Iraq anytime soon. He feels that it takes a long time to process the events that we’re living in.
Lesson II. Read the book “Tomorrow, when the war began” by John Marsden. The book deals with a group of young people in Australia who had gone camping deep into the bush. When they had returned, they found that there had been an invasion by a foreign army. An interesting activity that could be implemented would be a survival game. This is often a group initiative game where small groups are given a list of about 15 items. They imagine they are plane crash survivors and they have to prioritize their items form 1 to 15. There actually is a right answer so it becomes a competition between the groups. The 1984 movie Red Dawn would also provide at interesting discussion although the movie probably wouldn’t be appropriate to show the whole think in a classroom. It is interesting to watch as our country is invaded but it is quite violent and there isn’t a lot of educational value in my opinion. However, the subject matter could promote some interesting thoughts and discussion, especially with the current situation in Iraq.
Lesson III. I would like to take a closer look at how the ideas of World War III have changes since the cold war ended. It would be interesting to discuss movies like Dr. Strangelove and Fail Safe. Both of those movies dealt with a nuclear war that resulted from a mistake. Could that actually happen in real life? In 1983, Matthew Broderick was the star of the movie War Games. I thought that movie was fairly entertaining as a 20 year old. I think students could be interested in the premise because the whole thing was based on a very large and old computer that played games. The computer almost caused a nuclear war because of another mistake. Leonard Maltin called War Games the Fail Safe for the Pacman generation. Although I have never seen the 1999 comedy Blast form the Past, I believe the concept would provide an interesting and amusing discussion. The students of today may think that the concept of a fallout shelter would be strange. It would provide for some interesting dialogue. Could you imagine yourself preparing to live in a fallout shelter? Would you want to live like that or would you prefer to continue living life normally and taking your chances? Fallout activity: On a piece of paper, each student should write a list of every possession they currently have that they would want in a shelter. Then write a list they had lived back in the '50s, remember that there were no cell phones, video games, ipods, DVDs etc. Now write a list of the ten people you would want in your shelter. What if you could only choose five?
Lesson IV. Now that we don't live in an age where we're afraid of a super power, how does the media play into our fears of a nuclear strike? Terrorism seems like the obvious response. The greatest fear we now face may be that terrorists are able to obtain weapons of mass destruction. What are some examples of games, movies, books, etc. where terrorists and their destructive ambitions are a threat to the US? How would you describe your feeling of security? For most, it seems much safer in this day and age than those living in the fallout shelter era. Terrorism, national security, the war in Iraq, are all key issues in the upcoming presidential race. Take a few moments and write down some thought about the issues that are most important to you that you would be willing to share with the group.
After looking at the flowtv site, I chose two articles I thought would be interesting to students. One deals with religion on TV and the other explains the lure of American Idol.
#1. "Is it Religion or is it Entertainment?" by Mara Einstein. America is the most religious industrialized nation on earth, say Einstein. Although 90% of Americans believe in a higher power, only 26% attend a religious institution on a weekly basis. That means that most Americans are practicing their faith in more secular avenues like books, television, and the internet. Einstein points out the blur that is occurring between the secular and sacred, for example the recent TV special dealing with the faith of presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Einstein asks, "why has religion become so important to the political process in the first place?" She also discusses the differences and similarities between Joel Osteen and Oprah. Osteen is pastor of the largest megachurch in the country and has a TV audience of seven million. Oprah has a portion of her show called "Church of the O".
I feel that this article would be valuable for discussion in a group classroom of older students. It would be important to have a view ground rules when discussion politics or religion. For example, if a discussion is open and the students are encouraged to express personal views, the class or group must be reminded that the comments must be presented in a respectful way as well as the response by other group members. A discussion could follow the authors question about religion in politics. That could open up and interesting topic to research for the students. Perhaps going back to our forefathers who set up our political system. There are several clips on Youtube about Osteen and Oprah that would offer continued points for discussion.
The author's final thought deals with the secularization theory. She feels it may help us understand why we are not in a culture war with popular media, but rather in a state of osmosis. I imagine that view would raise the ire of a few people who don't like that trend. I think the teachable moment would present itself more than once in discussing an emotional topic like this one. My current job involves a lot of social skill training for the work place. I have found that a lot of young people do not know how to discuss religion or politics in a work environment. I think this activity would serve as an excellent learning opportunity for many students.
