AARTI BHATIA
HONORS159J
CRITICAL ASSESSMENT
Class is one of the major factors that affects American suburbs. Class
can define a person and their position in society. It was seen that
people determined personality based on class. In the beginning of the
film, these assumptions proved correct. However, by the end of the
movie, Veronica showed that although she was of high class, she did not
possess all of the stereotypical attitudes that her friends did. For
some, "education is more than economic success to truly determine
class" (Horowitz, 1983), but for the majority of Americans, class is
based on financial standing. Materialism is often used as a basis for
exclusion. In the
eighties, class had more of an effect on suburban society than it does
today. Although materialism still exists, suburbanites seemed to have
toned their flashy ways down. For example, expensive cars became so
widely popular that they have lost their impact as a major status
symbol. Class has had an especially great impact on teens in
high school. High school is a time to fit in and make friends. Earlier in
history, neighborhoods tended to be fairly homogeneous in terms of
class. Over the years, the suburbs have become more diverse, and there
are many class levels represented in the one local high school. Class is
becoming less of a dividing factor. Kids are interacting with peers both
in classes above and below them. Before class acted as separating force
by keeping people in their appropriate homogeneous areas. Now with all
the increase in interactions between people of various class backgrounds,
there is a trend towards the acceptance of diversity by society.
In this movie, there was a lot of exclusionary behavior displayed. The
motives behind the behaviors were based on materialism and class.
Heathers failed to depict the exclusions based on other factors like race
and religion. In the eighties there was a lot of racial tension,
especially in high schools, where people are beginning to establish their
identity. Michelle
Sit's project on exclusion discusses the
various types of discrimination based on factors other than class.
The family has been the basis of suburbia since the
formation of this
style of community. Family units usually have conflicts, whether or not
they are situated in suburbia. However, many believe that suburban
living is conducive for a cohesive family (Horowitz, 1983). The initial
attitudes of children are
shaped by their family. As children grow up they begin to develop their
own opinions, often outside of those initial family ones. Parents and
teens struggle for control.
"Teen-age, like birth and death, is inevitable. [Teens] should neither be
placed in an aquarium tank for the purposes of exhibition and analysis,
nor be put on a pedestal to be extolled for that admittedly enviable
condition--youth" (Hechinger, 1963). Parents remember their teenage
years fondly. This should mean that parents and their teens should be
able to interact well, except that parents have to assume their
responsibilities as adults (Hechinger, 1963). This is why conflicts
arise. The main conflicts arise from the teenager's greatest
desire of freedom. This is a universal theme that has and will continue
to exist forever. In Raj Narayanan's
project about the television show, The Brady
Bunch, there are more depictions of teenage family life. The teens have
to deal with high school pressures in suburbia, just as in Heathers.
They also experience the same sort of parent child conflicts. Although
these two situations occurred in different decades, there is not a great
deal that has changed. However, Heathers focuses more on
the teenager growing up in suburbia, than on the suburban family.
Teenagers are in a class by themselves. The period of metamorphasizing
into from child to adult is difficult for almost everyone regardless of
race, class, or gender. There are some teenage problems that do appear
more often in suburbia, however. As earlier discussed in the INSIGHTS
section, bulimia and suicide were major teenage problems in the
eighties.
Suicide was seen as a way to gain instant recognition and attention.
Suicide is the epitome of
antisocial behavior (Bernard, 1961). Ironically, the students failed to see that suicide meant death, where
one could not enjoy their new found fame. Now, hopefully, teens
realize
that their lives are worth living; and a few days in the spotlight is not
worth dying for. Juvenile suicide spreads along all social classes
(Bernard, 1961), and so do eating disorders. Teenage problems do not
discriminate by social class, they can affect anyone going through that
tough time in their life.
Movies such as Heathers brought these issues a lot of public exposure.
Parents are learning to identify the signs that indicate these problems
in their children. Kids are also taking greater initiative and speaking
out to help their friends and themselves seek help for their problems and
depressions. The eighties were a time of conformity and desire for
popularity. The nineties have begun to move away from those more
superficial values. Society tends
to be evolving and we are seeing a greater desire for individuality.
Veronica at the football players' "suicide"
Project Two: HEATHERS