Katie Weiskotten 03/22/10
English - World Lit. Paper Mod 5
A person becomes who they are because of the influences they encounter throughout their life. Whenever someone makes a decision, they are using past experiences to help them make up their mind. They then pass these beliefs down to younger generations, and this influence ends up spanning many decades. The way people are taught to behave has a profound impact on how they live their life. In Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata, the protagonist Kikuji is influenced by the older generation, specifically his father, and also by the characters and the tea ceremonies that take place in the novel. In Chronicles of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the main character and other characters in the novel are influenced greatly by their elders, and what their society expects from them, from protecting their own honor and their family’s honor to what rituals they are advised to do. Because the older generations were raised in very traditional, controlling societies, the common theme in the books Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez focuses on the rigid restraints they put on the characters Chikako and Santiago .
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the idea that honor prevailed over everyone and everything was one of the main themes of the book. Families felt that they had an obligation to protect the honor of their family, and this caused many misunderstandings and a lot of miscommunication in their society. This was how past generations acted, and it became an accepted way of life. When Santiago Nasar was thought to have taken Angela Vicario’s virginity before she was married, it was almost expected by all the men and women in their society for him to be killed to protect her family’s honor. But even though she consented to this with Santiago , he was still blamed and killed. The older generation restrained the younger generation, forcing the Vicario brothers to believe they had to protect their family’s honor by killing Santiago without second-guessing themselves. Her brothers were protective of her and knew that her honor was not allowed to be taken from her, especially from a man they did not know or trust. They thought it was necessary and justifiable to kill Santiago . On the day the Vicario brothers planned on killing Santiago , they even went to a festival where they danced and drank with Santiago . When they found out, only a few hours later, what Santiago did, they killed him. In their society, it was an unspoken obligation. They walked around town for a while before they committed the murder, and even went to the butcher shop to sharpen their knives for the killing. The actions of the Vicario brothers telling everyone how they were going to kill Santiago showed that they didn’t want to have to murder him, but they were trained to go through with the murder without a second thought. Even aware of the murder about to take place, no one did anything to try to warn Santiago’s family or actually stop the murder itself. The reader sits there, on the edge of their seat, waiting for someone to hint to someone else in the story what is about to happen, but no one ever does. The most logical reason for their lack of action is that this is just what is accepted in their society, and always has been. People who read this book, and don’t live in a society similar to that of Santiago and the Vicario brothers can’t seem to comprehend how a murder is overlooked and not paid much attention to. But, in their society, everyone is accustomed to not reacting to something that seems like such a big deal to others.
The citizens of this town keep quiet out of fear that they might meet the same fate as Santiago. They have been taught to keep quiet by the older people in the town. It is a learned action. No one seems to have ever stood up to another person when it concerned a controversy over morals. The society needed a brave person to stand up and defy that normality, but it never had happened. Another example of how the older generation effects the younger generation was how the older woman in Angela's life told her how to cover up her not being a virgin on her wedding night. "The only thing they believe is what they see on the sheet," they told her (Marquez, 38). It was a tradition and a man's expectation in their society to show the blood on their bed sheet the morning after their wedding as proof that they had consummated their marriage. Since Angela was not a virgin, she was told "old wives' tales" on how to cover up what she had done. Angela went into her marriage thinking that all the tips and tricks the old women had told her would save her and her marriage. She didn't even second guess what these women had told her, and if it would work or not. The old womens' perceived "wisdom" and "proof of what would work" led Angela to believe everything they had said immediately. When their advice did not work for Angela, she was completely surprised. She had never given a second thought to what they had told her, and what happened was completely unexpected. Angela had put her complete trust in these women, and their words had betrayed her. Everyone in this society was too afraid to rise above the accepted old "wisdom" they all lived by, so none of the seemingly unfair and unreasonable parts of their society were ever changed.
In Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata, traditional aspects of Kikuji's society in Japan played a large part in the way the novel played out. Kikuji was born to a man who had affairs with the women Mrs. Ota and Chikako. This affected Kikuji's life ever since he was a child. He was accustomed to other women in his father's life, and this came back to affect him the same way it affected his father. When Kikuji became an adult, Chikako tried to control every aspect of Kikuji's life, attempting to play the role of Kikuji's mother. She feels obligated to do so because his mother and father had both passed away, and she wanted to take care of him. Chikako also invites Kikuji over to participate in one of her tea ceremonies, trying to get him to marry the Inamura girl. Mrs. Ota also tries to get her daughter, Fumiko, to marry him. These women take on this responsibility of mother because they are drawn to it - they want some way to remember and feel close to Kikuji's father, and they also want to fit into the stereotype of women in Japanese society. The tea ceremony in Japanese culture is a way to introduce a man to different possible wives, and this is exactly what Chikako was aiming for for Kikuji. Kikuji is exposed to many traditions and rituals that have been in Japanese culture for hundreds of years by Chikako. He and Fumiko, and sometimes Chikako, spend time with one another and use tea cups and bowls that are of significant meaning. Towards the beginning of the book, during one of the tea ceremonies, Chikako used the black and white Oribe that had been passed down many generations between Mrs. Ota's family, Kikuji's family and Chikako. It held significance, and was supposed to be used in the ceremony because it had always been. At one point after the first few tea ceremonies, Chikako says to Kikuji, "If she comes it will be a sign that as far as she's concerned everything is settled." Kikuji responded, "I don't like anything about the idea. And I won't be coming home anyway." Chikako then said, "We'll talk about it later. Well, that's how things are. Come right home, now" (Kawabata, 43). Chikako thinks she has settled the marriage between Kikuji and the Inamura girl, but Kikuji doesn't understand how something could be settled so easily and quickly without his consent. Chikako has learned that this is the way marriages are set up in their society: not out of love, but out of obligation to one another and their families. Chikako saying "Come right home, now" has a stern, motherly tone to it, and this causes Kikuji some stress and grief as to why she is talking this way to him. She feels she needs to take over as his mother, since his father is now dead, but Kikuji and the reader are aware that she just wants to have control over him, because she didn't have any control over his father. She feels that since she is an outcast because of her "ugly" birthmark, she can fit into society by obtaining the role of mother. Towards the end of the novel, Kikuji and Fumiko have another tea ceremony, this time just as friends. There is no pressure to seek out a marriage partner, and this is because someone older, like Chikako or Mrs. Ota is not there to force them together to consider marriage. They are free as a more open-minded generation to just sit and talk, and not feel like they have to talk about a serious matter, such as marriage. Kikuji and Fumiko used the tea bowls for non-traditional purposes towards the end of the book, showing this by throwing the bowls and breaking them. They were finally resisting the traditions from their society that they had been forced to follow all their lives until that point. The incorporation of traditional tea glassware by Kawabata showed how the older generation still left a lasting impact on how the younger people of Japan conducted themselves, though. The many bright, traditional colors of red and white and the Shino bowl support the idea that young people used traditional objects in their daily lives because they were conditioned by the older generation to do so, even when the older people were not around.