#2. The Lure of American Idol Explained: Parasocial Relationships and Emotional Vicarious Living in Live TV, by Carol Morgan. The author asks "why is the show so popular?" She admits that she is addicted to the show but tells her husband that it's just research. Parasocial relationships, one of the reasons Morgan says the show is so popular, is basically that people build relationships with people they like. People tune in each week to see what their "friends" are up to each week. People develop a connection and watch week after week to see if their favorite person will do well, just like if it was their brother or sister. Not knowing how they'll do on live TV is part of the allure. The other reason is that Idol serves as an emotional vicarious experience for viewers. The viewer experience emotions as to what it would be like if they themselves were up there singing. Also, it is empowering for the viewer to participate in "finding" the next superstar. They feel they can take credit for discovering the next talent. In this manner, the viewers are allowed to vicariously live the American Dream.
I feel this article would be interesting to discuss in a group or classroom. Most students have some awareness of reality TV, probably even a few loyal fans. I think they would find Morgan's ideas as to why the shows are so addictive very interesting. I would like to hear some discussion about the media and how they draw such a loyal following to their top shows. How do people form the attachments to people they don't even know? What are the positive aspects of being a regular viewer of a show or even several reality shows? What are the drawbacks? Although I've never been an auto racing fan, I've heard that it is really addicting when you pick a certain driver and follow him. What are some other examples, sports, authors, etc. where students have observed such a loyal following? What is it about human nature that can cause people to follow leaders in negative ways? What are some examples? Again, the ground rules for any group discussion would have to start with everyone respecting the opinions of others.
My goal in writing this paper is to take a look at movies and explore how they, especially those dealing with subject matter that young people are struggling with in school, serve to influence our culture today. Teen pregnancy, bullying, cliques and other teen issues have recently been prominent in current mainstream movies. I've decided to explore how these and other genres of films could be used by counselors, educators, and parents. As a teacher, I have experienced the questioning looks that peers and others give when you say you’re having your class watch a movie. The old notion that you’re taking the easy way out is never far from someone’s thought, even if it is in jest. It reminds me of the poor image some Phy. Ed. teachers have because of the old school teacher who has two captains pick teams and then rolls out the ball. I’ve tried to explore some different ideas about how to various films can be useful.
Teen Pregnancy
Three recent films have dealt with the issue of pregnancy; Juno, Bella, and Knocked Up. Juno the only one that actually involves a teen dealing with the issue of pregnancy, but I feel the other two offer interesting aspects.
Bella (2008)
This film is lesser known than the other two. It stars Edwardo Verastegui as a former soccer star turned waiter in a small restaurant in New York. Co-star, Tammy Blanchard, plays Nina, who is a waitress at the same restaurant. She is fired about the same time she finds out she is pregnant. It is an interesting story and in my opinion very well done. It won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto film festival. This was the same award that Chariots of Fire won that gave it recognition leading to an Oscar. Obviously, Bella didn’t share the same level of success and didn’t receive any Oscar attention. It was picked up and promoted by pro-life groups, even though the director, Alejandro Monteverde, did not have that idea in mind. He wanted to make a love story. In an interview from the LA Times, Edwardo Verastegui said “my goal is to elevate and heal, and respect the dignity of Latinos in the media”. He felt strongly about making a positive movie rather than a typical gang banger Latin lover type of movie. He also delivered a keynote speech at the Whitehouse as part of adoption day. I would recommend this film for several reasons. Although it is rated PG13, it is appropriate for most any age level. It takes a look at a young woman in a desperate situation even though she is probably in her twenties.
Knocked Up (2007)
This film is rated R and very raunchy, in my opinion. Like Bella, the main characters are a little bit older. It deals with an unexpected pregnancy. Since it is a comedy, you know what you’re in for. The mother, Allison, played by Sue Smith, finds she’s pregnant after a one night stand. She decides to keep the baby. One interesting twist is that she and the father start a strange sort of relationship. It takes an interesting look at the relationship in this situation. I would not typically recommend this movie but it does have some redeemable qualities. The father, played by Seth Rogen, is an out of work, pot smoking, illegal immigrant with a plan to make a website his money-maker. He is so unprepared to be a parent it is funny. Unfortunately, I see that situation in St. Paul time and time again. For an older student who has watched the movie, I think it would be interesting to discuss the movie in terms or preparation for parenthood. Although the movie is funny and would provide material for discussion, because of the content I wouldn’t recommend using it in school.
