Monday, November 9, 2015

Meth, Not Even Once

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 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.