Secret Life of the American Teenager

This week we watched Supernatural and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Both had visible elements related to religiosity. For me, personally, I hated Supernatural. I’m not really into the whole millennial sci-fi television. The Secret Life of the American Teenager, while corny during parts, was still a show that I could see myself watching either when I was younger or when there might be nothing on TV. When I was thinking about my belief that I would watch it when I was younger, it made me think about whom this show was geared towards. Interestingly enough, it is on the ABC family, so it fits into their “whole new type of family” scheme.

From looking up information online about the show, I learned that the show certainly did not have an easy time hitting the market. The creator of the show, who was also, interestingly enough, the creator of 7^th heaven, tried to sell it to numerous stations before ABC Family picked it up. Despite the initial lack of confidence in the storyline, the show has enjoyed huge success.  One of its season two episodes became ABC family’s most watched telecast ever in the 12-34 age range. This fact blew my mind and shows the appeal of such a controversial show.

While the show is seen as a catalyst of ABC Family’s “New type of family” motto, I want to call that into question. Certainly, teenage pregnancy is not the norm, but in the episode we watched, besides the teenage pregnancy, there are a lot of traditional familial aspects. A striking aspect for me, was the not one, but two, 4 person families who sat down for dinner together. This is one of the most standard symbols of a traditional family and in this sense, ABC family is doing nothing to change viewers perspective of that familial symbol.

The Pew Forum article gives many examples of how millennials seem to be much more open in their views and even suggests that them seem to be, in general, less tied to religion. Strauss and Howe had a completely opposite interpretation of the millennial generation, believing that they were “increasingly returning toward/ identifying with religion” (Stein 1.12). Stein bridges the gap between these conflicting views by arguing that “according to the many varying analyses, blog posts, books, and newspaper articles, millennials seek a return to tradition and organization, yet want less dogma and more acceptance of diversity” (Stein 1.13). This interpretation would certainly help explain the popularity of The Secret Life of the American Teenager which exposes many aspect of the Christian religion, yet at the same time, has its own unique, modern and millennial spin that seems to be resonating with millennial viewers.  

Scrubs

So this weekend I find myself sitting in a hotel room in Rochester NY. I’m here with my team for the frozen four. Our first game is at 7 and its only 1230 and I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for the game to start. Time is certainly not flying in my anticipation. I decided that this would be the perfect time to watch a new show and blog about it. Not really knowing what I wanted to watch this week, I asked one of my roommates if they could suggest any TV shows that they like. Modern Family was suggested first but since I have already watched that I had to use her second choice: Scrubs.

Scrubs was always a show that I’ve seen previews for but it never really grabbed my attention. However, I wanted to take her advice and decided to give it a shot. The show follows JD, who is an intern at Sacred Heart Hospital. What’s with the television formula of following interns through hospitals? To me, the show seemed like a shorter Grey’s Anatomy with a more comedic influence. Grey’s Anatomy is more of a drama and characters seem to take situations at the hospital more seriously than the characters on Scrubs, but the premise is similar. I’m sure if I continued to watch through the current ninth season, I would find JD becoming a skilled doctor, as we are beginning to see in Greys Anatomy.

One of the most unique parts of the show involves the daydreams of JD. They seem to show just how nervous he is about his new position. The daydreams are always really exaggerated and would never happen in real life but I think that they really give a unique flair to the show and give JD some depth as a character.

Something else that I noticed was that, in my opinion, the interns seem to be the more normal ones, whereas, the doctors seem to be somewhat neurotic and crazy. At one point JD says who’s the good guy in this experience? Well, in this episode, I would argue that JD and his fellow interns are the good guys and the doctors and people who are in positions of power are the villains. It’s an interesting way to frame the show, but I think that many people can probably relate to being low on the totem pole at their jobs, just like JD, and it probably is refreshing and comforting to watch everything play out.

Overall, the show was good, but not my favorite. If I had to rate it I would probably give it a 7 or so. That being said, it was a nice way to kill time and my game is now an hour closer.

Magic & Technology in Harry Potter

In his article entitled, “Harry Potter’s World as a Morality Tale of Technology and Media,” Nicholas Sheltrown encourages the reader and viewer of Harry Potter to consider the aspect of technology and media in the Harry Potter series. Sheltrown argues that “Technology is not simply a popular fixture in these stories, reduced to the description of silly but fantastic gadgets; rather, technology is deeply embedded in the Character of Harry Potter” (48). He goes on to suggest that Rowling creates magical technologies that are everywhere in the series. Technology and magic have an interesting relationship in the series, he suggests; they often seem difficult to even distinguish. Sheltrown breaks down the relationship between magic and technology in the series, categorizing it into two parts: magic-tech and tech-magic. Magic-tech can be described as “ordinary items from our muggle world that have been magically modified, such as flying cars” and Tech-magic is described as objects that have no similar object in the world, instead, they exist only in the world of Harry Potter (Sheltrown 48). An example would be wand.

