Why High Schools Don’t Spontaneously Break Into Song
Ever since I was a child and was first exposed to the seemingly innocent, but not really innocent at all film, Grease, I was under the impression that high school was going to be significantly different than it really is. Once again, motion pictures lied to me: I went to high school believing it would be a little work, and a lot of song and dance, only to find out it was pretty much all work, and the occasional fight in gym. So, why, exactly, are our directors and Hollywood writers obsessed with the idea of high schools bursting into song and dance? And why hasn’t it caught on? This article is a hard-hitting look at this strange juxtaposition of life and cinema.
American culture is largely influenced by film. Studies have been done by many different groups with different special interests, and they have concluded that 65.7% of the population admits to being directly influenced by the movies they watch. This is why you see the numbers of weddings increase exponentially during the times that romantic movies featuring weddings are in theatres. This is also why you see the birth rate rise by a few percentage points when the popular Hollywood trend is movies with cute babies. This is doubly true if the babies are animated or talk in a way that normal babies don’t. Many movies about war also come out during war times. These are not coincidences, though many people are surprised to discover their weddings aren’t wacky capers, their babies don’t talk like Bruce Willis, and war is a really bad thing with little to no fun time. Once again, cinema lies to us. And yet, we’re sucked in by all the glitz and glamour.
The same thing happens when you associate high school with music and dance. For the past few decades, people have been led to believe that the ultimate form of expression for teenagers is a jaunty tune and/or a saucy dance. Both of these, according to movies, are tools for channeling emotions that mere words can not express. And yet – this never happens in real life. Why? The answer is surprisingly simple: People do not do this. Ever. Imagine if you were at school, or work, or in the store, and someone started singing really loudly. You’d think that person was insane, and you’d probably be right. If they started climbing on tables and shelves, dancing, and got their friends to join in? You’d probably be terrified and leave.
This is why people don’t break into song and dance. And while I am angry that movies consistently lie to me, I’d just like to let it be known that I do believe in the power of music, especially high school type songs. That’s why I believe in High School Musical ringtones. They manage to bring song and dance into your day in such a way that you can still keep up the appearances of a sane person. [Note: you want to do this; insane people usually end up in institutions. And there’s no song, dance, or ringtones in those places. Even the movies will tell you that!]
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Print Article | Download PDF | 27 views | Apr 24 2008
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