Life in the Poorer Neighborhoods of the Cities of the USA - Essay Example

The movie Kids is one which is based on the realities of life among many teenagers and how they often come to gain experiences that they would likely not have gained until they were much older. The cast is one that involves mainly teenagers of varying ages who from the very beginning are seen not only having sexual encounters from an early age, but also getting involved in such extreme forms of violence that it is almost unbelievable. The movie goes through various themes, all of which affects teens in almost every aspect of their lives and this not only involves sexual encounters, but also the use of drugs as well as violence and the contraction of non-curable diseases. When one considers the movie, one will come to the conclusion that there are many factors, which increase the risk of teenagers’ use of drugs and engaging in unprotected sexual encounters which leads them into becoming depressed, and as a result, they end up indulging in delinquency. Most of these factors tend to be influenced by the environment within which these teenagers live, the latter being further influenced by people with whom the teenager lives, the people they associate with, the economic status of their families, and finally, the values of the society within which these teenagers live. The most common character throughout the movie is Telly, who is a sixteen year old addicted to sex and he says in a soliloquy that without it, he sees no other reason to live (Goldberg 55). The fact that he is HIV positive is revealed when one of his sexual partners, Jennie, finds out that she has been infected. Telly chooses to only have sex with girls who are virgins and he, perhaps unknowingly, ends up infecting a lot of girls through his encounters with them. Throughout the movie, the viewer comes to the realization that among the main factors which influence the behavior of the characters involved is people with whom they live. In the movie, there is a scene where Telly and his friend Casper go to Telly’s home and steal money from the latter’s mother and it is revealed that the mother is not as attentive towards her son as she should be, instead paying all her attention to her baby (Savage 7). The fact that Telly lacks any parental supervision is perhaps the reason why he indulges in so much sexual activity, most likely in an attempt to find some meaning to his life after the rejection that he feels from his mother. It is in this instance that the conflict theory can be applied because of the fact that since Telly’s mother does not give him the attention he deserves, and for this reason, Telly indulges in the activities which in one way or the other lead to conflict in the lives of the people that he influences. It is a fact that teenagers are highly observant people, and it is a normal thing for them to imitate the behavior of their older family members or their friends. If a parent, for example, is a drug user, then it is likely that their teenage children will also become drug users and this is because these teenagers will grow up with the belief that taking drugs is not wrong. A home is the biggest influence that a teenager can have, and what goes on in that home is displayed by the character of this teenager. If the parents are negligent of their child, as Telly’s mother is of him, then it is likely that they will not notice the changes that are occurring in the teenager (Steele 46). It can be assumed that when Telly and his friends who get involved in delinquent activities, they do so to compensate for the lack of attention from their parents as well as the society. All through the movie, one of the factors which increases the risk of teenage sexual encounters as well as the use of drugs is people with whom they associate. Peer pressure is one of the premier causes of the delinquent activities among the characters of the movie as seen when Casper and his friends attack and beat up a man perhaps to death. It is seen that they indulge in such activities so that they can gain the approval of their friends. Moreover, they do it to gain acceptance in groups which are deemed to be the most popular in their communities. This can be related to the interactionism sociological perspectives where individuals work together so that they can continue to function in a harmonious way. It is a fact that in the movie, had the teenage characters in Casper’s group failed to do what their peers expected of them, then they would have been ostracized from the group. The loneliness that is brought about by the isolation that follows tends to lead to depression and if it is not noticed quickly, then it is likely that the isolated teenager might get into the abuse of drugs in an attempt to cope with their problems. This, in the movie can be said of Jennie, who in her attempt to find Telly ends up being persuaded to take a drug, most likely a depressant, so that she can feel better. The economic status of the family of an individual may also influence the way they behave and it is a fact that those from poor families, such as Telly and his friends, are, more likely than not, to indulge in drug abuse as well as delinquency since many of them do these things believing that they are doing it for fun. However, this does not turn out to be the case, because many of these become addicted to drugs, and if not, they end up getting involved in activities which may endanger their lives, as in Telly’s and Jennie’s case (Goldberg 55). The movie shows teenagers as being highly susceptible to the influence of the environment in which they live so that in the case of Telly, he sees nothing wrong with having sex with girls who are barely out of their childhood. The fact that he does this shows that the community, within which he lives, does not see anything wrong with his actions, and it may, in fact even condone this behavior. It is seen in the movie that sexual promiscuity begins at a very early age and the characters involved in these act are often quite young, aged between twelve and sixteen years. These children are so promiscuous that some of them end up acquiring diseases which are normally found among adults and the fact that some of the characters are either HIV positive or have been exposed to it as such a young age it a testament to the low level of life expectancy in the community within which they live. There seems to be no real figures of authority throughout the movie and those who would have served as such figures, like Telly’s mother, are not responsible enough to notice and take charge of the situation. In the movie, one would assume that there seem to be no parental role models for the adolescent characters involved to imitate (Savage 9). Instead, one gets the impression that most of the parents in this society are single parents who do not show any concern for their children, instead putting other priorities first. This creates a situation where the children in this society are out of control, indulging in vices which would otherwise have been contained. An example of this is that of Casper, who, although he had not been seriously provoked, along with his friends, attack a man and beat him up probably to death. This is where the interactionism perspective once again comes in since the characters in the movie are directly influenced by the interrelationships between themselves. One of the main themes that are prevalent in the movie is that of violence and this violence is manifested throughout the said movie and an example of this is the violence that is displayed by Casper and his skateboarding friends as well as the rape that he later commits against Jennie (Goldberg 55). While it is a fact that there is violence in the movie, those who perpetrate this violence end up facing the negative repercussions that come as a result. Casper, for example, ends up losing part of his humanity because his wondering whether he had killed the man and his lack of concern for it shows that killing is becoming easy for him, and he shows no remorse. In addition, his act of raping Jennie ensures that he ends up getting exposed to HIV, which can be blamed on the fact that he was intoxicated. The use of drugs that is displayed in the movie is perhaps one of the reasons why some of the characters get involved in violent activities. The abuse of drugs and other substances also makes some characters do what they would normally not do. An example of this is when Jennie takes a drug which makes her pass out at the party where she has gone to look for Telly, possibly to confront him after finding out her HIV status. Casper’s intoxication from the consumption of alcohol, on the other hand, leads him to taking advantage of a sleeping Jennie whom he rapes, and as a consequence, he is exposed to the HIV that she has contracted (Steele 46). In conclusion, the movie shows the reality of life in the poorer neighborhoods of the cities of the United States where children grow up too quickly and are exposed to the vilest types of vices that one can think about. While the characters in the movie engage in adult activities, their behavior shows just how immature they are and this immaturity is perhaps the reason why they act the way that they do, and pronounces the evils that the main characters spoil in such a way that it can be considered graphic. The explicit temperament of the conversations held by the characters is one of the styles that the architects of the movie have used to show the seriousness of the various subject matters that are being discussed within it. This movie is a serious depiction of the lives that certain members of the American society go through and while it was condemned in some quarters as being too graphic, both in speech an view, it did a good job in driving the point home that there are people out there who do not have the privileged life that man others in the society have. Works Cited Goldberg, Jonah. "Grownups and "Kids" -- Kids Directed by Larry Clark." Commentary 1995: 55. Savage, Jon. "NOW LARRY CLARK'S KIDS." Sight and Sound 05 1996: 7,9. Steele, Scott. "Teenage Wasteland - Kids Directed by Larry Clark." Maclean's Aug 07 1995: 46. Read More

 

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