Their faces are hollow, the eyes are hooded and lifeless. Sores are everywhere and the teeth have rotted to their core. That is at least for meth users. These ads portray the many different ways meth can destroy a life, whether it be physical or morally. "My mom knows I'd never hurt her. Then she got in the way." A middle class mother lies bleeding under the kitchen sink.
The "Meth, Not Even Once" ads follow the pattern of the Faces of Meth campaign by suggesting that this poisonous drug is permeating throughout middle class, white America. The Linnemann and Wall article described the fear that White America has about the destruction of the "purity" of white culture. Each ad shows a different, white face and the damage that meth has done to them. It takes the good little white girl who was the apple of her parents eyes and turn her into a meth crazed prostitute. Meth is the wolf at the door. It is the fear that parents have about their kids, that they might fall off the track and lose themselves forever.
This isn't to say that meth isn't a seriously problematic drug. However, this kind of ad campaign seems to only be directed at a white audience. It feeds on the fear that white families will become a part of the urban ghetto. But, when crack was (and is) a major problem in the urban ghetto, no ads have come to try and raise awareness of what it could do to a person.
These meth ads show how damaging a drug meth can be to White America. These ads support the status quo, that White America will remain clean and intact, but it does nothing to help other problems.
The Linnemann and Wall article will help me view these ads with a kind of distanced observation. It will remind me that, while yes, meth is a problem, it isn't the pervasive virus that these ads claim it is. I will be reminded that meth is only the tip of the iceberg and that we need to work to help not only white people but also the individuals without a voice.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Breaking Bad Analysis
Breaking Bad is considered by many
to be one of the greatest television dramas of all time. One of the reasons for
this is that Breaking Bad takes a good man, gives him a bad situation and then
forces him to make a choice. The show does an incredible job of rationalizing
crime and allows the audience to wonder what they would do if they were in that
kind of situation. Not only that but it gives criminals a background and makes
them more sympathetic. This kind of character building is rare for images of
criminals.
What
makes Breaking Bad such a standout show is the way it gets the criminals to
seem just like any other person one might meet in life. When Walter sits down
with Crazy Eight and talks about their respective lives and why they began to
lead a life of crime, this scene allows the audience to see Crazy Eight in the
same view as Walt. Not necessarily the same reason for crime, but certainly it
shows that they can see each other on the same level. “The paths we take,” said
Walt, in reference to how they arrived in the meth business.
There
are two breaking points for Walt in Season One. The first is when Crazy Eight
steals a shard of the porcelain plate and prepares to stab Walt. This makes
Walt lose faith in humanity in general and causes Walt to commit his first
murder. There is immediate remorse for the crime. What this shows is that crime
doesn’t always happen because people want it to. There is the premeditated
crime and the crimes of necessity. The premeditated would be the cooking of
meth and the crimes of necessity were the melting of Emilio’s body and the
murder of Crazy Eight.
The
second breaking point for Walt is when he uses fulminated mercury to make a
flash bang bomb against Tuco Salamanca. When Walt gets in the car, he screams
and yells with the obvious adrenaline rush that he got from the situation. When
Walt has sex with Skyler in their car just after this, Skyler asks “Why was it
so damn good?” To this Walt replies, “Because it was illegal.” That interaction
shows Walt moving into the world of a criminal and his association with
criminal activity as a release.
Due
to the cancer, Walt likely is looking for some way to take control of his life,
thus showing why he would act out against the man with the “KEN WINS” license
plate. It also is shown early on when Walt deals with the bullies who were
making fun of Walt Jr.
The
emotional connection initially begins with Walter and his family. The audience
feels for Walt and hopes that he succeeds in anything he can to try and help
assuage his cancerous situation. Other emotional attachments are to the rest of
Walt’s family as they are a constant source of support for Walt. However, as
Walt begins to act unusually, Skyler’s suspicions are aroused and she becomes
less likeable for the viewer, based entirely on dramatic irony.
Other
emotional attachments are formed when Jesse’s home-life is shown and how
desperate his family is to want to help him, but at the same time, how many
times he has gotten their help and left them high and dry when he no longer
needs them. A particularly interesting exchange is when Jesse’s brother, Jake
Pinkman, shares with Jesse that he (Jesse) is the only person that their
parents talk about when he isn’t there, or so he perceives. Additionally, when
Jesse takes the wrap for Jake’s joint, it shows the goodness in Jesse’s heart
and his willingness to help those by sacrificing himself. This makes every
older brother in the audience wonder if they would do the same, or if they would
pin the joint on Jake to save themselves and to get back in the good graces of
the family. Jesse Pinkman is truly the prodigal son.
