Cringeworthy- But in a good way.
So good that I felt the need to torture myself with it twice; which with orange wednesdays, is a luxury I can thankfully afford. I use the words 'good' and 'torture' in the same sentence to demonstrate my complete mixed response to the film. In one moment alone I felt myself wanting to cry, engulf the characters in a bear hug, laugh until my sides hurt; and vomit.
The essence of the film comes from three hormonal teens and their struggle to find social acceptance. It is a story of breaking conventions, redemption, the growth into adulthood, and most importantly; how not to act around human beings. I feel that this film takes a didactive form in teaching its' viewers moral lessons in life.
Number 1) Don't consider the possibility of wearing matching t.shirts to your friends that read 'Pussay- Patrol'. You will look, despite the purpose, the biggest fool imaginable.
Number 2) Don't trust a random stranger when he promises to buy all your shitty old clothing, including what you're wearing at the time. You will be left naked, alone, holding a newspaper to your crotch to maintain any ounce of modesty you didn't quite have to begin with.
Number 3) Don't leave your friends to book a holiday for you. It is likely that you will wake up in an ants nest as a result of excessive drinking, or wake up to the pleasant sound of your friend recieving oral from an elderly woman. I'll leave you to decide which is the more desireable option.
The film encompasses overdramatic situations with complete emotional and character realism. It is the relateability of the characters, despite their ridiculousness, that I feel makes this film what it is. The feeling of being the only virgin left in the entire world. The feeling of heartbreak from your first love. Or that feeling of complete awkwardness as you emerge into an empty club with a promised atmosphere. We've all been there; and so have the imbetweeners; Simon, Jay, Neil and Will.
It is Wills sarcastic yet genuine narrative that particularly draws me in. He and I suffer from similar syndromes; Social Awkwardness, despite knowing deep down that you are the coolest specimine that ever walked the earth. Even when your friends 'help you with your suncream' to ensure a falac shaped burn on your back, or when being mocked by your own family for being 'uncool', we still maintain this to be true.
Not since American Pie has there been such a hilarious demonstration of teenage boys and their mission to find 'clunge', or many other varations of the word that appear in the film; this film made all the better because, lets face it, it's a british comedy. And we british know how it's done! It includes all the humour from real life situations, along with tragic truths and saddening realities. We know that life is coming to get us, and take us off to university or work, or just somewhere away from one another; but we may as well have a great send off!
I think though, personally, I'll give Malia a miss.
Tuesday 27 September 2011
Friday 16 September 2011
Needing to 'Find Myself'.
Yesterday I was told by my sister, age 14, that her friend had split up with her 'long term' boyfriend. The excuse the boy gave for the breakup was that he needed to 'find himself'. The boy has not yet developed chin hair, yet he needs to 'find himself'. Sounds to me like someone's been eves-dropping on their parents conversations a little too much.
This short introduction was my way of instigating the revelence of the phrase in focus to my own life, though I felt mocking it would make it more okay for me to use it. Warning: This blog may contain cliche'd phrases, over-dramatic points and over the top ranting. Well hey, I'm a teenager, so get over it.
So. They say your teenage years are the best years of your life. In which case, why do I bother? Or, to quote Will from 'The Inbetweeners' (a personal idol of mine, as those who know me may notice): "They say your teenage years are the best days of your life. In my case, that would only be true if I went straight from school to prison, and then died". (I did pre-warn you about the dramatisation). So what are these 'best' moments reffering to exactly? Heartache? Continuous exams? Combined judgement from peers, teachers, parents and ultimately yourself? And that's without mentioning the 'wanting freedom without responsibility, but getting responsibility without freedom' paradox. To apply another cliche'd line: IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!
How exactly do you get through all this? The one surefire way to solve teen angst (and mildly contribute to it) seems to be the following: Alcohol. Which raises a dilema when you have no money, no ID and the face of a 12 year old; so therefore no access to it. I remember my first taste of 'the good stuff'. Sitting on a local field, year 10, feeling too rebellious as my previous primary school teacher runs past with a wave. And I suppose it was down-hill from there really. Particularly when the teachers' running shorts left far too little to the imagination.