It is very clear to the reader that the older generations left a lasting impact on the young people in the books. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Angela listened to the older women in the town, and took their advice even though it didn't work. She used it for the sole purpose that they were older and wiser, and she needed to listen to them, yet that was not always the case. In Thousand Cranes, Kikuji was forced to listen to Chikako just because she was older and had more power than him, even though she was portrayed as a "venomous" character who inflicted pain upon everyone she interacted with. He also continued to practice the art of the tea ceremonies with young people, like Fumiko, because he had grown up experiencing them, and was conditioned to continue to participate in them. Both novels had an underlying theme of the older people in both novel's societies having power over all the characters in the books. They continued to bring the influence of what they grew up with into the lives of the young people that existed in the novels. Even though the younger characters tried to resist the older generation's power, they continued to be influenced by the "traditional, controlling " rules and regulations that the older generation brought down upon them from their own upbringings.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
English - TTTC Final Project (Big Fish)
Katie Weiskotten 6/1/10
English - TTTC Final Project - Big Fish Mod 5
In both The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and the movie Big Fish, the main focus is storytelling. As we learn in both, there are many ways to tell a story. Both the novel and movie are focused on the sharing of experiences with others. Both of the main characters, Tim O'Brien and Edward Bloom, told stories that they exaggerated for effect. Their reasoning was so they could keep the person listening hooked. Exaggerating the details and stretching the truth always seemed to make for a more interesting plot. All of the stories these characters told made the listener question what parts of them were the actual truth. With the passing on of experiences and stories from one person to another, the truth often became blurred. Edward Bloom's son William Bloom said, "Everything my father tells is a complete fabrication." Edward's stories have become part of his being and he finds it hard, even for himself, to distinguish between what is real and fake. Both this movie and novel evaluate what stories truly are, and if the generally accepted "truth" in them is actually what it seems to be, and display how big the role of storytelling and the truth that exists in stories are.
Storytelling in both the novel and movie played a key role in the main characters’ lives. The Things They Carried consisted of stories that the author, Tim O’Brien, wrote about his time in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In Big Fish, Edward Bloom told people all around him the stories of his life from his adventures all over the world. All of the stories that these two people told were, in a way, part of them. They carried them around and protected them like they were their favorite possession. Both of the stories and characters have a lot in common, and are two very comparable pieces of work. Both characters told their stories with exaggerations and fabricated details to make it more interesting. O’Brien says in his novel that in true war stories, it is “difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen.” He explains that when someone is listening to a true war story, they must know that what happened probably didn’t happen exactly as it was being told, or even at all, but they have to make themselves believe it anyway to get the full effect. The same with Bloom’s life stories in Big Fish, he told stories that had variations of the truth in them. For example, he exaggerated the size of the fish throughout the story, making it seem hard to believe, but the people listening to him wanted to believe him and go along with the story. The main point in holding onto these stories, for both O’Brien and Bloom, was to keep the memories of important times in their lives with them. These memories gave them comfort, even if some of the stories weren’t the most optimistic or uplifting. They kept them for themselves, to reminisce upon. But O’Brien and Bloom wanted to share their stories with others, too. Like O’Brien said about all soldiers and veterans, they just need to talk to someone. They just want to share their stories, and have others feel some of what they felt during that time in their life, during the war. Everything Edward said to the people in his life seemed to be at least somewhat made up, but he believed everything he himself said. He wanted desperately for other people to believe him, too. There are many ways of telling stories, as we learned in both the novel and movie, and they all have a different way of impacting the person listening. O'Brien and Bloom's stories were what made them who they were.
In both the novel and the movie, the characters were part of a larger story, and they told smaller stories involved in the big picture. The stories told by both O'Brien and Bloom all had a hint of fantasy and fairytale to them. In The Things They Carried, details were added to the story to make it more appealing to the person listening. When O'Brien was retelling the story of Mary Anne and her time in Vietnam, for example, he would say things about her that weren't necessarily true. He made up some of the parts that told of the Greenies and where they lived, and how Mary Anne joined them and became essentially "evil". Bloom also added details to all of his stories to make them better. He told true stories, but they were branches off of the truth. He made the fish seem bigger than it really was, he made the two Japanese singers conjoined twins when they were really not, and he added the idea that in the town of Spectre, no one wore shoes because it was so perfect, and no one ever wanted to leave. Both of these men needed to tell someone their stories to make them more believable to others and ultimately, themselves. When O'Brien told his war stories, people always listened and believed him. Edward Bloom would tell his stories too, but his son William wouldn't have any of it. William said that he had listened to his father's stories for far too long. He told his father, "You believed your stories so much longer than you should have," and that he "didn't know who his father was anymore." William had had enough of his father's "lies" and "elaborate mythologies," and didn't want to listen to fake stories involving fake people and places anymore. He just wanted to know his real father, he wanted to know the "truth". But, for Edward, the definition of truth was hard to explain. O'Brien, in The Things They Carried also dealt with his daughter not really caring about the things that happened to him, either. She didn't understand what he was telling her, and didn't believe it to be "real". Therefore, she had no interest in listening to what he had to say about the war. Both characters had to have faith in their own experiences, and know that, even if some of the things they told were made-up, and people didn't believe them, they believed in themselves that everything they said was the truth; their truth.