Juno (2008)
Here is a movie that would be a wonderful opportunity to use in a variety of ways in both junior and senior high.
It provides a glimpse of what it might be like to be pregnant in high school. It certainly provides the opening for a lot of conversation. What would you do if you were in Juno’s situation? How would your family react? Diablo Cody won the Oscar of best screenplay. She reported that she wrote most of it in a Target café in the Twin Cities. I think that local tie in would make it even more appealing to use with students living in the Twin Cities.
The role of the bully has been prominent in the majority of our lives. At some time or another, most people have encountered a bully, unless they're always the one doing the bullying. Hollywood has made countless movies that deal with bullies in one way or another. My Bodyguard is certainly one of the classics where it is a central theme. Others include the Karate Kid, A Christmas Story, the Back to the Future triology, etc. Peter Parker is even the victim of bullies in Spiderman, at least for awhile. Recently, some movies have taken a more serious look at bullying which can be comical but also can be deadly serious.
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls came out in 2004 starring Lindsey Lohan. We were encouraged to see this movie, as school counselors, during a course at the U last year. Our professor thought it did a good job of capturing the way girls treat each other in school. My first impression was that I felt the movie was not very significant in comparison to some others I saw while working on this project. There were some realistic aspects, like the burn book and the representation of the queen bees known as "the plastics". After reading an article in the NY Times about Rosalind Wiseman, I started to feel different about the movie. Wiseman ran a group for girls designed to combat the mean behavior depicted in Mean Girls. She is co-founder and president of the Empower Program, which is a non-profit organization designed to stop the youth culture of violence (McCracken, 2008). I suppose Mean Girls achieved it's purpose. It was a successful film and really put Lindsay Lohan on the map. It followed a familiar formula in many bully movies where the bully reaps what he/she sows. I suppose that is what people want to see. I would stop short of recommending the movie to anyone but I do feel it does possess some positive qualities if one was inclined to see it. Wiseman's Empower class is about ostracism, cliques, and gossip (Talbet, 2002). Mean Girls definitely deals with all three.
Bully 911: Stop Being a Victim
I was not able to view the whole DVD but several self-defense clips are available on youtube. On the Bully 911 website, three rules are prominent: The first rule is to use your words, the second rule is to run away, the third rule ....you learn self-defense. Johnny Gyro and his wife Noel created Defense Incorporated to teach self-defense skills. They also created the Bully 911 program where parents and kids can work together when confronted with a volatile situation. Although Johnny Gyro was bullied himself when he was younger, he took up the martial arts and eventually became world karate champion seven times. On his web site he says "I am the first to suggest that all fights be avoided, but it is equally ignorant that your child will not be subject to some form of bullying in the course of time they spend at school. Therefore, if it were to get violent, students need to learn some basic self-defense to make sure that no one can hurt them." They sell the Bully DVD for $24.95. It seems like a good program but I have never heard of anyone who has used it. I thought it has potential to be a helpful resource. As I said, there are many youtube clips available, as well as a website at www.bully911.com/about.htm
Bully (2001)
Another film that I wasn't able to see is titled "Bully". This film is based on true events in Florida in 1993 where a group of youths actually killed an alleged bully, Bobby Kent. I was able to procure a copy of the book from the library. I read it in about a week. Jim Schultz wrote a book that chronicled the events called "Does anyone deserve to die? Bully: A true story of high school revenge". The book starts with vivid descriptions of the bizarre life style of several high school students living in Florida. Two boys, Bobby and Marty, were steroid using, women abusing, muscle heads. The author describes Bobby's brutality towards Marty over the course of many years of friendship. At times, Marty tried to distance himself from Bobby. The best solution he came up with was to try and convince his parents to move away. Bobby and Marty met some women, Lisa and Ali, at their sandwich making job. Eventually, Lisa realized that the only way she could get Marty away from Bobby was to kill him. It sounds incredibly simplistic in a disturbing and infantile way, and it was. Unbelievably, Marty goes along with the plan as does several other friends. Bobby certainly had some problems, but the group never even really approached using any reasonable problem solving strategies. I thought it was interesting that they referred to movies and television for examples when they contemplated how to accomplish their crime.
