The article I chose to focus on is titled; Buying me love, 1980
Class Clash Teen Romances. The author speaks of many different
movies from the 1980's. Each movie has actors who portray teenagers
from different walks of life. Certain characters are from a wealthy,
well to do family whereas others are from a less fortunate home. What
the author has chosen to focus on the cultural differences between
the upper class and the lower class and how romance can transcend the
class divide.
Like the author wrote in the article, in the 1980's the United States
was in a difficult financial state. Many felt that it was largely due
to the ever growing unemployment lines and how the increase in
inflation had to make the average American make their dollar stretch
further than they had to in the 1970's. Not only were the working
adults feeling the hardships of the economy, so were the American
teenagers. The line between the “haves” and the “have not's”
quickly became more defined and this made the high school years
difficult for many young people. In the early 1980's film producers
began to make movies that brought this issue to the big screen.
Movies like Can't Buy Me Love, Loverboy and The Karate Kid
all showcase the divide between the social classes.
In many of the movies of the 1980's,
wealthy families were seen as arrogant, privileged and the writers
made them look as if they felt they were above everyone else. The
upper class always wore the best clothes, drove the best cars and
lived in the nicest homes. On the flip side, the lower class was
written into the scripts as the ones who deserved to have their
romantic wishes come true. They always longed for the opposite sex
that just so happened to be of a different social status. These films
gave the viewers the hope that regardless of class a romance could
blossom and happiness was to be found.
As I read the article I found that
the author had written it in a way that was very easy to follow and
he kept me intrigued by his views on the teen romances. The way Mr.
Shary broke down the individual 80's movies as examples to the points
he was trying to get across to the readers made it very easy for me
to understand his way of thinking. It made me think of the movies in
a different way, not just as a form of entertainment but as a
representation of what the 1980's teen class-clash was like. As I
read the article I was able to visually see what the author was
saying because his words corresponded with the directors vision so
well his words took me back to the the days of big hair, pegged jeans
and blue eye-shadow.
The author, Tom Shary has many well
thought out points in the article. He believed that if you are in the
lower class you will ultimately want to one day be a part of the
upper class. I believe this is true. If you see the upper class
people living a better life than what you have it is only natural to
want that. This is just as important for a teenager in high school.
If a lower class teen sees how happy a upper class teen seems, he or
she will want to fit into that popular group. It is human nature to
want more than what you have, especially if what you have is not
much. Tom Shary was able to touch on the fact that if the economical
issues are poor then the social classes feel the brunt of economic
problems. Economic issues play a huge role in social class. It can
cause the divide to be wider and leaves people feeling defeated. The
movies of the 80's showed this divide, but it also showed how a
romance can overcome that issue.
I feel the article was well written
and brought to light the affect the economy has on social class and
the people to whose lives are affected daily by the status. I think
that whatever the social status, people will always want to see the
poor succeed and the rich fall. Many times that “green eyed
monster” will show its ugly head and jealousy will prevail. Is it
possible for a person to be content in where they are in life? Can
two people from different social classes be happy together? These
questions are some of life’s many mysteries. But as long as there
are social boundaries being crossed, the producers and directors in
Hollywood will continue to make movies that depict the struggles of
the everyday person and we, as viewers will watch and relate to what
is on the big screen.
References
Culture, 44(3), 563-582. Retrieved October 5, 2012, from the OhioLINK Electronic Journal
Center database.
I enjoyed reading your analysis. I have to admit that I am a very big fan of those 80's films.
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