Comment by whaleidk
3 days ago
We used to teach kids to be themselves and stand up for what they believe in and their own authenticity and uniqueness even in the face of bullying. That having less or other doesn’t mean your value is lesser or that you should be left out. Now we teach them… conform at all costs so you never have to risk being bullied or lonely?
> Now we teach them… conform at all costs so you never have to risk being bullied or lonely?
Literally every kid/teen-targeted movie has championed or contradicted this for decades. Yes even “back in the day.” Hell what is the end of Grease? Sandy changes who she is to conform with the greasers and everyone cheers including her man who allegedly liked her as she was before? I don’t even get what they’re saying at the end.
Conform, be an individual, the message is always shifting and always has. You’re a jock, you’re a nerd. Jocks beat up nerds and get the girls. Oh wait in this movie the nerds actually win and are rewarded for being themselves though.
There wasn’t some special time where you were taught the right lesson that everyone now is missing out on, and there were plenty of lessons passed on to you that we have thankfully eradicated I imagine. Growing up is complicated. Social dynamics are complicated. The way they are portrayed is also complicated. We’re all having to adapt and try our best here, no one has the exact answer
Getting the girl as a reward is more about misogyny than a the bullying lesson. I haven’t seen grease so I can’t talk about that but I really can’t think of any media examples of where the geeks become jocks and that’s seen as morally correct, which would be the actual antithesis to the lesson above. Also I meant that parents taught that, not adult media… which is for adults
Not talking about getting the girl - the two had already fallen in love at the start as they were. That’s what’s so weird.
My point is all of this stuff is inconsistent regardless of target audience or decade.