Is MITM a real view of Teenage life?

I'm gonna add the stuff that goes on at my high school to the other view points - just as another sample US school.

Drinking:
Of all the things you've mentioned, this is the most common at my high school. It's definitely not the rule - neither I nor any of my close friends has had alcohol. But, it's not unusual - I move around in the same circles as people who do.

I think the number really goes up senior year. Last year, I was really surprised whenever I found out about someone drinking. There have always been plenty of people who drink, but generally people who I don't interact with. But this year, almost every week I've been finding out about someone or the other I talk to on a daily basis and have classes with drinking.

Even in MitM, it's common enough that it's explicitly shown like 3 times (Stupid Girl, Watching the Baby and Thanksgiving) and refered to at other times.

Drugs:
On this one the divide is clearer. If someone who you know drinks, chances are, you'll still remain friends with them and interact with them. But with drugs, you have to join one group or the other. People at my high school who do drugs generally don't hang out with the one that don't. We still have many classes together and talk to each other, but only at school, and there's always the thought lurking at the back of you're head.

I would think it's the same with MitM. People aren't gonna talk to you about drugs unless you're close to them and they're sure you won't jdge them and that they can trust you. I doubt that Reese and Malcolm are that close to anyone.

Sex:
Again, less common than the others. It's not as openly talked about, so I don't know as many rumors.

Although MitM doesn't explicitly refer to sex in reference to the boys often, when they do talk about it, it's a detail not the plot itself. It's not meant to be a big deal. So, I think it's not that the boys aren't exposed to it but rather that it doesn't merit an episode.

Smoking:
Hmm...I'm not sure, but I think it's less common than the others. I'm not sure b/c I have friends whose friends outside of school smoke, but in my school, I think it's rare. People who smoke do harder stuff and people who don't - well, don't.

Fox's influence:
I don't think MitM is holding back because of restrictions by Fox. If you've watched The War at Home, it's pretty clear that all that 'family values' talk is pretty shallow. Also, remember, Fox is the channel that shows The O.C.

What a badly organized post...I'llcome back to it later and try to fix it

Thanks Emrysgirl its nice to see the view of those things on your school.
At my school smoking and drinking are the ones that the students go for. Most of the students in my year/grade smoke and had been drunk. I havent and i just think theres no point. If they have to do that wait until the legal age.
Theres the few students, around 10 of them who dont give a damn and just do anything. My friend tried drugs and seemed proud of it! A girl in my class got pregnant! I mean whats the point. Bare in mind that all this happening to teenagers who are 13/14 years old!
Fox cant really show the real view of teenage life, it would be too bad for tv! I pretty sure there would be more swaring than the occasional word!

Here's my ideas about what i know:
Sex: Yep, i'm only 13 and i know two people (who remain nameless as i don't want to get into trouble) that have had sex. It is appauling that people can sink so low at this tender age. They're too young and need to focus on other things than sex!!
Drugs: I don't know anyone luckily!! It is a terrible habit that can kill
Smoking: In my school, people sit down in a shed next to the school and smoke (usually sixth formers). I haven't tried it and am not planning to!!
Alcohol: Nobody although my ex-friend had been drunk at a very young age as her cousin or someone made her drunk!

Very deep and interesting thread...any new thoughts?

Emrysgirl said:

I'm gonna add the stuff that goes on at my high school to the other view points - just as another sample US school.

Drinking
Drugs
Smoking

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These exact same things occur at the school I went to when we moved to Australia. Most students smoked regular cigarettes and/or marijuana. A couple of girls got busted for starting a fire in one of the bathrooms. I heard of a few that got suspended for bringing alcohol to school. Writing on the bathroom walls/doors in twink was also common. And wagging (ditching) could just about have been a subject offering. I often see students (mainly guys) sitting at a table in the park behind the bus stop with their backpacks and regular clothing over their uniforms. The bus company doesn't let school students on during school hours without a note but it's surprising how many get on anyway (dressed in regular clothing).