Bobby definitely had some problems, especially if Shultze's book is reasonably accurate. I did some research on the net after reading it and found some court transcripts of the case. I didn't read it all but the main details were exactly the same as the book. Bobby was a bully. Maybe not the typical school bully, but a bully non-the-less. Most of the young people in the book were high school drop outs. That was one thing that Bobby didn't have in common. He had planned to finish high school and he was working on a realistic career plan with his father. He raped, beat, lied, stole, manipulated, took illegal drugs, and abused his friends, and he was killed by a bunch of young kids who didn't appear to comprehend what they had done. Lisa Connelly, Marty's girlfriend, was the one who thought up the whole plan. After she had been in jail for three weeks, she told her lawyer "I've done the jail thing" and expected him to get her off. The group of about eight were all sentenced to various prison sentences. The climax of the book is Marty's trial where the prosecutor is seeking the death penalty. He did receive the death penalty for his role in the killing. I found that the decision was appealed and that he is now serving a life sentence.
One other aspect of the case I found so interesting was the defense attorney's plan to use "urban psychosis" as a defense for the murder. Apparently, there was a case where that was used as a defense. Basically, urban psychosis is like post-traumatic stress disorder and is brought on by constant exposure to violence. I guess the person would not be held responsible for their crime because of this "psychosis". Anyway, Shultz said the defense lawyers dropped the idea when word got out and it became a big joke because Marty and the rest of the kids were all from good neighborhoods.
I think this story merits some attention from educators, school counselors, etc. but I 'm not really sure of the best way to use this book/movie. The movie is rated R, but there is also an unrated version. It is much too graphic to show in schools and I would hesitate to recommend it to any student. The story, though, would be an interesting one to discuss for several reasons: the problem solving strategies that could have been used, the need for and lack of adult supervision in this situation, the influence of movies and television, and strategies for dealing with bullies. As a school counselor, I feel that it would be interesting to use this story with a group dealing with bullying. I could give a short synopsis of the book and show a video clip or two followed by a discussion and/or group work. Due to the horrific and mature elements, the maturity level would have to be taken into consideration.
Mean Creek (2004)
Mean Creek was the best of the bully movies I watched as part of this project. I happen to be telling some friends, fellow movie lovers, about the project I was working on. They told me that Mean Creek would be a great one to see. The bully in the movie was named George Tooney. He mentioned that he had a learning disability in the movie. As the movie went on, you could tell that George also had some social skill difficulties. It seems as though the writer of the film, Jacob Aaron Estes, must have had some familiarity with children with special needs. I have not seen such a realistic portrayal in a movie in working with youth with disabilities for almost 20 years. George was invited along on a birthday boat trip of the victim of his bullying. On the trip, George was charming at times. He even gave Rory Culkin's character, Sam, a present. You got the feeling he was a lonely bully who now, with a real opportunity to make friends, wasn't such a bad guy. Just like a person with a social skill difficulties, it wouldn't be too long before he insulted or annoyed someone. There was one scene that I found particularly interesting. One of the boys asked George why he hit him in the past. George said it was because the boy probably did something to give him a reason. The boy said there was no reason. George couldn't comprehend that. Then Sam chipped in by saying that George does mean things without reason all the time. George fired back with a mean insult.
I found an interview with the writer/director online called Creative Revenge. Although I didn't find anything about Jacob Aaron Estis's knowledge or experience with children with disabilities, he did have some first hand experience with a bully. Jacob told the story of a bully he met on the basketball court when he was 24 years old. He said the bully had a lot of emotional problems and was very verbally abusive. For some reason, he targeted Jacob and the bullying continued. Eventually, Jacob left the court and resorted to plotting his revenge in the form of a screen play. One of the lines in the movie, "no one talks to people that way George" came directly from the basketball court bully. When Warren Curry asked Jacob how to deal with a bully, he has some insightful thoughts. He said that people need to think things through carefully before acting and try to resolve things in a non-violent way. That's the best way to approach it (Curry, 2004).
Roger Ebert wrote a favorable review of the film. He compared it to the River's Edge and Bully as recent movies that deal accurately and painfully with the consequences of peer driven behavior (Ebert, 2004). Although I havn't seen River's Edge yet, I read that, like Bully, it is based on true events. Although Mean Creek wasn't based on actual events, it looked has a much more realistic feel than Mean Girls. Ebert goes on the say that this movie would be an invaluable tool for moral discussions in schools, for discussions of situational ethics and refusing to go along with the crowd. The movie was rated R because of multiple uses of the F-word. Ebert felt the movie used dialogue that was accurate and seemed disappointed that it received an R rating. I was surprised at the rating as well. The film could still be used as an effective teaching tool because there are many clips that could be shown in isolation. Mean Creek may not be for everyone because there are some disturbing situations. The trailer is attached to give a feel for the movie.
