Summer Netflix: Dawson's Creek

Joey NOOOOOOOO

I made a strange decision this summer to complete the entire series of Dawson's Creek. I had watched the show when it was popular on and off, but I was only in elementary school when it first debuted. Seeing as I was the kid still playing with American Girl dolls in 6th grade (true story), the will they, won't they, cheesy story line of Dawson Leery and Joey Potter was kind of the farthest thing from my mind. 


However, I did catch most of the series again in college when TBS or some similar station started playing them back to back right as I was supposed to be getting ready for my 8:30am political communication class. 


Remembering how much I enjoyed putting off my day to watch these's 90's teens overanalyze their angst, I wanted to re-watch it to see how it held up. 


Oddly enough, I was not the only one who thought this was a good idea! Since I've started the series, I've been tweeting the really hysterical moments, and I've found that others are doing the same. I've found articles on HelloGiggles by women who are writing on specific episodes. And of course then there's the PaceyCon video on FunnyorDie.com.

Oh Pacey Witter...

THINGS I'VE REALIZED WHILE RE-WATCHING DAWSON'S CREEK


1) I hate Dawson. (See above photo.)

Ok, maybe *hate* is a strong word, but I really dislike the character of Dawson. A couple of Google searches actually show that I'm not alone. Which really begs the question, why center a show around a dislikable teenage boy with bad hair? And James Van Der Beek, I apologize because this really is no hate on you. I saw you in that Ke$ha video and you were hilarious. You seem very likable and you have an awesome last name.

BUT Dawson is always CRYING! Maybe not always physically crying, but he just won't shut up about the most ridiculous things. Wah, Jen broke my heart even though I treated her like crap for having hooked up with any men before even meeting me. Wah, Joey broke my heart even though I didn't even know she existed as a love interest until the end of the first season. Wah, my dad died. Wait, maybe that one is legit. Oh, but did I mention that . . .

2) Dawson's dad died trying to pick up an ICE CREAM CONE off the floor of his car.

But then they put in a backstory about how the man that hit him fell asleep at the wheel. There CLEARLY is a scene where Mitch Leery is driving home from picking up milk and his scoop of ice cream falls off his cone, and he bends down to pick it up. Even if he had saved that ice cream, how would he have eaten it. Ice cream is soft, cold, and melty and floors of cars are filthy. Gross. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.

3) Frosted tips were a thing (See photo of Pacey.) WHAT?

4) Nobody chooses to bring their grandmother to college with them.

Grams was a nice lady and all. And I understand the whole dynamic of her being Jen's only family relative with a soul. But Jen and Jack decide to move to Boston to go to college so they sell the house in Capeside and bring Grams. OH, and SOMEHOW are able to afford that GIGANTIC, beautiful house in Boston?

5) Dawson's movies were terrible.

They were all bad. Every single one of them. The Sea Creature one was terrible and would never win an award with $1,000 attached to it to fund a second mess. The one about Joey was ridiculous. The one about the old man who was a screen writer was literally just him sitting on a chair talking about his life. How evocative. And then the horror film he was an assistant on was terrible as well, and set in the 70s. And they danced at a disco. NO.

6) Katie Holmes was a pretty good actress

I don't really care what people's opinions are on this one. She might not be fantastic. She definitely is not the best singer out there. But she did alright in this show. She's also gorgeous.

7) For the love of GOD, give Jen Lindley a break!

They really, really DON'T.  SPOILER. She dies.

8) Joey and Dawson should learn to give up this dream relationship

Seriously, after the 3rd time they kiss/hookup/whatever and it ends in literally one episode, you'd think they would know to say "well, OBVIOUSLY, we are just better off being friends."

9) Pacey should have just gone to college instead of feeling sorry for himself.

He was a second mate on a boat, which he lived on for most of season 5. He was a top chef in a really up and coming restaurant. Then he was a stock broker wanna be. Why didn't he just go to college? Man, go to culinary school, you seemed to have liked that. Go for a liberal arts degree while you're trying to figure out. Just stop feeling sorry for yourself. You're like the only male character with an actual brain.

10) What's with the one episode that Joey half narrates in the beginning of Season 6?

This isn't Joey's creek. Why are you narrating? No one has EVER narrated! Totally jarring.

That's all I've got right now. I'm sure I'll do a live blog of an episode, I just haven't picked one yet. For now, stay tuned!

Instant Gratification Generation

Last night I came across a video that was shared on Facebook of a bus monitor being tortured and bullied by 7th graders, and I have to say, I had mixed feelings at first. 


For the most part, I agree with what the majority of comments made on the video. I've had the feeling for a while now that the current '80s babies have a gigantic disconnect with most of the children born in the '90s. Sadly, I think a lot of the self-absorbed, entitled and materialistic attitudes connect with the fact that these kids were born into houses with personal computers, the internet, and yes, even nintendo 64. 


My theory relies generally on the fact that these children learned lose the ability to wait for something very early on. Think about it, I know when I was growing up, the only video game system we had was the original Nintendo. We had it for years. I was maybe 12 going on 13 when we were given a Nintendo 64, and that was an insane difference. Kids now have seen 5 generations of iPhones come out within the last 5 years. They've seen technology refreshed again and again. Not only have they seen the growth of technology at this rapid rate, but they also have the mentality that the newest form of technology makes the last generation obsolete. 


They've grown up with AOL profiles, Xanga's, Live Journals, Myspace, and Facebook. Platforms which all put the user at the center of their virtual universe. Children being born today are in a world where it's "normal" for people to brag about how amazing they are via the internet. There is no humility. They are learning that it's ok to not fight for a cause as long as you share a Facebook link from the safety of your own home. 


Don't get me wrong. I love the internet. I love reading new things, seeing new innovative ideas, and yes, it's also a guilty pleasure for me to sit on Facebook and watch my friend's lives from afar. But we didn't grow up surrounded by this stuff. We weren't susceptible to this environment, because the environment didn't exist then. 


Every generation is plagued with its own problems. It's always more comfortable to say something via the internet because we feel like there is less of a consequence. We have the barrier of the computer screen and we can just turn it off. The problem is the "no filter" issue is quite obviously effecting children off of the internet. 


People who grew up part of their lives without these privileges (because they ARE privileges) can see these perks for what they really are. The children who were born into this world think they are basic necessities. 


It's a parent's responsibility to raise well-rounded human beings. Other countries have internet, and most of the technology we have, so how are their children so different from American children? We have to start asking that question. As one of the most amazing countries in the world where it comes to opportunity, we need to teach the responsibility that comes with that opportunity.