Anyway, this does all tie in with my opening paragraph. After a brief heartfelt conversation with the parents earlier; which, with my teenage hormones making me the emotional equivalent of a tsunami, is becoming quite commonplace. Overall it really hit home the importance of going to university, or just getting away from home. It will provide the chance for me to (here it comes): find myself. To study/do something that I love, and be someone that I love. Rather than occasionally be someone who resembles something quite cool and then drift back into my boring-self. Because it's difficult to be the 'you' that you want to be when the teenage 'you' you don't want to be hangs over you.
So there you are. An overly sentimental heartfelt blog. But again, i'm an emotional teenager, so get over it.
This short introduction was my way of instigating the revelence of the phrase in focus to my own life, though I felt mocking it would make it more okay for me to use it. Warning: This blog may contain cliche'd phrases, over-dramatic points and over the top ranting. Well hey, I'm a teenager, so get over it.
So. They say your teenage years are the best years of your life. In which case, why do I bother? Or, to quote Will from 'The Inbetweeners' (a personal idol of mine, as those who know me may notice): "They say your teenage years are the best days of your life. In my case, that would only be true if I went straight from school to prison, and then died". (I did pre-warn you about the dramatisation). So what are these 'best' moments reffering to exactly? Heartache? Continuous exams? Combined judgement from peers, teachers, parents and ultimately yourself? And that's without mentioning the 'wanting freedom without responsibility, but getting responsibility without freedom' paradox. To apply another cliche'd line: IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!
How exactly do you get through all this? The one surefire way to solve teen angst (and mildly contribute to it) seems to be the following: Alcohol. Which raises a dilema when you have no money, no ID and the face of a 12 year old; so therefore no access to it. I remember my first taste of 'the good stuff'. Sitting on a local field, year 10, feeling too rebellious as my previous primary school teacher runs past with a wave. And I suppose it was down-hill from there really. Particularly when the teachers' running shorts left far too little to the imagination.
Anyway, this does all tie in with my opening paragraph. After a brief heartfelt conversation with the parents earlier; which, with my teenage hormones making me the emotional equivalent of a tsunami, is becoming quite commonplace. Overall it really hit home the importance of going to university, or just getting away from home. It will provide the chance for me to (here it comes): find myself. To study/do something that I love, and be someone that I love. Rather than occasionally be someone who resembles something quite cool and then drift back into my boring-self. Because it's difficult to be the 'you' that you want to be when the teenage 'you' you don't want to be hangs over you.
So there you are. An overly sentimental heartfelt blog. But again, i'm an emotional teenager, so get over it.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Riot Rant.
It has taken me some time to come to terms with the recent riots. Until now, I haven't quite known what to say; which in my excessively articulated life is a rarity. After seeing splashed across newspapers images of 'mindless youths', it is clear who the blame is directed towards. As always, we are being catagorised into this 'young adult' catagory.. The word 'adult' implying that 'we' should take some reaponsibility for our actions, whereas 'young' implying that we are naive enough to commit such atrocities in the first place. In some ways i'd rather the patronising term 'children' to be used in the headlines- that way the rest of the teenage population who leave their most violent acts for mosh pits, and use knives in the way of cultery, can be left well out of things.
However, I don't want to make this rant about how 'unfair it is to be a teenager stereotyped by the gang culture of today'. Whilst this may be highly true, the crimes that have been commited go beyond the usual pensioner groans of 'kids today', therefore my underlying point should go beyond trying to gain sympathy for the teens who are good and decent.
So back to the matter in hand. Who or what really is to blame for the riots? Is it possible to blame the rioters themselves- of course it it. They are mindless youths who have nothing better to do than destroy peoples livelyhoods. However, is it possible to blame the youths for this mindset and ridiculous attitude entirely- Of course not. Why have they nothing better to do? Why are they so mindless? Now I hate to sound like your typical wannabe sociologist, but we have to look at the 'deeper meanings' of the event. Whilst this may be far more consideration than the rioters have put into anything in their entire lives, someone must do the thinking in this world; and better the educated people who have a sense of morality than ignorant society destroying bastards who can't see the bigger picture (reffering to both the current government and the rioters).
Lets evaluate this logically. Throughout history, people have organised anti-establishment protests and riots, to fight against those who won't listen. And in the case of our society, this is definately true. Take for instance the outcome of the university tuituon fees. The government stepped out of line and created a policy that people don't agree with, failing to make any adjustments after a series of protests (some getting slightly out of hand). This being proof that the people just aren't being listened to. This kind of mass frustration seems to be precisely the underlying reason for the violence outbreaks- even if the criminals don't quite know it themselves.