Rats and Bullies: The Dawn Marie Wesley story (2004)
Rats and Bullies tells the story of a 14 year old young girl who committed suicide a by hanging herself in her bedroom with a dog leash. She left a suicide note naming three bullies, also friends, whose continual harassment led her to take her own life. In an unprecedented court case, the three girls were prosecuted in Canada. They used restorative justice for one of the bullies. I was not able to find a copy of the film to watch.
Roberta McMillan wrote and produced a documentary exploring the case. The film takes a look at female bullying and ways of preventing the awful end it can cause. Dawn-Marie's mother, Cindy Wesley, helped form an organization called Parents Against Violence Everywhere (PAVE) in response to this tragedy. I tried to find more information about PAVE, but all I found were a lot of other places that use that same acronym. It must either be a smaller organization without a website or non-existent.
One of the girls was found guilty of threats and criminal harassment. One was acquitted and the third also found guilty. Dawn-Marie's suicide note said "If I try to get help, it will get worse. They are always looking for a new person to beat up and they are the toughest girls. If I ratted, they would get suspended and there would be no stopping them. I love you all so much" (wikipedia, 2008). I hope to find this film because I would like to use it in my job as a counselor. Even though the story has been told on Oprah and the John Walsh show, it doesn't seem like very many people know of it.
The method of sentencing elected by the victim's family was extraordinary. The victim and one of the accused was Aboriginal so the victim's family requested that they used a First Nations Sentencing Circle. During this event, the family members of both the victim and the accused as well as the Judge, the Prosecutor, the Defendant's attorney and the Defendant, sat and passed an eagle feather twice around the circle, whoever held the feather had a chance to speak. This provided an opportunity for the victim's family and the accused to talk directly to each other.
Other Tough Issues
Another category of films I chose to look at was films that deal with the issues our youth are facing right now, i.e. drugs, home life, peer relationships. I watched a few films from some different eras. Since I had never watched Blackboard Jungle, I took the opportunity to view this classic film from the 50's. I also watched Suburbia (1974), River's Edge (1986), Heathers (1984), and Thirteen (2003). Heathers certainly fit into the bullying category as do the others to an extent.
Suburbia (1974)
Penelope Spheeris wrote and directed Suburbia. I found the movie, although dated, interesting for several reasons. She turned out to have quite a career, writing for Rosanne as well as directing Wayne's World. She directed a punk rock documentary called Decline of Western Civilization. The Vandals, DI, and other punk bands performed in Suburbia. The movie was about a bunch of runaways who live in an abandon house. The called it the TR house which stood for "The Rejected". There were only three professional actors in the movie. The rest were punk rock kids chosen to give an authentic feel (Fitzgerald, 2008). I thought it was an interesting movie to watch although pretty violent and includes some disturbing, almost shocking scenes. It's similar to several other movies I've viewed for this project in that there are some pretty dysfunctional families that the youth come from. The following film clip is kind of long but it gives a good feel for what the movie is like. One of "The Rejected" named Shiela had killed herself and this is what happens at the funeral.
River's Edge (1986)
Like Suburbia, this film is about young people and their alienation from grown-ups and responsibility (Maltin, 2001). This film is was loosely based on a real murder in 1981 where the murderer, Anthony Broussard, killed his girlfriend, Marcy Conrad, and then took several friends to see the body, some threw rocks at in and some covered in up with leaves (Null, 2008),(NY Times, 1982). Although eery and disturbing, I thought the film was interesting and worth watching, especially for Crispin Glover's performance. See clip for some great words of wisdom he gives to John, the one who committed the murder.
Thirteen (2003)
Nicki Reed co-wrote this film along with Catherine Hardwicke. It was based on Reed's experiences and those around her when she was thirteen. The film was about a young lady, Tracy, who starts at a new school in an innocent way. She sees how the other kids flock around the most popular girl, Evie Zamora, and sets out to befriend her. The film is a vivid portrayal of the slide you could easily imagine a young, attractive girl would take who desperately wants to be popular and leave her geeky childhood friends behind.
In some of my school counseling classes, we have touched on some of the shocking behaviors, like cutting, that occur with young teenage girls today. Since I don't have personal experience dealing with a cutter, I think it was helpful for me to watch this movie. It was difficult to watch at times. Normally, I wouldn't want to recommend a movie that makes a person feel uncomfortable but this film is an exception. It is rated R for drug use, self destructive violence, language and sexuality - all involving teens (imdb, 2008).
