This past weekend, I was graced with the presence of a quasi-sick boyfriend and a Degrassi: The Next Generation on MTV. Now, I've never quite got into Degrassi - the N was always too high up in the cable channels and I always found something else to watch before flipping to channel 246 or whatever it is. Regardless, on a lazy Sunday morning, I figured I'd give it a shot.
To my surprise, I found in the first 10 minutes of the first episode that I watched -- the girl that plays Annie in 90210, drug use, nudie photos (of a minor!) posted online, internet cyberstalking, sex, a high school dropout boyfriend that just got released from jail, drinking tequila at a birthday party -- oh and whoever "Mascot Boy" is -- he got shanked while trying to open his car door (at the tequila filled birthday party) and died.
All of these storylines sound oddly (or not so oddly) as inticing, and oh so scandalous as its' American teenage drama cousins, Gossip Girl or 90210. Only Degrassi shows everyday high schoolers (who don't live in hotels, attend private school or drive around in limos), struggling with these issues that mainstream America cries scandal over. It shows real kids with real issues - and that is probably why it lasts 7+ seasons. It's probably why Degrassi isn't a show, it's a freakin' franchise -- multiple tv series, books, internet specials. On it's Wikipedia page, I see little to no discussion of parent complaint - which leads me to think of every teenage show that family groups here in the US cry foul on. Dawson's Creek. Felicity. Gossip Girl. For the love of bejezzus, why are Americans on such high and mighty moral ground when it comes to teen shows? Why boohoo over sex in high schools and not see the connection to advertising campaigns like this that go without blame?
Is it Canada's European influence that causes the approval (or at least, understanding) of such teenage shows? Are issues openly discussed via dinnertable discussions with Mom and Dad? Do they walk by Abercrombie and Fitch billboards of mens' sock-stuffed crotches and have the same reaction as us? Moreso, how is it alright for us in the US to have this out of sight, out of mind thought with all of these issues? Just because parents complain about Serena Van Der Woodsen drinking a Belevedere vodka martini on an awkward double date with her ex doesn't mean that doesn't happen, or cease it from happening. Somehow I think the Canadians might be right about something other than universal health care.
-M