Other
views of criminals are seen with Jesse’s friends, Skinny Pete and Badger.
Skinny Pete and an unnamed person arrive at Jesse’s house to smoke meth, and
when Jesse doesn’t want to, they decide to leave. This shows how fickle friends
can be in the criminal world. Furthermore, Badger is extremely impatient when
making the meth with Jesse. Perhaps before Jesse met Walt, the two might have
been compatible, however, there is a transition in Jesse’s character as he
moves toward the science side of cooking rather than the artistry.
During
the montage of selling meth to the masses, many different facets of society are
shown. From bikers to businessmen to women in laundromats, criminals, as viewed
through the eyes of the law, are everywhere. They could be anyone and everyone
we encounter on a daily basis. But does their criminality define who they are?
According
to Surette, typical criminals as seen in entertainment media are mature, white
and are blessed with high social status. However, that couldn’t be further from
the truth in Breaking Bad. Most criminals are Mexican or Caucasian who live in
terrible areas. The “Crystal Palace” is a perfect example of a
stereotype-breaking aspect. Criminals are split up into two types in the news
media, says Surette. There are “violent predators” or there are “professional
businessmen and bureaucrats.” What people take away from this is that most
criminals are the street criminals. While those criminals are absolutely shown
in Breaking Bad, Walter isn’t one. Or at least, he tries to avoid it. In fact,
he works to separate himself from that side when making the deal with Jesse to
keep cooking. Walt, trapped in his remorse for killing Crazy Eight, originally
makes an effort to remain on the science side.
All
of that falls apart when Tuco sends Jesse to the hospital. This causes Walt to
put matters into his own hands, (as he did with the “KEN WINS” man) and he uses
the fulminated mercury.
Tuco
Salamanca is the aggressive meth distributor who sketches even Jesse out. His
penchant for violence is reminiscent of the typical criminal as described by
Surette. However, his bodyguards and lair make him a more formidable criminal
than just a street junky. Tuco employs many stereotypical street criminals
though, which makes the viewer wonder if all street criminals answer to
someone. This vein of crime gives the seedy underbelly of society a
particularly unnerving aspect.
U.S.
audiences are likely to find this show appealing as it takes a magnifying glass
to a part of society that is rarely shown and then it is viewed through the
eyes of Mr. Middleclass Everyman. Audiences are going to be rooting for the
relatable Walt, as long as he has a rhyme and reason for what he does. However,
if he goes off the edge and starts doing crime for fun or for greed, audiences
will likely rebel against their hero and demand his head. Audiences would also
like this television show, as it doesn’t have necessarily a knight in shining
armor for the protagonist. This program makes a gripping anti-hero out of a
once-good man.
For
Surette, crime victims in entertainment media are seen as “helpless fodder or
as the wronged heroic avengers.” However, with this show, the victims are
neither. Crazy Eight was a violent criminal, who died out of necessity. When
Jesse is sent to the hospital, it isn’t because he’s helpless fodder, but
rather because a psychopath who didn’t follow the rules of business jumped him.
Even Walt is no longer helpless fodder. He makes a big impact by using his
chemistry knowledge to his advantage. The biggest victims of crime would likely
be the Pinkmans. They’ve had to deal with their eldest son lying and stealing
from them for so long that their hearts are absolutely crushed. They aren’t
killed or even physically injured, but they are emotionally devestated.
At
the moment, the narrative is structured in such a way that most of the
characters are being rooted for. Walt and his cancer struggle makes the
audience bond to him emotionally. Skyler is just looking out for the best of
Walt, just like the rest of the audience. Walter Jr. is a teenager, much like
we all were, but with cerebral palsy, giving the audience an emotional
attachment to him. Hank and Marie are loving family members, looking out for
their sister and brother-in-law. However, Marie is less bondable than Hank as
she has a problem with shoplifting. She refuses to take the blame and is easily
the most unlikable of the family members. The audience wants Jesse to succeed.
He may have made an enormous amount of errors in life, but he has a good heart,
deep down. In fact, he may be a more compelling character than Walt.
By
the end of the season, the audience wants Walt to succeed in cooking meth. This
startling revelation comes as Walt and Jesse walk away in the junkyard to
Gnarls Barkley’s “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul,” a fitting song for such an ending.
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