Both storytelling and the "truth" of the stories being told played a key role in the development of the movie and novel. Exaggerations and added details enhanced the stories being passed on from one person to another, making them better. Even if these ideas were not "real" nor the "truth," they added emotion and feeling to each story. What was important to both O'Brien and Bloom, they incorporated into their stories. Whatever they felt was real and factual they put into the stories, because it actually happened to them, accompanied by emotions. Whatever they decided to tell people was fine and can be classified as "truth" because it was good enough for each of them. It was their own truth.
English - TTTC Final Project - Big Fish Mod 5
In both The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and the movie Big Fish, the main focus is storytelling. As we learn in both, there are many ways to tell a story. Both the novel and movie are focused on the sharing of experiences with others. Both of the main characters, Tim O'Brien and Edward Bloom, told stories that they exaggerated for effect. Their reasoning was so they could keep the person listening hooked. Exaggerating the details and stretching the truth always seemed to make for a more interesting plot. All of the stories these characters told made the listener question what parts of them were the actual truth. With the passing on of experiences and stories from one person to another, the truth often became blurred. Edward Bloom's son William Bloom said, "Everything my father tells is a complete fabrication." Edward's stories have become part of his being and he finds it hard, even for himself, to distinguish between what is real and fake. Both this movie and novel evaluate what stories truly are, and if the generally accepted "truth" in them is actually what it seems to be, and display how big the role of storytelling and the truth that exists in stories are.
Storytelling in both the novel and movie played a key role in the main characters’ lives. The Things They Carried consisted of stories that the author, Tim O’Brien, wrote about his time in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In Big Fish, Edward Bloom told people all around him the stories of his life from his adventures all over the world. All of the stories that these two people told were, in a way, part of them. They carried them around and protected them like they were their favorite possession. Both of the stories and characters have a lot in common, and are two very comparable pieces of work. Both characters told their stories with exaggerations and fabricated details to make it more interesting. O’Brien says in his novel that in true war stories, it is “difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen.” He explains that when someone is listening to a true war story, they must know that what happened probably didn’t happen exactly as it was being told, or even at all, but they have to make themselves believe it anyway to get the full effect. The same with Bloom’s life stories in Big Fish, he told stories that had variations of the truth in them. For example, he exaggerated the size of the fish throughout the story, making it seem hard to believe, but the people listening to him wanted to believe him and go along with the story. The main point in holding onto these stories, for both O’Brien and Bloom, was to keep the memories of important times in their lives with them. These memories gave them comfort, even if some of the stories weren’t the most optimistic or uplifting. They kept them for themselves, to reminisce upon. But O’Brien and Bloom wanted to share their stories with others, too. Like O’Brien said about all soldiers and veterans, they just need to talk to someone. They just want to share their stories, and have others feel some of what they felt during that time in their life, during the war. Everything Edward said to the people in his life seemed to be at least somewhat made up, but he believed everything he himself said. He wanted desperately for other people to believe him, too. There are many ways of telling stories, as we learned in both the novel and movie, and they all have a different way of impacting the person listening. O'Brien and Bloom's stories were what made them who they were.
