Show Discussion: Adolescence:

This will be something new for me, but I am going to give a show review/discussion on the new Netflix series, Adolescence.   I wouldn’t usually suggest something not Christian or not something in the devotional book/film realm.  However, I do believe this is a great show and it was filled with big discussion points needing to be discussed.  Maybe everyone won’t agree on every single point, but there should still be honest thoughts shared amongst families, friends, neighbors, etc.  It does have a lot of swear words and there is an illusion to violence, but I believe it is to give the narrative of what the real world looks like.  

I will give a brief summary of the show for those who have not watched any of it or haven’t seen any trailers or material.  The show is about a young boy, 13 years of age, named Jamie who is accused of stabbing a classmate girl to death.  He is booked into the prison, later a training center, meets with psychologists, etc.  The cast during interviews make it a point to showcase that Jamie was the one who did stab the girl.  There is no question about that, it is caught on tape, and it is shown at the end of the first episode.  They continuously describe this show as a “why done it?” not a “who done it?”  Why did this young boy stab a young girl 7 times till she died?  Also, while this show is not based on one true story, it is based on the rise of young boys stabbing young girls happening in the U.K, where this show is filmed and produced.  

One big discussion I believe is the most important is social media and it’s changing the thoughts and the beliefs of those viewing it.  This boy consumed hours and hours of social media and videos.  This was porn-based videos as well as various pictures of naked women.  This was men who were speaking inappropriately about women and how they should not be respected.  Jamie was also the victim of some online bullying on top of all of that.  It shows how dangerous social media can really be at its core.  It shows what some people are watching, and this is even including some of the young people.  There are bad takes being consumed by people and again, even some young people. 

It goes to show what we really take in for content on social media or videos matters.  Those really can affect our mind and our thoughts.   I will be completely honest when I say I am not completely clean in my watching of videos.  I watch a lot of drama-based material.  I watch a lot of content with heavy swear words.  I also will sometimes watch movies with sexual scenes, and I listen to a lot of music with those same themes.   It is not the healthiest thing to be filling my brain, and I have gone back and forth on how to best cleanse my watching and listening habits.  

Another big talking point I have been thinking about was what it takes to raise a child.  There is often discussion on the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  I do believe it is a true phrase.  There are the parents which are a big piece, but then there are also the teachers, the friends, the internet, and any other major adults in a child’s life.  However, I also believe it takes a village to ruin a child.  There are many parts making up a child’s life and this can impact them in good ways and it can impact them in other toxic ways.  This whole show displayed many aspects of this kid’s life impacting his decisions and then ultimately his life, as well as the life of the young girl he stabbed to death.  

His parents never abused him, but in many ways his dad showed shame when he wasn’t very athletic. Also, his father was loving, but he worked a lot of hours and therefore, he didn’t have a lot of time to spend with his son.  Because of this, he started to spend more time with his friends and on social media.  While it is good to have friends, and social media can be good in small doses, there was also a lot of toxicity in both of these categories depending on what is being shared.  He didn’t necessarily get a lot of time from any of his teachers because the school had a lot of behavior issues.  Jamie didn’t get the attention he was seeking, so he found it in other terrible places.  This is a good reminder for me and anyone else who works for or with kids.  You don’t know the effect you have on the young people in your life.  You can really be a shining light for them.

The challenge for the week is two things.  The first is to think about your social or overall media consumption.  How well do you do with your media?  Do you have a strong media presence and is it negative or positive?  Is there anything you would change?  Then the second challenge is to think about the children in your life.  Is there any child, a niece, a nephew, a son, a daughter, a student, multiple students, patients in part of your life that you could make an impact in, that you could change their life, or you could share the Gospel with them?