Cheshta TaterCo-Founder, Rightantra Schools are expected to be safe spaces for children to interact with each other. After several social and legal battles (such as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954 which prohibited racial segregation in American public schools), schools have emerged as a holistic environment for children to gain education as well as develop the necessary skills. Discrimination, whether intended or not, on any ground not only denies one of opportunities but also gives birth to insecurities and lowers the dignity of a person. It is important to understand that when children or adolescents face discrimination or bullying, their self-confidence is severely affected, leaving them feeling insecure and exposed to further discrimination. As a teenage girl, I loved watching American rom-coms and high school dramas. On top of being extremely entertaining, these stories were a great escape from the daily, boring high-school life we live. But as the saying goes, creative works are inspired from the reality and vice-versa. So, what overlaps between reality and fiction? The classic opening scene.
It introduces you to the cliques in the film, classified into stereotypical labels like pretty girls, jocks, nerds, geeks, and so on. This scene is crucial because it defines “permitted” and “forbidden” friendships and relationships in the said film or series. For example, pretty girls and friends with other pretty girls and they date good looking sporty boys. This is where the movie starts–with the permitted alliances. However, what moves the plot forward is the “forbidden” or “unconventional” friendship or relationship. To sum up, what this introductory scene does is define “leagues”, a permanent element in high school romances and dramas. When iconic films such as ‘Mean Girls’ or ‘Clueless’ pay heavy emphasis on categorisation of students to support the character development of the lead roles, it automatically makes the classification “cool” and moreover, creates a hierarchy in these categories. The hierarchy is very well emphasised in the movie ‘Romy and Mitchell’s High School Reunion’ and towards the end, it is evident that the obsession with the hierarchy has ruined everyone’s time at high school. While most films end with breaking the norm of “permitted alliances” [e.g.: The Breakfast Club], they fail to promote a discrimination-free environment because:
While it is usually the case that we make friends and hang out with like-minded people, reducing one’s identity to a single aspect of their lives or stereotyping characters influences impressionable minds to stick to such hierarchy in real life as well. More often than not, characters other than the leads are heavily stereotyped in a negative manner. For example, a “nerd” [sic.] usually lacks social skills, a “pretty girl” is usually dumb or very mean, etc. When translated into reality, the first impression of a person is generally met with this lingering stereotype, affecting our judgment of that person. Several stereotypes relating to appearance, academic performance, wealth, race, etc. have been perpetuated by the entertainment sectors for so long that it has led us to think of those stereotypes as true. For instance, if one plans to pursue engineering, the first question which pops up in the heads of many is, “Are your parents forcing you to do it?” [Courtesy: 3 Idiots, amongst others]. It is extremely important that all characters in a drama setting are accurately represented and free from unhealthy stereotyping. The focus of high-school romances and dramas need to shift from the rich and pretty to realistic students with real problems. While these are watched for entertainment value and not as educational documentaries, it is important to set certain parameters and limits to exaggeration. Inadvertent promotion of discrimination, alcohol, and drugs, and hypersexualisation of teenagers leaves a negative impact on the viewers, even if the same is subtle and unconscious. Recent films and shows such as ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Never Have I Ever’ have attempted to break several stereotypes but there’s still more work to do. While it is also the responsibility of producers to keep this toxic plot setting at bay, parents and educators need to do their part to avoid furthering the hierarchy. The subtle discrimination should not be overlooked but talked about and stopped. No child should be asked to fit to a box or discriminated against. Please note that the article is the author's personal opinion and NOT legal advice. The author does not intend to cause harm or generalise any group of people.
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