In both the novel and the movie, the characters were part of a larger story, and they told smaller stories involved in the big picture. The stories told by both O'Brien and Bloom all had a hint of fantasy and fairytale to them. In The Things They Carried, details were added to the story to make it more appealing to the person listening. When O'Brien was retelling the story of Mary Anne and her time in Vietnam, for example, he would say things about her that weren't necessarily true. He made up some of the parts that told of the Greenies and where they lived, and how Mary Anne joined them and became essentially "evil". Bloom also added details to all of his stories to make them better. He told true stories, but they were branches off of the truth. He made the fish seem bigger than it really was, he made the two Japanese singers conjoined twins when they were really not, and he added the idea that in the town of Spectre, no one wore shoes because it was so perfect, and no one ever wanted to leave. Both of these men needed to tell someone their stories to make them more believable to others and ultimately, themselves. When O'Brien told his war stories, people always listened and believed him. Edward Bloom would tell his stories too, but his son William wouldn't have any of it. William said that he had listened to his father's stories for far too long. He told his father, "You believed your stories so much longer than you should have," and that he "didn't know who his father was anymore." William had had enough of his father's "lies" and "elaborate mythologies," and didn't want to listen to fake stories involving fake people and places anymore. He just wanted to know his real father, he wanted to know the "truth". But, for Edward, the definition of truth was hard to explain. O'Brien, in The Things They Carried also dealt with his daughter not really caring about the things that happened to him, either. She didn't understand what he was telling her, and didn't believe it to be "real". Therefore, she had no interest in listening to what he had to say about the war. Both characters had to have faith in their own experiences, and know that, even if some of the things they told were made-up, and people didn't believe them, they believed in themselves that everything they said was the truth; their truth.
Both storytelling and the "truth" of the stories being told played a key role in the development of the movie and novel. Exaggerations and added details enhanced the stories being passed on from one person to another, making them better. Even if these ideas were not "real" nor the "truth," they added emotion and feeling to each story. What was important to both O'Brien and Bloom, they incorporated into their stories. Whatever they felt was real and factual they put into the stories, because it actually happened to them, accompanied by emotions. Whatever they decided to tell people was fine and can be classified as "truth" because it was good enough for each of them. It was their own truth.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
English - Chronicle Final Project (#6, News Story)
What happened yesterday in the town of Sucre, Colombia was a truly horrific event. Santiago Nasar, a young fiancé, engaged to Flora Miguel, was brutally murdered by Pedro and Pablo Vicario on his front doorstep in front of many of his own townspeople. What could have been the cause of such a horrific event, and why didn't anyone do anything to stop it? We have the answers. It was a normal morning for Nasar, a day just like any other. So, what could have gone so drastically wrong for this normal day to end in Santiago's death?
Spectators of this event recall the scene to be "extremely horrifying and gruesome," and some even compared this horrible picture to Santiago being crucified against his white front door. The rumor being spread throughout town stating the cause of Nasar's murder is that Bayardo San Román, (who was not a friend of Nasar's,) and Angela Vicario had married a few days before. Bayardo returned Angela to her parent's house the morning after their wedding, stating she was not a virgin. When asked who Angela who had lost her virginity to, she said Santiago Nasar. Her two twin brothers, Pedro and Pablo Vicario, set out to kill Nasar in the next couple of days. The main question, though, is, "What proof was there that Nasar was the culprit?"
Beside me is Hortensia Baute, who runs the butcher shop in Sucre, Colombia. "Good morning, Hortensia. Tell us about the experience you have had involving anything to do with the murder." "Good morning. Since I run the butcher shop, I see men come in to buy meat and sharpen their knives for...whatever their work entitles them to do. When Pedro and Pablo came in to sharpen their knives, I thought nothing of it. I just let the men go along as they usually do, and tried not to get into any of their business." "Isn't it true, though, Hortensia, that these two brothers told you flat out that they were going to kill Santiago Nasar?" "Well...yes...they did. But they probably told other people too. I just thought they were joking, being the misbehaving boys that two brothers can be when they are together." But why did the citizens of Sucre do nothing to stop the murder of Nasar, when some of them knew it was going to happen?
