That crazy John Hughes

Last night, after finishing up my entry about band, Thomas and I put on Sixteen Candles.  I sat and watched this and we talked a little bit about high school.  He tries to tell me that he wasn't any one thing and that he was a combination of all the kids in that movie... Hopefully not the girl parts, but, whatever if he was talking about that too. 

So, I'm watching this movie and I see the part where she is taking the quiz and drops it on the floor and Jake Ryan picks it up and reads it.. of course right?  I knew that if any of the guys that I liked knew found out that I liked them, I would just die... or so I thought.  And it dawns on me, what if they did know... would that have changed anything?  Would they have all of sudden had that ah-ha moment where they stop and take a second look at me?  The world will never know.

We decided to make it a high school movie kind of week.  After watching Sixteen Candles, we went with The Breakfast Club and once again, I am amazed at how well that crazy John Hughes hits on the stereotypes of high school with this movie.  We have those same characteristics in each one of us.  Maybe all we needed was to sit in the library and smoke and talk... or the band room, whichever.  The next on the list was Fast Times and I think that is the exact opposite of what I would want my daughter to see and relate to.  They were a bit more colorful that what I want for her.  But once again, still with that same kind of cool kids and the not so cool ones.  I like this movie, I like Sean Penn in it... Really who doesn't love that character of Spcoli? 

And there it is.  It got me to think about how school could have been different if they knew.  I mean, knowing some things now, makes me smile and tends to feel good, but, at that time in life, when you are so crazed with an over abundance of hormones and trying to fit in and having to go along with what your "friends" say or do, what would it change?  The pressure is almost unbearable for some, and there are those who collapse under the weight of it and cannot take it anymore.  What's the worst part is not that this happens, of course it happens.  We all have to go through it and deal with it and live it, but, it's now that it's gotten to the point that if someone is being bullied, kids now seem to think that the only way to solve things is bring guns to school.  Such sad times we live in, where violence is the only solution to get people to notice you. 

I look at the way things are going, and I tend to like that Piper goes to a school where kids are treated well by all the teachers.  I can't say that bullying doesn't happen, but, I do know what the chain of command is.  If you have a problem with someone, take it to them first and foremost.  They may not even know that they are hurting your feelings or whatever... then go up from there.  It doesn't always work, and life isn't always fair. 

That was kind of a nice tangent there huh?   :)  Anyhow, maybe we watch these again, and see it as an adult and see it for what it was... we can relate to these characters that have been immortalized by that crazy John Hughes, and smile, and be thankful that after all of it, it's over now, and life is good!