Life is a reality TV Show

I am struck by how much YAs like their reality TV shows---almost as much as I am struck by the fact that a lot of my fellow students watch them. I admit it I have a pension for reality shows, but I am very particular about the ones I love...definitely Desperate Housewives of NEW YORK because I am natvive New Yorker (yeah right) Rock of Love because of the girl fights. Currently I love Runs House. The family reminds me of a black Brady Bunch I wish they would adopt me and then my uncle would be Russell Simmons and I could do Yoga and wear Phat Farm clothing. Tonight I found myself watching home decor shows on TLC, my favorite was the 68-year old Wii playing widow who painted her whole house pink because it made her happy. I wonder if that would work for me?

Molly Ringwald is a TV mom

I confess.
I have been watching The Secret life of an American Teenager since the beginning. Its got everything you need drama, sex, and teenage pregnancy. Most of all I love watching Molly Ringwald come full circle from her brat pack days. Her TV family does not resemble her family from the classic Pretty in Pink and sadly neither do the fashions. You still have rich kids and not so rich kids all trying to fit in. In some ways that is the universal message.
In some ways this show expresses an honesty about teens and sex---but it also never stops preaching. Of course there is the perfect blonde-haired Christian teen, and just about every teen on the show who has sex seems to be messed up in one way or another. I love it that Molly Ringwald is a grandmother who is pregnant and her teen daughter keeps asking her how someone so old can be having a baby.
Boy I miss the simpler days of Pretty in Pink it had great characters, great clothes, and a great sound track.

All teens are not created Equal

In visiting a branch of BPL that was right outside of Borough Park I was saddened to see how the cultural and religious beliefs of these teenagers so greatly influenced their reading habits. It seems as though they have to truly hide who they are from their community and from themselves. This leads to a high theft rate of books and materials that fall outside of what is acceptable material. The librarian who works at this branch is originally from the Midwest is frustrated by the role of the Rabbi in the community and the teens seeming inability to question anything.
I fear more for the teens who don't quite fit into this cookie cutter mold. We all yearn for a sense of community, but belonging to a community which we do not truly fit can put teens in a very painful place.

Tales of "Caution"

I have been thinking a lot about our class discussions, and while I might not compare listening to heavy metal music, or watching a violent movie to the solitary action of reading a book, I have come to think that life for teenagers can be REALLY rough. Let's face it for most of us high school is a complete nightmare. So maybe not every dark book needs to be a "cautionary" tale, but if it is dark and brooding let it be well written and thought provoking.
I guess what I am saying is teenagers have it rough enough already. So crank up the tunes, turn on your X-Box kick , up your feet and read whatever the hell you want!

Hope

Ok, so I am not some sappy midwest chick who always believes in happy endings. I am a native NewYorker-- I know we are constantly surrounded by human suffering and tragedy. Teaching YAs the history of mankind and the suffering we have risen above, i.e. the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement, and Woman's Lib helps them understand the horrors humans are capable of, but also shows the great power the masses can have in creating equality.
Why I am ranting about this? Because I just can't believe kids want to read books that give them no hope. Entertainment should not equal despair. Isn't their enough suffering in the world?
I was a pretty tough kid, and weathered a lot of storms, But I secretly loved the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family. The media I was surrounded with gave me hope whether it was through my love of Patti Smith, or Joan Jett they empowered me to believe in myself.

Why I wish I was a teenager

After going over the list of awesome YA titles in class, I wish I was still a teenager, at least not a teenager trapped in a pushing middle-age body. Advantages: my reading list would be awesome I could read books about vampires, the undead, graphic novels all of which would have real SEX in them. When I was growing up the best I could get was a dog-eared copy of Judy Blume's Forever. I pretty much watch all the teen TV shows and was a huge fan of the Gilmore Girls. So yeah maybe true coolness has been marginalized, but access to cool YA titles, music, shows and movies is ours for the taking. Now if I could just find that time capsule to transport me back about xx years.

Why is uncool the new cool

Once upon a time, you had to hunt down all the things that made you cool. You couldn't buy CDs online, there were no ipods, itunes or malls that sold punk rock t-shirts. Knowing where to get the things that made you cool was half the battle. Now "coolness" has been completely marginalized. It it far easier to obtain coolness than it is to not.
Being cool is about being creative and establishing your own identity. That is why uncool is the new cool.