Here with me is another townsperson from Sucre who witnessed the event, Cristo Bedoya. "Hello, Mr. Bedoya. What part did you play in the playing out of Nasar's murder?" "Hello. I ran all over the town trying to inform Nasar of what was about to happen to him, but we were both in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was always just a little bit too short of catching him and warning him. It is a sad, sad day here in Sucre." "We are all very sorry for the loss of your good friend, Mr. Bedoya. We are trying to figure out how this murder could have slipped through so many of the cracks, and was not stopped. Do you think Nasar was the man guilty of the crime he was accused of?" "I am not sure of anything at this point. I loved Santiago as a dear friend of mine, and I do not want to blame anything on him, especially since he is not here with us anymore. It doesn't matter what I know though. All I know is that in this town, the number one, most important thing people care about is their family's honor and their own reputation. Maybe Angela thought up anyone off the top of her head to accuse in front of the judge so she or her family would not look guilty. The society of Colombia is a very secretive one, and Sucre is filled with lies just as much as it is secrets, too. It is so sad to me to think that, even though we know who committed Nasar's murder, we will never, ever know all the motives behind it, nor will we know what was truth and what was lies." "Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Mr. Bedoya, as we know it must be hard so soon after Santiago's passing."
So, there are some of the witnesses of this murder, that we were able to talk to first-hand. Unlike most homicides, we know who committed it, just not the reasoning and motives. Why did the Vicario brothers really commit this crime? Why did almost no one try to stop this horrific event from happening? Thanks for watching, stay tuned for more updates on this story.
Spectators of this event recall the scene to be "extremely horrifying and gruesome," and some even compared this horrible picture to Santiago being crucified against his white front door. The rumor being spread throughout town stating the cause of Nasar's murder is that Bayardo San Román, (who was not a friend of Nasar's,) and Angela Vicario had married a few days before. Bayardo returned Angela to her parent's house the morning after their wedding, stating she was not a virgin. When asked who Angela who had lost her virginity to, she said Santiago Nasar. Her two twin brothers, Pedro and Pablo Vicario, set out to kill Nasar in the next couple of days. The main question, though, is, "What proof was there that Nasar was the culprit?"
Beside me is Hortensia Baute, who runs the butcher shop in Sucre, Colombia. "Good morning, Hortensia. Tell us about the experience you have had involving anything to do with the murder." "Good morning. Since I run the butcher shop, I see men come in to buy meat and sharpen their knives for...whatever their work entitles them to do. When Pedro and Pablo came in to sharpen their knives, I thought nothing of it. I just let the men go along as they usually do, and tried not to get into any of their business." "Isn't it true, though, Hortensia, that these two brothers told you flat out that they were going to kill Santiago Nasar?" "Well...yes...they did. But they probably told other people too. I just thought they were joking, being the misbehaving boys that two brothers can be when they are together." But why did the citizens of Sucre do nothing to stop the murder of Nasar, when some of them knew it was going to happen?
Here with me is another townsperson from Sucre who witnessed the event, Cristo Bedoya. "Hello, Mr. Bedoya. What part did you play in the playing out of Nasar's murder?" "Hello. I ran all over the town trying to inform Nasar of what was about to happen to him, but we were both in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was always just a little bit too short of catching him and warning him. It is a sad, sad day here in Sucre." "We are all very sorry for the loss of your good friend, Mr. Bedoya. We are trying to figure out how this murder could have slipped through so many of the cracks, and was not stopped. Do you think Nasar was the man guilty of the crime he was accused of?" "I am not sure of anything at this point. I loved Santiago as a dear friend of mine, and I do not want to blame anything on him, especially since he is not here with us anymore. It doesn't matter what I know though. All I know is that in this town, the number one, most important thing people care about is their family's honor and their own reputation. Maybe Angela thought up anyone off the top of her head to accuse in front of the judge so she or her family would not look guilty. The society of Colombia is a very secretive one, and Sucre is filled with lies just as much as it is secrets, too. It is so sad to me to think that, even though we know who committed Nasar's murder, we will never, ever know all the motives behind it, nor will we know what was truth and what was lies." "Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Mr. Bedoya, as we know it must be hard so soon after Santiago's passing."
