She's asking for it

I know that Ms Hammond is free to dress how she will, and considering what girls today wear, she was dressing conservatively, but when I see her throwing herself on a man she KNOWS is married, I say she is a tramp. Then when she stops in the stairwell to fix her garters, I thought she is asking for it...then you see the student watching her and you know she is about to get attacked. I know no woman is asking to be raped, but the thought still flashed through my mind "she's asking for it" (plus she was asking for it, just not from the student...a little consensual nookie with Mr. Dadier would have been great). Makes you think, should Ms Hammond have been dressing more conservatively (say in nun's robes?) she knew how she looked, and was even warned by another teacher, yet she still wore provocative clothing. This issue is still around today, with the strictures of Muslim women's clothing. The question remain, how far do women have to go to curtail the male attention? I know that I make harsh remarks about the girls walking around in skirts that don't even completely cover their asses, calling them sluts...that's probably  just be me being jealous since I could never pull off that look. But even Dadier's wife makes a comment about Ms Hammond provoking the boy who attacked her. Do you  think that the conservative clothes idea came about from jealous women who felt they were not attractive enough to keep their husbands at home? Victorian era dresses were so low cut sometimes that you could see the top of the aureoles, yet it was socially acceptable at the time, even when showing an ankle was not.  It is strange how sensibilities change throughout the ages.

I hated the fact that there was not one strong role model for women in Blackboard Jungle, the women were sluts, timid wives, nosy old neighbors or meek and dowdy teachers. I felt that this movie was meant for the guys to watch, because the women were supposed to be at home taking care of the wash. Was the social scare mainly centered around the male youth? 

I noticed several posters throughout the movie depicting the Marines. I thought it was interesting that when Dadier is talking to West about reform school and the military they are standing in front of one of the Marine posters.

I enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it and I am glad I got the chance to watch it a second time because I wasn't solely focused on the plot, I was able to take in smaller details which enriched the film for me (mostly made me laugh...) like when the guys are at the bar, Edwards keeps orders two more rounds of drinks after Dadier said he needed to get home, or the fact that Anne Dadier is so vapid at points, she has no initiative to ask her husband about the so called woman, instead she does the laundry and cooks dinner. 

Don't let them choose you

Jim's dad had some great 'first day at a new school' advice. He tells Jim "Don't let them choose you." I think his advice was for all the youth who were supposedly being corrupted. His advice was to stay away from the bad influences, choose the right kinds of people, be active and helpful members of society. What seems to be impossible for parents to grasp are the pressures placed on their kids by others. Honor was and is still a big thing, and so to call somebody a chicken is almost a threat their honor. Kids can't back down from a fight, Jim proves that on the field trip when he tries to step back from the situation, but he fails and is dragged into an all too familiar dance. Wound or be wounded. Thankfully Jim found a way to salvage his honor and Buzz's without doing either of them serious injury. 

Random Topic Jump: Since when do cops act like the school's guidance counselor? Officer Ray is the all compassionate police man with a heart of gold, can't stand to see a good kid mixed up with the wrong people. Blah, blah, blah. Too bad he wasn't there when Jim needed him the most. But isn't that what always happens in the movies? That one character who can make it all better is MIA at the most vital time. Now its up to the rest of the characters to take matters into their own hands. We see how well that ended up, Plato dead. Worst part is that Jim didn't mess up the situation, the cops did. 

Another Question: How many kids can you fit into Buzz's car? It was like a freaking clown car, they just kept piling in, one sharp corner and they would have all been flung from the car. Do you think that people actually drove that way or was this just another way for the film to show out of control teens?

Who has the power in Jim's family? Its obviously not Dad, he's a henpecked husband. So is it Mom or Grandma? Ooo and Mom pulled the guilt card on Jim saying how he doesn't appreciate that she almost died giving birth to him...I wanted to punch her, its the oldest guilt trip in the world.  And what is with the Daddy complex's these kids have? Is it because many fathers were at war when the kids were young?

The chicken car scene reminded me of the movie Footloose when the guy goes to jump but he is stuck, and of the movie A Walk to remember when the teenage prank goes horribly wrong and the kid is hospitalized.  Teen Stupidity runs rampant in movies from all generations. I guess adults never think too highly of the next generation.

The film strongly reminded me of the short film we saw last year, Don't tell me, ask me where the adults want to fix the gang problem and the good teenagers come forward saying don't tell me what to do, ask me how to help fix the situation. Both movies remind us that although many teens are causing problems, there are many others who want to fix the situation. Not all teenagers are bloodthirsty criminals.