MovieChat Forums > Dazed and Confused (1993) Discussion > Child abuse, destruction of private prop...

Child abuse, destruction of private property and druggies are "cool"

posted 8 years ago by Philip_90
8 replies | jump to latest

I'm a 90's kid so as I saw the VHS of this movie in a box and had nothing else to watch, I'd thought I'd give it a watch despite the odd-looking cover that it had. Least to say, it's watchable.

To its issues; The freshman kids who usually are 14+ can either be considered still kids (6-11) or preteens (12-14) but not teens (15-16 and up) so that in of itself was obvious child abuse by the older students who seemed to have a hard on for hitting them on the ass. Maybe they were gay all along and didn't know. Second, back then drug users looked as though to be those edgy and cool fellas but that one with the weed logo on his t-shirt felt nothing more than an annoyance that should be at a rehab centre as well as any other trouble makers put in prison (or what have you). Third and not last but whatever, the crew decided to trash the neighbourhood they passed by and asked the freshman to literally make their situation even worse than it already was.

For historical purposes, this movie served its purpose but it showed that it was more harmful than it should.

Anyway, if you like the movie then more power to you but even movies I watched as I kid its nostalgia doesn't hold up too well so with or without nostalgia googles I still tend to see the value a movie has.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Philip_90 8 years ago

Watched Boyhood. Wish I didn't. *sigh*

[–] stones78 8 years ago

Regarding the cover, when I saw it years ago, it didn't make me wanna see the film at all. Seemed too pretentious looking. I caught some of the film by accident at a friend's house about 15 years ago, and became interested in seeing the whole thing, which I still haven't dome yet.

[–] TeenGangDeb 8 years ago

"Maybe they were gay all along and didn't know."

Yeah that's what it was.

They drank and drove and did a fair bit of vandalism. But it was more innocent and not malicious.

++++++
Love means never having to say you're ugly. - The Abominable Dr. Phibes

[–] ck1-5 8 years ago

Yeah, kids today are much smarter...they commit illegal acts, fiim it with their phones, put it on Youtube, and then wonder how the cops got onto them.

[–] Minus_The_Beer 8 years ago

I don't think political correctness was a concern with the making of this movie. Sometimes dodgy things happen in real life and things like "kids" drinking and being harassed by older teens or adults like Wooderson preying on teenage girls actually happens. Life is full of grey area, and part of what makes this movie so damn brilliant is that it doesn't really gloss over any of that.

I got drunk for the first time when I was 13. It's not the ideal scenario, but it happened. This movie spoke to that experience, which is one many "kids" throughout the decades have had in various forms -- whether they had sex too early, did drugs, etc.

Anyone here mentions Hotel California dies before the first line clears his lips.

[–] krispykremekiller 8 years ago

I'm a lot younger than the kids in that movie, having gone through high school in the 80s. It's still easy to see the major differences between then and now. Violence between boys was the norm. People got their asses kicked on a daily basis. It was a self-policing world.

Growing up in the greater NYC area however, we did not have this ritualistic hazing depicted in the movie. I think the area they lived in didn't have as much to do. The community depended on high school sports for it's entertainment, as you can see from the older couple talking to Floyd. Not everyone had college aspirations either, so you see people peaking in high school more and dwelling in that moment a bit more.

As for the vandalism, I'd say it was more rampant in my high school days then now. Police tended to not be everywhere and consequences were no where they are today. Same for drinking. Drugs were about the same then as now.

[–] dl4060 7 years ago

To its issues; The freshman kids who usually are 14+ can either be considered still kids (6-11) or preteens (12-14) but not teens (15-16 and up)

Where are you getting these definitions? 13 is a teenager.