So, there are some of the witnesses of this murder, that we were able to talk to first-hand. Unlike most homicides, we know who committed it, just not the reasoning and motives. Why did the Vicario brothers really commit this crime? Why did almost no one try to stop this horrific event from happening? Thanks for watching, stay tuned for more updates on this story.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My Super Sweet 16
Katie Weiskotten October 8th, 2009
English - Candide Final Project Satirical Essay
English - Candide Final Project Satirical Essay
My Super Sweet 16
If you ever are in the mood to watch a completely unrealistic show that makes you ashamed of your own generation, "My Super Sweet 16" is the show to watch. This show is comprised of very rich 15 year-olds having a huge party for their 16th birthday. Their parents pay thousands, if not millions, of dollars for their teen's party. Expensive dresses, jewelry, cars, and famous performers are paid for for this one special teen, and MTV videotapes the journey from planning to stress-induced-meltdowns to the actual party. This is one of the many "makes-you-want-to-punch-your-television" shows. It is one of the most entertaining and amusing shows on T.V., though, mostly because of how oblivious these kids are to how spoiled and obnoxious they really are.
As the "My Super Sweet 16" website says, "these kids expect and will only accept the absolute best." This is absolutely true. The teens choose where they want to have their party, most of the time a nightclub of some-sort, and then choose a theme and decorations for the party. They then proceed to go on shopping trips with either their mom and jealous younger sister, or gaggle of friends to find the "perfect dress" for the "best party of all time." What usually follows is the same in every single episode that I have ever watched of this show, only with different teens, obviously. The star has trouble finding her dress and has a mental-breakdown, and then continues to find "the one." Expensive jewelry is then added to the outfit. Next, the party host hands out invitations, that are expected to be covered in fuzz or diamonds, to a crowd as big as one would see at a concert. People wait and wait for their invite, and if they aren't invited, they are devastated. The teen is happy that people he/she doesn't like and didn't invite would die to have one of his/her invitations, and the viewer can see they love having power of people. The teen proceeds to go "car-shopping" with their father, who reluctantly says something along the lines of, "This one is too expensive." Then their son or daughter begs and pouts for the rest of the trip. Usually, the last clip of this sequence is the father saying, "I'll have to think about it," which every person who has ever watched this show knows means "yes." The rest of the show is always predictable. Some might wonder why people continue to watch the same thing over and over, and why the show is not off the air. But there are many reasons why this show has not been cancelled. As much as I strongly dislike this show, there are many amusing things about it that make me want to just sit back and laugh, and also criticize.
This shows makes me skeptical of how intelligent my generation is, really. The teens on this show have no respect for their parents, and a lot of them have complete control over their parents. I remember watching on one episode, when a girl went dress shopping with her mom, she told her mother to "sit down and shut up." The mother listened and sat down. This shows how rude and disrespectful some teenagers are today. In another episode, when the parents of one girl got her a Mercedes Benz, she started crying and complaining that it wasn't the color she wanted. In mostly every show, famous performers are paid almost a million dollars to perform one song or to sing Happy Birthday, which is a completely unreasonable amount of money to pay someone, no matter who they are. I'm not sure if MTV's purpose for this show is actually serious, showing people what sweet 16 birthday parties are like in a serious way, or if they are mocking these teenagers and their obnoxious ways. I believe they are mocking them, because of the way they portray them. Which is good, because everything in these situations is ridiculous. It makes the viewer happy that they're not that conceited and spoiled, even if they don't have as much money. In my opinion, 15-16 year olds shouldn't be having this big of a party, even if their parents can afford it, anyways. It just gives them more reason to become brats and think that is okay.
"My Super Sweet 16" is a perfect example of how spoiled our generation has become. Them acting this way, being a perfect example of the "teenage" stereotype, and a T.V. station documenting it is beyond me. Why people tune in, including me, is also a confusing concept to grasp. Teens who have huge parties like these and act the way they do are considered "spoiled, snobby, rude, and disrespectful." I agree with this completely, because I would never act this way, and neither would my friends. The sad thing is, it seems unrealistic, but these shows are unscripted and the teens are just as obnoxious as they appear on the show. It might seem incomprehensible, but they are not acting. Which, in the end, makes the show even more addicting.
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