Blog #3

A current TV show that I watch from time to time is called Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV. This show is about rich, spoiled kids that force their parents to throw them extravagant birthday parties for their sixteenth birthday. I found that this show represents most of the ten American Core Values, in some way. This show tells the viewers to value material goods more than anything else, but not just regular material goods, expensive ones. For example, you shouldn't ask for a used Honda for your first car you should get a new Lexus or a Mercedes. Also, it tells kids that they should not be happy until they get everything they want. In this show you see many sixteen, or soon to be, year old teens have temper tantrums and throwing fits because they don't get the right table decorations. I think this show is a bad example for teens and kids across America because it doesn't teach you to be grateful for what you have, it teaches you to be greedy until you get what you want. The only time you see someone grateful on this show is right after their party when they are thanking their parents for spending thousands of dollars on one night, and getting them their first car that is worth more than most people earn in a year.

This is a list of how the show represents the ten core American values.

Achievement and Success: Many times the parents say that the kids deserve such a large party because they have been so good and working so hard in school. Yet many of them don't have jobs and are average students. Also many don't do chores, but the show portrays them to be hard working.

Activity and Work: The party is an activity that keeps them busy planning and "stressing" about what they believe is the most important day of their life.

Efficiency: They usually pay to have someone plan their party so they can continue their normal life while picking out a few details that correspond to the party and pretending to be busy.

Progress: Most teens in this show feel that in order to make progress once they turn 16 that they will need a car and unfortunately many parents fall for it.

Material Comfort: All the girls need to wear multiple dresses to the party because they feel like they can't be seen wearing the same dress the entire night. Also, they need to be drizzled with thousands of dollars in diamonds and expect expensive, high end gifts.

Individualism: They try to pick a theme that represents who they are and that no sweet sixteen person has ever used before.

Freedom: The only way I can think that relates to this show is they are allowed to have a party and the parents let them do whatever they want.

Conformity: They all conform to the idea that you need a huge sweet sixteen party just because you are allowed to drive. They also conform to the idea that you need a brand new expensive car.

Humanitarianism: One person on the show charged an entrance fee and gave all that money to a charity; another person had an all "green" party, trying to be environmentally friendly.

Youthfulness: They are all young people on this show, however, it is somewhat ironic because all the people on the show try to act older. The only thing is you can see that they are young by the way they behave when they can't get something they want.