Comments on: Books, Movies, and Television, Oh My!

By: Lacey Louwagie

Lacey Louwagie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:34:38 +0000

Hm, The Secret Life of an American Teenager sounds a lot like “Annie’s Baby,” a fake diary (marketed as a real diary) about a girl facing a teenage pregnancy. The piece reads so much like right wing propaganda that it was the first thing that tipped me off to researching whether it was a real journal or not; real teenagers rarely tell their stories, or live their lives, in ways that neatly further adult agendas. And to see teen characters created for the sole purpose of “teachin’ and preachin’” really angers me, when there are so many real teens out there with stories to tell, stories that the world needs to hear.

By: Becky Chabot

Becky Chabot — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:47:06 +0000

I got sucked into watching Secret Life as well, but I actually ended up liking it because I felt like it moved away from the stereotypes the longer the series ran. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything the show preaches (and what would we expect from the exec producer of 7th Heaven???), I think that it opens doors for discussion.

I taught ESL this summer and my students, who were from Europe, loved the show. And it led to really good discussions about life in our conversation class. So I think that, while it does rely on stereotypes, it is a good conversation starter.