On of the most intriguing parts of the article was the ultimate belief of Sheltrown that “Rowling’s segregation of the wizarding world from regular technologies is critical in that it throws our dependency on these technologies into sharp relied” (58). Not being an avid Harry Potter fan, I think that I incorrectly judged Harry Potter because on the surface level, with the concept of magic that the school is based upon it is hard not to associate that with technology. My previous opinions may be the reason why I was initially skeptical of the argument Sheltrown was making. While I was watching the movie, I slowly adopted Sheltrown's belief. I as the viewer, was confronted with countless examples of magic, but rarely were there any technologies present that millennials use in every day life. In fact, if anything, Hogwarts seems to be technologically behind if you hold the magic constant: “Students at Hogwarts write with quills, parchment and ink. Their photographs, though moving, are in black-and-white. They lack electricity, phones, and other regular fixtures of the muggle world” (Sheltrown 57). When I was watching this movie, I was struck by how on target this statement was. In a world where technology has come to be so entrenched in our everyday lives, viewers would be hard-pressed to find many examples of these common technologies.

Millennials have been cast as a technologically savvy generation, yet here we are, relating to story that involves hardly any technology. What does the lack of technology in this series, in combination with the millennial obsession with Harry Potter suggest about our generation? Does it make sense that the millennials are turning to a fantasy world lacking technology? These questions are much more than yes or no questions, but they are certainly ones that I was thinking about during the screening and hope to discuss in class.

Real Housewives

Before you read this post, I need to admit something. I am a closet Real Housewives fan. I have watched countless episodes and seasons. The Real Housewives of New York City, DC, Orange County and Beverly Hills are my favorite. I am not really a fan of the other two, which are Atlanta and New Jersey. That being said, I was thrilled when I learned that there was going to be a new season in a new location: Miami.

Judging by the first episode, this season will fall into the category that includes Real Housewives of New Jersey and Atlanta. Seeing as I couldn’t even get through the whole episode, I wont be downloading another. While these shows always tend to elicit drama between the housewives, this season it seems like the cast was picked solely for the purpose of creating drama. While I know that a lot of the drama is staged and exaggerated, from what I have seen, it seems over the top. Also, judging by the previews of the season, the arguments that they have, seem to stem from petty little issues and the drama that ensues seems completely forced and embellished (probably for ratings). Sure, I’ll be the first one to admit that the drama is often the best part of the show, but when it seems to happen too regularly, I get tired of it, and decreases the excitement.

Additionally, as in every series, most of the women seem to be pretty fake. It’s ironic seeing as the show is called the Real Housewives of blah ba di blah, that most of the women aren’t very “real.” Maybe its because my definition of real does not allow for fame and money obsessive women, who often appear to be two-faced, overdramatic gold diggers, but that’s just my opinion.

One of the most hilarious parts of the show is the intro to the show where each woman has a line that they say that applies to their life. Typically their sayings are extremely egotistical and I, personally, can’t take them seriously—so instead, I laugh. Here are the sayings from this series:

Larsa: My husbands got moves, but I run the game

Christy: In my world, attitude is everything. I’m keeping it real.

Adriana: I speak five languages, but I can get a man with no words

Marysol: I put others in the spotlight, but somehow it keeps finding me.

Alexia: Beauty is power, if you know how to use it

Lea: I care about a lot of things. What others think of me isn’t one of them.

The cast is comprised of a conglomeration of single and married housewives, working women and mothers. Each woman seems to bring her own uniqueness to the table, but for me this season, I’m not intrigued. Luckily for me, the Real Housewives of Orange County is back on TV as well, so I can watch that instead. 

Dont take my word for it though. Watch the trailer and judge for yourself.

Roswell

Roswell is a science fiction teen television show that centers on teens in the small town of Roswell New Mexico, where there was an alleged UFO crash. The show follows teen humans and teen aliens, showing how they cope with everyday teen issues in a town where they have to keep a huge secret.

There is a huge stigma against aliens and the UFO crash in the town. In a scene during the pilot, a teacher poses the question “does anyone actually believe in aliens?” All I could think about was if I were the alien, how a comment like that would make me feel. Their whole life is spent trying to keep this secret from getting out, Max even says, “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to be so invisible.” It seems like such a burden to keep this secret.

