College, Internet, and the world around you

With my college teaching being here, I typed literally in the school's lounge, I may start to have either an influx of ideas, or a drought.

But, with that being said, let's get experimental.

College is such a fun time in a young person's life; they're learning new things, meeting new people, getting freaky with the drugs and the alcohol because they're cool and lookin' to score.
Or, if you're really wild, then I just described high school.
If you're a genuine maniac, that was only elementary school.

But, school is such a special time. Why do you think we have so many 'teen' movies? Everyone wants to relive, or make up, getting a higher education.
Looking at Japan's culture, high school is the last time these kids get to interact with each other before being thrown into a cubicle, a hard hat, or farmer garb. This video explains it better than I can.
Also, if you're super into Japanese culture, I recommend checking out this channel. Gaijin Goomba knows what he's talking about.

But why is it so much fun to make up? Why are there countless teen movies about basically the same thing?
Because the genre is always relevant.
It doesn't matter if it was 1985 or 2017, kids go to high school. In 2028, kids will still go to high school.

The movies serve as time capsules for us to look back at and laugh, almost as if it's a yearbook.
The corny humor, the quirky characters, the impossible situations.

Recently, my family and I watched "Can't Buy Me Love"
It's about this nerd who wants to buy a $1000 telescope, but he sees a popular girl in the shop across the way, begging the store clerk to let her exchange the conveniently priced $1000 outfit she needs to replace the dirty one she has.
He comes to her rescue, buys the outfit and asks a favor of her; to fake date him.
It's a great movie, and I recommend you watch it if you haven't already.

The whole time we watched it, we laughed at how big their hair was, how cheesy their outfits looked, but the emotion behind the acting was the highlight of the film.

Another movie that is fantastic is Napoleon Dynamite.

I remember this movie from when I was in 5th grade. I also remember I wasn't allowed to watch it for some reason. I guess because my mom thought Kip holding sai across his chest looked threatening and not child friendly. I also thought it had the Numa Numa song in it. It did not. It was 2004; my internet was as slow as a retarded turtle.

If you've never seen Napoleon Dynamite, it's about this nerdy kid. That's it. Pedro runs for school president and you should vote for him. That's the major plot point. The movie is so loosely written around Napoleon, it's like he's watching his own movie. The majority of the time, it's Napoleon in school, dealing with bullies as passive aggressively as possible. Side characters are introduced randomly, like Pedro's cousins he never talked about that showed up at a few points. I won't spoil anything for those who haven't watched, but be aware the final scene with Uncle Rico makes literally no sense. It's also slightly hard to believe the then 27-year-old Jon Heder is portraying a 16-year-old boy who's 6'1".

I think it's his outlandish personality that keeps me watching this movie over and over again. The visuals are more like the 1980's, what with the hair and the outfits. You feel like this set of characters are stuck in the 1980's, except for some of the more popular students who are dressed and styled in decade appropriate garb.

Speaking of high school movies that I wasn't allowed to watch, but this time for good reason; Superbad

This movie doesn't stand the test of time, sadly. At one point, I thought this movie was hilarious. As I got older, though, McLovin' became less funny. Superbad is also a movie that is unexpectedly touching near the end. Like, you know they're losers throughout the film, especially Fogell. And then it gets to the end of the party when Seth and Evan are trying to get back home, and end up sleeping in Evan's basement in sleeping bags. Though this was intended as a joke, it's still a heartwarming scene, because it's something I'd do with my friends. Especially the nose "boops"
The next day, they go to the mall to get stuff for college. It's a genuine bonding experience, then they see the girls, Jules and Becky. Jules has a black eye from when Seth tripped and hit her face, so she's at the mall to get cover up for it. Since Seth knows about make up from his sister (? It's been a while since I've watched the movie. don't @ me) he offers to help her find some.
And Becky needs new bed sheets for her dorm, and as luck would have it, so does Evan.
They split the party, symbolically saying "This is the split for us, but the beginning of something new"

It doesn't fully capture what high school is like, but what movie can? Movies are fiction, and should be treated as such. Sure, a lot of them have the same themes; bullying, underage drinking, horny-ness, and other teenage struggles.

But, that's just high school. What about college?

Enter "Accepted"

Ironically, also with Jonah Hill.

This movie is about Justin Long's character facing the struggles of getting into college. So, after applying and applying and applying, he still did not get accepted.
Then, he and his friends, along with Lewis Black, start a college where you can learn anything.
Literally, anything.
Even telekinesis. (That's blowing shit up with your mind)

The South Harmon Institute of Technology, or SHIT because fuck censorship.

This movie is all about rebellion and youthfulness and I'm all for it. Compared to other college movies, like Van Wilder where every other sentence is a sexual innuendo, this movie breaks those boundaries and introduces a new concept; doing what you want to succeed.

Albeit, it's a comedy movie, and you shouldn't look too into those because they're meant to make you laugh, but a story that's only laughs doesn't get very far, unless it's Monty Python.

I know of a few more school movies, but perhaps another time.

So, the second part of the title; The Internet. What's that about?

Well, the last time I went to school was 2011, so you can understand my surprise when I have to take at least one class online and not in a classroom.

The majority of our curriculum is on a website/app called Canvas. There, we can check how we're doing in class, what assignments are due, and what we'll be doing next week.
My question is, what would I be like if I had grown up with this from the start?

I wasn't allowed to even have a cell phone until I was a sophomore in high school. I begged my mom for one constantly since 6th grade. It was tough seeing 3rd graders walking around with their flip phones, but it did teach me a lesson; just because it's trendy doesn't mean you need it.
To be fair, at that point, I didn't. Who was I going to hang out with? Who was going to kidnap me when I knew basically every adult in the school, and we never left their sight.
Then, high school, when I should've been hanging out with friends, but couldn't because I didn't have a clam to call home. (Pun totally not intended, but super appreciated)

The first clam I ever called my own.
[Dragonforce plays in the background]

Now, if I had grown up with today's technology and would've needed a smartphone in grade school, things would have been different, probably. It would have forced my mom into buying one for me, I'd understand so much more about apps and technology than I already do, I probably would have loaded it with porn because, you know, I was 13.

I think the reason we write about school is because it's a symbol of youth and possibilities before the responsibilities of adulthood come knocking on our door. (Unless you live with your parents until you're 27)

The only thing that is awful about teen movies is that they try too hard to be trendy.
I rewatched The Duff a few months ago and it did not stand up to the test of time. Referencing current events or trends is a symbol of death. At the time, yeah, it was funny! But a year later when everyone's forgotten about Lindsey Lohan, it stops being funny.

What are some of your favorite memories from school? What school movies do you love watching over and over again?

I've also found out that tags don't work as well on here as they do on Twitter, so I'm abandoning them.

Have a great solstice!