To try and trigger my creative juices I started flipping through channels and found that Law and Order: Special Victims Unit was on. Stephen and I started watching it and the episode really caught my attention. The episode was entitled Hothouse. In this episode Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler discover a 14-year old girl's body in the Hudson River. As they dig deeper trying to discover the girl's true identity, they uncover the world of elite boarding schools and the deep dark secrets the "hallowed halls" conceal. They discover that 14-year old's name is Elsa Lychkoff, the daughter of compulsive gambler, Joseph Lychkoff, who was abusive to both of his daughters until he kicked his oldest daughter out at age 16 because he felt Elsa had more potential and he couldn't waist his time with his oldest anymore. Elsa was offered multiple scholarships and her father was offered monetary gifts just to send her to the boarding school because she is a child prodigy with an incredibly high IQ. The detectives eventually discover that Elsa's roommate, Jennifer Banks, was the one who stabbed her three times in the chest with her pen, bashed her head against the ferry boat railing four times, then pushed her into the Hudson River. Elsa had been ignoring Jennifer and Jennifer just wanted to clear the air and talk to her but Elsa overreacted and pushed Jennifer. Jennifer, having not slept for six days due to taking an ADD prescription in order to stay awake and cram for up-coming finals, was suffering from Sleep Deprivation Psychosis when she committed the murder. Jennifer had the emotions and feelings of a child but the intelligence of an adult. The pressure to be on top, to be the best, pushed Jennifer, Elsa, and every other pupil in that school to go to extreme measures. The faculty and staff of the school, according to Jennifer, even gave students the tools and tricks to get psychiatrists to prescribe medicines that would help them stay awake for days on end and focus for hours on end.
All of this information led me to think about the amount of pressure that is put on today's youth to succeed, to be the best, to be better than anyone and everyone else. The pressure is so great that they/we find anyway we can to cope with the pressure and the stress. Whether it is drugs, prescription or illegal, alcohol, cutting, or yes, even more constructive habits, we will do whatever it takes to impress our superiors and be the individual who comes out on top and is recognized and praised for our work and talents. Think about this: are we forcing our youth into an environment where they are forced to use performance "enhancers" to achieve the goals WE set for them? Or an environment where the focus on one goal so thoroughly that they can lose sight of reality and even lose their sanity?
I agree with you that there is a lot of pressure put on young adults, especially now more than ever. It seems everywhere we look we are seeing digitally altered images of what is considered to be "the perfect person", which doesn't exist of course! I think that the media is responsible for a lot of problems in our society, especially in our youth. The distorted images can be linked to eating disorders, drug abuse, and low self confidence.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I LOVE love love this show. It is very addicting and has great story lines, just like the one you wrote about this week.
ReplyDeleteThere is, more than ever, A LOT of pressure on youth to be perfect and not to let down their parents. Not only that, but society shows us (mainly women and young girls) how we are "supposed" to be. If we aren't perfect (whatever that means) we fail. I think it affects the self esteem of a lot of young people, both boys and girls.
I also agree that there is way more pressure on today's youth than there used to be. I think this is geared more towards girls though. They are showed on television and through advertisements what they are supposed to be, act, and look like which puts a lot of pressure on them. I don't think it is as bad for boys but that pressure is still there, just not as noticible.
ReplyDeleteI like this show, on occasion. It's too depressing and sad for me to watch every day, but it has really good storylines, and they give every character the backstory and emotions they need and deserve.
ReplyDeleteI think that kids have a ton more pressure put on them than the last generation. They now have pressure to get into college, when only a generation ago, it was acceptable not to go to college. My dad didn't study for the ACT/SAT's at all, and today, kids study for weeks before those tests.
I must agree, the pressure of of being the best and superman is expected nowdays. It is no longer normal to get C's and B's and stay average. This often sends kids into a downward plunge of drug abuse, this might explain why most of our generation is on anti-depressant drugs. Why we need Zoloft all the time, Its no longer ok to be average, if you are, your a failure.
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