While some people didn’t enjoy the show, I sort of liked it. I think that the second episode was necessary to get a better feel for the show. While watching it, I could not help but think of the similarities between Roswell and Twilight. In twilight ware wolves and vampires try to mesh into teen everyday life, whereas in Roswell, aliens try this out.

I can definitely understand how teens really enjoyed the show and how people connected with it. It makes sense that people turned to online communities to discuss Roswell. While Roswell has no direct connection to 9/11, it was argued that 9/11 was a large topic between Roswell fan community members immediately after the attacks. At first I was quick to judge, thinking that it was weird (even inconsiderate) for a TV show based community to be engaged in conversation related to such a serious event as 9/11, but the more I read Professor Steins article, the more I agreed with her. The Roswell fans all have common ground in their appreciation of the show and seemingly the values it projects. Making sense of such a tragedy in such a community makes sense. Internet communities allow people to forge friendships and debate and engage in conversations with others without judging them based on their appearance or background. The Internet allows for a certain anonymity that fosters a sense of comfort. In a community of people who you share common ground with, it makes sense that Roswell fans turned to their Roswell community to discuss 9/11, something that is never even addressed in the show.

30 Rock

So I just watched the pilot of 30 Rock, after being advised to for the longest time, and I am so mad at myself for not watching the show earlier. I think through this experience thus far, I have learned that I am a picky TV show picker. By that I mean that I am picky about what TV shows I choose to pick up. I think I often have misconceptions about the premises of certain shows, incorrectly judge them, and thus lack the motivation to ever watch them. That being said, I don’t think that I am a particularly picky TV show watcher because once I eventually watch the show, I have found that more often than not, I enjoy it.

30 Rock was surprisingly entertaining for me. I don’t even know why it was surprising to me given the all-star cast, but I unexpectedly really liked it. Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey seems to be the character that the show revolves around. Tracy Jordan was probably my favorite character followed closely by Liz Lemon, however, the funny parts of the show were certainly not limited to scenes with just those character.

I think that part of the reason why the show is so successful is that not only is it funny, but it seems to attack common stereotypes. In this episode alone, it could be argued that race gender, class, and disability stereotypes were all addressed. Additionally, these stereotypes are addressed using humor as a means to expose them. Being able to laugh at stereotypes suggests a certain sense of cultural awareness and this show certainly encourages that.

Overall I loved 30 Rock and could definitely see myself watching it again. Two thumbs up!

As an extra for this week, here's the preview of an episode that contains a scene that is a favorite of many of my friends which they incessantly quote: 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/43183/30-rock-believe-in-the-stars

Harry Potter

I have never quite understood the obsession with Harry Potter. I have only seen the first Harry Potter movie and that was when it first came out years ago, so needless to say, I was a little confused last night because I had no context of what was going on. That being said, I probably find myself within the minority of the millennial generation in my stance towards Harry Potter. So many of my friends like Harry Potter—in fact some of them are obsessed. The Harry Potter books proved to be my first experience with utter fandom related to books. Never before in my young educational career, had so many of my peers been obsessed with a book. Harry Potter was changing the way that kids read. Bond and Michelson argue “The popularity of the Harry Potter series has shifted reading for many young readers from the encapsulated textual experiences of their classrooms to the more personally connected reading experience of and envisionment” (311).

Its no shock that most kids find popular culture much more intriguing than history textbooks. One student makes a case that, it is one thing to learn about something you know nothing about and could care less about, and it is another to read one of your classmate’s piece of fandom. Schools are extremely reluctant to turn towards media outlets and fandom to cultivate learning, however, because there has always been such a stigma against them. Children, though, are probably learning much more in their online fandom experiences, than they are in the classroom. One of the most common aspects of online fandom for Harry Potter enthusiasts is writing new chapters that may delve more deeply into a characters life. Often they will submit this piece of work and it will be critiqued allowing them to not only perfect their piece of fandom but also their writing skills. Henry Jenkins argues, “they use analytic concepts they probably wouldn’t encounter until they reached the advanced undergraduate classroom” (3).

In my opinion, schools are silly to ignore the student’s passions. Often times, reading and writing is a dreaded task for kids because they don’t care about what they are reading and writing. However, think about if students were writing about something that they truly had interest in—I would have to believe that they would put a lot more time and effort into this writing. It wouldn’t be seen as a tedious task, instead they would see it as fun. Think about Hogwarts: it is a highly esteemed school, yet they are always participating in interactive tasks and fun competitions. With the prospect of this fantasy school, why would any student be intrigued by the mundane type of schooling that often takes place across the US. Whether students are reading Harry Potter, or a typical school short story, they are perfecting their literacy skills, why not let them enjoy their reading?