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Heathers and a philosophy of conspicuous consumption 'I am what I buy.' This notion is at the heart of what Theodore Veblen called 'conspicuous consumption.' In a modern, capitalistic society people define themselves by what they buy and their possessions. Particularly in America, where social hierarchies are seen as fluid, one's ability to earn money is seen as a marker of moral worth and success. The ability to be part of the leisure class and to emphasize social distinctions on a hierarchy through obvious displays of wealth is an important part of American culture, although we supposedly live in a democracy and a meritocracy.
However, the false nature of this notion is evident when looking at the movie Heathers, which dramatizes how a high level of income, even amongst persons who have not earned their wealth, still results in high social status. In the film, three beautiful girls, all named Heather,...
They are not particularly nice or intellectually brilliant, but that does not matter. They can be as mean or as cruel as they desire, because they can conspicuously consume clothing and other trappings of status in high school.
"Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to a gentleman of leisure" (Veblen 191). The same could also be said of the teenage girls of Heathers. Their ability to wear the latest outfits and to seduce older boys marks their high place in the social hierarchy, versus students who cannot. Veblen also identified the ability to throw fantastic parties and engage in acts of conspicuous displays of consumerism and wealth as a kind of social control: the Heathers' sponsorship of a poorer and less socially adept…
Teen Suicide and Schools The recent spate of school shootings has focused attention on violent behavior among teenagers. However, little attention has been given to another insidious and more common form of violence among young people -- the rise in teenagers committing suicide. This paper looks at the silent epidemic of teen suicide and the role schools could play in addressing this issue. The first part of the paper is an overview
Teen Suicide Suicidal behaviors among teenagers remain a national menace. It has been found from large scale national survey data that about 20.5% teens harbored suicide thoughts within 12 months while about 7.7% attempted suicide at least once within this period (Centers for Disease Control, 1998a), suggesting that a large number of youths stand the risks of being prone to suicide. This is most applicable for young boys. A good example
Teen Suicide Suicide among teenagers is one of the great tragedies of our world today. It affects families, schools, and the community (Bostik and Everall, 2007). Interestingly, many teenagers who go through suicidal feelings overcome them, if not with ease, then at last in time. This could be an important factor in devising prevention and intervention strategies, especially for high-risk cases where the teens in question may not overcome their feelings.
As far as I am concerned, the issue of whether or not a state can legislate marriage based on its own definition of social mores was settled in Loving v. Virginia, when the Supreme Court declared that it was an Equal Protection violation to have anti-miscegenation statutes. Sex is clearly as much of an immutable characteristic as race, and it seems illogical to prevent people from entering into a
Meta-Analysis on Teen Suicide One of the leading treatments for depression are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI's, however their effectiveness seems to be age related. In a recent study titled "Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and risk of suicide: A systematic review of observational studies," the authors assert that the effectiveness of these drugs is dependent upon the age of the patient. Young patients aged 25 or younger, had an increased
Teen Depression Stress and modern life are far more ingrained in modern culture, often causing a greater preponderance of mental disorders in almost all population dynamics. The teen population is not eliminated as a candidate for a disorder just because they may be young. In fact, mental disorders affect 1 in 5 teenagers. The prevalence of mental disorders in this population should encourage an abundance of treatment programs, but sadly, this