Holly Hunter was excellent as Tracy's mother, if fact she won the Academy Award for best actress in a supporting role. When she and Evie's mother planned an intervention, it was a great portrayal of how poor parents continue to make poor decisions. After revealing that they had found all Tracy's drugs, someone said, "it's good we found your stash rather than the police". I can't help but think that situation happens all too frequently.
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Blackboard Jungle was released in 1955. It is a film about a new teacher named Richard Dadier, played by Glen Ford, who attempts to change things at a school plagued with violence. Vic Morrow plays "Artie West" who is the ring leader in the school. Sidney Poitier plays Gregory Miller who Ford tried to make into a positive leader. This film was the first in the genre of a teacher facing an impossible situation. I read an interesting article about the film that addressed whether the film was based on reality, whether it supported recognized theories of criminal behavior, and how it became a cause of alleged youth crime (McCarthy, 2007). I chose to discuss this film last because I found it so thought provoking and in encompasses many ideas from the other movies.
In the beginning of the movie, the boys in front of the school were in a fenced in area dancing and acting rowdy to the tune Rock Around the Clock. The image of the fence separated the rowdies from the law abiding public. When several reached through the fence as a woman walked by, they appear almost animalistic and are even referred to as "those wild animals" by a teacher. McCarthy felt this depiction drew from the Italian criminologist Cesare Lumbroso's theory, influenced by Darwin, that criminals are biological throwbacks who failed to develop on the evolutionary tree. When I watched the movie, the scene was puzzling because it just seemed so over the top, the reaching through the fence, guys dancing with each other, someone walking on their hands, etc. McCarthy's assertion, or suggestion, or however related to Lumroso's theory seems pretty extreme to me but kind of interesting to consider none the less. McCarthy pointed out that all the rebellious youth in the film were boys. In fact, the only women in the movie, at least with prominent parts, were one of the teachers and Dadier's with, both who are victimized.
I thought it interesting that the schools name was changed for the movie. In the novel, it was called North Manual Trades High School. They dropped the word "trades" for the movie to avoid stigmatizing vocational schools (McCarthy, 2007). They changed the name but there were still several scenes where the trades were present. Dadier could barely be heard because of the loud woodshop next to his classroom. To me, this says that the influence of movies, both perceived and real, has been prominent in our culture for many years. That such a small detail would cause anyone to worry is amazing.
McCarthy didn't feel the film really delved deeply into the psychological explanation of human behavior. He referred to the work of Albery J. Reiss in 1951 that postulated youth, with a tendency to engage in criminal behavior, suffered from a weak super ego that impaired their ability to follow social norms. Reiss, who worked in both the Carter and Reagan administrations, had an amazing career in criminology (Sherman, 2005). McCarthy suggested Artie West as someone who could have been diagnosed with some type of mental disorder but the film never went there. I feel that other movies and books I read for this project also included characters who, like West, are close to some type of mental disorder. In Mean Creek, George talked about his disability. In the book about the murder of Bobby Kent, the defense lawyers thought about using the "urban psychosis" defense. On account of their crazy and violent life styles, one could argue that both Bobby Kent and Marty Puccio had at least some mental instability. Of course, you can't dismiss the roll that steroids and other drugs played. One area that Reiss studied carefully were offenders who enticed others to commit their first crime. All of the movies I just mentioned included characters who led others down the path to their first experience in criminal activity. Interestingly, one of the major changes from the novel to film in Blackboard Jungle was that their was no mention of West being the gang leader in the novel.
McCarthy pointed out several crimes in the movie, a few were additions that weren't in the novel, that emphasize the rational choice theory, i.e. people decide on their own how they are going to behave. The film made some mention itself about theories for the cause to the youth crime. For example, the detective said that the fathers went to war, the mothers to the factories, and it was left to the gang leaders to raise the kids. Dadier said that "they get clobbered at home" indicating abuse. Their was also suggestion of West being high by Miller during the intense fight scene at the end of the movie.
McCarthy made an interesting observation of a scene in the movie that proved to be another personal learning experience. During the fight scene in the alley, a neighbor closed the window and turned the light. It was probably an attempt to avoid getting involved. McCarthy mentioned this as an eerie prescient to the murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 in Queens. I read about this shocking case where many neighbors hurt Kitty screaming for help as she was murdered and did nothing. Eventually, on person called the police. The case became famous because it was alleged that 38 people heard and did nothing to help.