Now by no means in this am I trying to justify the acts of thuggery, but simply look for explanations that go beyond the 'hard punishment' conclusions that seem to have been made. Great, well done to the Government and Police- for failing to protect innocent business' and people, now is the perfect time to clamp down hard on the rioters and make your oscar-winning compensatory point; that you have lost control of our country, and allowing it to be in the hands of people who haven't the sense to know what to do with it.
From this I suppose we can conclude that EDUCATION is the key thing missing here. We need to educate the ignorant, those who sit back and allow the oppression of the government (which I suppose in some respects is a catagory I fall into). But first and foremost, we need to educate those who are willing to take a stand, in how to articulate themselves. No, it is not right for us to sit back and watch the class divides increase. No, it is not right for the government to take such radical steps to reconsile their mistakes, at OUR cost. But most importantly, it is NOT RIGHT for people to feel that going out and destroying the business' of innocent people is going to be justified. People who, like themselves, are perhaps suffering the brunt of some of the cuts, though at least had the sense to create a business and livelyhood in the first place. It is not right for our society to be divided, and those who fall beyond the 'David Camerons' bitches' quota to be victimised both by the government and by the destructively ignorant.
As I said, Education is key. And more cuts on the Education sector are therefore not going to be the answer, are they Mr Cameron? I begin to wonder who infact it is that needs educating...
However, I don't want to make this rant about how 'unfair it is to be a teenager stereotyped by the gang culture of today'. Whilst this may be highly true, the crimes that have been commited go beyond the usual pensioner groans of 'kids today', therefore my underlying point should go beyond trying to gain sympathy for the teens who are good and decent.
So back to the matter in hand. Who or what really is to blame for the riots? Is it possible to blame the rioters themselves- of course it it. They are mindless youths who have nothing better to do than destroy peoples livelyhoods. However, is it possible to blame the youths for this mindset and ridiculous attitude entirely- Of course not. Why have they nothing better to do? Why are they so mindless? Now I hate to sound like your typical wannabe sociologist, but we have to look at the 'deeper meanings' of the event. Whilst this may be far more consideration than the rioters have put into anything in their entire lives, someone must do the thinking in this world; and better the educated people who have a sense of morality than ignorant society destroying bastards who can't see the bigger picture (reffering to both the current government and the rioters).
Lets evaluate this logically. Throughout history, people have organised anti-establishment protests and riots, to fight against those who won't listen. And in the case of our society, this is definately true. Take for instance the outcome of the university tuituon fees. The government stepped out of line and created a policy that people don't agree with, failing to make any adjustments after a series of protests (some getting slightly out of hand). This being proof that the people just aren't being listened to. This kind of mass frustration seems to be precisely the underlying reason for the violence outbreaks- even if the criminals don't quite know it themselves.
Now by no means in this am I trying to justify the acts of thuggery, but simply look for explanations that go beyond the 'hard punishment' conclusions that seem to have been made. Great, well done to the Government and Police- for failing to protect innocent business' and people, now is the perfect time to clamp down hard on the rioters and make your oscar-winning compensatory point; that you have lost control of our country, and allowing it to be in the hands of people who haven't the sense to know what to do with it.
From this I suppose we can conclude that EDUCATION is the key thing missing here. We need to educate the ignorant, those who sit back and allow the oppression of the government (which I suppose in some respects is a catagory I fall into). But first and foremost, we need to educate those who are willing to take a stand, in how to articulate themselves. No, it is not right for us to sit back and watch the class divides increase. No, it is not right for the government to take such radical steps to reconsile their mistakes, at OUR cost. But most importantly, it is NOT RIGHT for people to feel that going out and destroying the business' of innocent people is going to be justified. People who, like themselves, are perhaps suffering the brunt of some of the cuts, though at least had the sense to create a business and livelyhood in the first place. It is not right for our society to be divided, and those who fall beyond the 'David Camerons' bitches' quota to be victimised both by the government and by the destructively ignorant.
As I said, Education is key. And more cuts on the Education sector are therefore not going to be the answer, are they Mr Cameron? I begin to wonder who infact it is that needs educating...
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