Parents should keep an eye on how the relationships between children and parents are handled in the films they watch with their family. They should also note how parents are portrayed. It used to be that parents, and other authority figures, would be shown in a positive light. Fathers were kind and wise, mothers were...well, motherly. Even teachers and clergy were shown to be helpful and concerned about the kids. Since the late sixties this has changed and has deteriorated to the point where it is notably rare to find a "nuclear family" in the cinema. Dad is a dolt, and Mom is often hurried and brash. If the parents are together at all, they are usually either heading for divorce or are suffering through some serious trauma (addiction, abuse, etc.) Children are now normally shown as being on their own and often as superiors to the adults in their lives.

The "kids know best" template, where children are the wise ones and adults are ignorant jackasses, is well known to anyone who has spent five minutes with any kids TV show. How many commercials have you seen that pit kids up against authority figures. The kids possess a product that helps them defeat their oppressive foe (usually their parents). The narrative is simple: a cool kid drinks a brand of soda, wears some piece of junk or eats some kind of cereal, whatever the corporation is selling. An authority figure wants those dang kids to settle down, the kids then utilize the product in question and then dispatch the oppressive parent/teacher/librarian. This template is carried into films as well but instead of a wad of fruit roll-ups or Oreo breakfast bars the corporation hands the fictional cool kids a philosophy. Again, the process is simple: a cool kid comes into a situation where parents and other kids are mired in trouble. The cool kid shows a new way of thinking, which is generally hollow platitudes like "freeing your mind" (Bridge to Terabithia) or wholehearted tolerance (Because of Winn-Dixie). The authority figures scoff at the idea and then an emergency happens and the cool kid's philosophy turns out to be the right way of thinking. The authority figures are forced to capitulate

This template is effective but also damaging. It places children above adults and trains the youth to see themselves as either equal to or greater than their elders. This can hinder the natural relationships between parent and child and asks the child to see the world in a way that's not truthful. Am I saying that if kids watch this "kids know best" template they're going to turn into disrespectful imps? No, but it isn't going to help matters much. Kids tend to be irritating jerks as it is, as a society do we really need to give them support in this regard?

Labels: miscellaneous, movie watching tip