Similar to the hearings about the negative influence of comics and television, there were hearings three months after Blackboard Jungle's release. It was banned in Memphis, Atlanta, and other cities. According to McCarthy, with the benefits of hindsight, it appeared that those who thought the film triggered crime were wrong. As the production code broke down during the decade after Blackboard, the violence in movies, video games, and cable television has escalated to an almost unbelievable level, and yet, with an overall drop in crime rate, today's youth may be the most law abiding yet (McCarthy, 2007).
At risk of giving away the ending to those who have not seen the movie, I thought the way the Dadier finally reached the students was interesting. He used a movie of Jack and the Beanstalk to teach a lesson. They finally responded positively. The renewed interest in learning even carried over into the old bitter teacher's class. I thought it was a great example of using film as an educational tool, even though West's conclusion from watching the movie was that crime does pay. After watching the film with a friend recently, I was surprised to learn that it was on a list for students to watch over spring break for extra credit at a local ALC. Even though it is over fifty years old, I think it is very interesting film, especially when you think about how it has influenced so many people.
In conclusion, I feel like I have just scratched the surface with this project. I could easily write a weekly blog about a particular movie and it's relevance to education in some way. I watched other movies that I didn't write about because they just didn't seem to fit in for one reason on another. For example, Hearts in Atlantis was a decent movie with a bully in it, however, it didn't leave a lasting impression of significance for me. When I did find a film I felt was significant, I would do some research. In that research, I often found myself pursuing other resources like good books. Thanks to the internet with all that information at your finger tips, each time you sit down at the computer your on another adventure that can spin off into several different directions.
One example of a wealth of information is the subject of female bullying. In her book Queen Bees and Wannabees, Rosalind Wiseman writes about the powerful role that cliques play in the lives of girls. She feels they are worst in sixth, seventh, and grade. This book would be a valuable resource of a school counselor, teacher, and especially for parents of a young lady. Another resource that may be helpful is entitled Mean Girls Grown Up by Cheryl Dellasega which, obviously, is for older women still dealing with similar issues from their teens years.
Speaking of real life crime, as I was doing the research for this project I learned something about the Columbine killers I did not know. Dave Cullen wrote an article titled The Depressive and the Psychopath: At last we know why the Columbine killers did it. In his article, he talks about most peoples perception of why they did it, i.e. taking revenge against high school bullies. According to Cullen, the FBI and its teams of psychologists and psychiatrists believe Harris and Klebold knew exactly what they were doing. They planned to murder hundreds of people on that day. Fortunately, they were not never good with bombs. Klebold, the article asserts, was depressive and suicidal. He blamed himself for his problems. Harris, on the other hand, was cold, calculating, and homicidal. In short, he was a psychopath (Cullen). Ever since Columbine, I have been worried about copycats. It seems to me that once something like this happens, as horrific and unbelievable as it is, there is a chance that more disgruntled and sick young people will resort to the most extreme option they can think of when they feel they loose all hope. As educators and parents, I feel we have a responsibility to be aware of what our young people are into. That means being aware of pop culture.
There were more areas of interest closely related that caught my attention as I was working on this project, like cyber-bullying. That is an area I hate to leave out because, as parents and educators, we have to be aware of it. I'm sure I'll have cause to explore further, especially if I'm able to make the move to a school counselor position in the future.
References
Cullen, D. (2004). The Depressive and the Psychopath: At last we know why the columbine killers did it. Retrieved 4/10/08 from http://www.slate.com/id/2000203/
Curry, W. (2004). Creative Revenge: Jacob Aaaron Estes and Mean Creek. Retrieved 4-28-08 from http://www.einsiders.com/features/interviews/estes.php
Ebert, R. (2004). Mean Creek. Retrieved 4-28-08 from http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040826/reviews/408260302/1023
Fitzgerald, S. (2008). Suburbia Retrieved 5/3/08 from http://www.fast-rewind.com
imbd (2003). Thirteen. Retrieved 4/3/08 from http://www.imbd.com/title/tt0328538/
McCarthy, K. (2007). Juvenile Delinquency and Crime Theory in Blackboard Jungle. Retrieved 4/1/08 from http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/vol14.html#vol14is4
Shultze, J. (1994). Does Anyone Deserve to Die. Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge. New York.