Actually there's been a drug problem at my school lately too. There's been a bunch of people suspended for not just having it but selling it. The principal's put up a reward of $500 for information leading the arrest of anyone with drugs or selling them on school grounds.

well at my school lots of people gat drunk and smoke
a few year 10s smoke non-stop in the girls toilets it puts me off going in there

my form tutor told me there was a girl my age that used to go to my schools he got pregnant and she left our school and she had te baby!

if i got pregnant and mi mum and dad found out tey would kill me!!

I think Malcolm can be considered a real view of teenage life. Generally alot of the bad things that teenagers do occur more often(especially around here at my schoool). Especially smoking, it's a pastime at my hs. Drinking almost everybody does as well. Sex isn't as spoken of, but from what I know around 60%-75% around here have done it. I'm against the three and do none of the three. I'm only 17 too.

I don't know if Fox is holding back or possibly MITM is. Personally, I don't think MITM needs it at all.

Another way I think that MITM relates with teenage life is through parent control. Sure most mothers aren't as extreme as Lois, but most have some of her qualities. That's one of the reasons I can related towards Malcolm and Reese because I can never seem to get one up on most adults. When I do though, they just brush it off and continue to push their point, even when they are wrong.

han_keep_smilin said:

schools he got pregnant

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HE got pregnant eh? That's new.

rzombie1988 said:

I think Malcolm can be considered a real view of teenage life. Generally alot of the bad things that teenagers do occur more often(especially around here at my schoool). Especially smoking, it's a pastime at my hs. Drinking almost everybody does as well. Sex isn't as spoken of, but from what I know around 60%-75% around here have done it. I'm against the three and do none of the three. I'm only 17 too.

I don't know if Fox is holding back or possibly MITM is. Personally, I don't think MITM needs it at all.

Another way I think that MITM relates with teenage life is through parent control. Sure most mothers aren't as extreme as Lois, but most have some of her qualities. That's one of the reasons I can related towards Malcolm and Reese because I can never seem to get one up on most adults. When I do though, they just brush it off and continue to push their point, even when they are wrong.

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Wow, that's a really high percentage of teenagers that have done that--that amazes me.

To my mind, MITM is more a view of family life than simply teenage life.

I read an interview of Jane Kaczmarek and I agree with her point of view: although it appears strange, MITM shows a perfect working family !
Even if children do bad stuff, they have diner with their parents every day, and they see the consequences of their stupid things.

And we do not only see the children's life and the influence of their parents into it, these parents are part of the story and they have their own problems !

All along the episodes, we can feel the evolution of the characters, which brings us to many different subjects that appear in a real family life: first job for the children, mariage and divorce, unemployment, social issues, financial issues, neighborhood issues...
And to my mind, alcohol, sex and drugs are part of this, even if they are not always dealing with it they don't ignore it neither (remember when Hal found the beers in the garage...)

So Malcolm in the Middle is to my mind an humoristic view of a whole family !


And I think this view is not very far from a real american family, the story is told with humor but subjects of everyday's life are about the same !

To my mind real teenage life doesn't seem to be very different from the series neither, I can often identify myself to the actors !

(hope you'll understand me, English is not my mother tongue...)

Hey Nico! Welcolme to the Voting Community!
Fantastic first post, and I agree with you completely. I, for one, always found one thing in particular to be a stand out moral quality for MITM...that being Hal and Lois. Most shows now days have two people who aren't married just having sex without commitment and such(which is a big problem if you believe in what God says). MITM, though, had Hal and Lois, who were completely dedicated to each other and were totally in love. That was an aspect I always loved about MITM.
Anyways, and like you I view MITM as a view of family life, not just teenage life.

tony_montana said:

Hey Nico! Welcolme to the Voting Community!
Fantastic first post, and I agree with you completely.
[...]

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Thank you very much !
(and happy to know you understand me, I'm french and this is one of my first messages on english forums).


This view of family life is one of the reasons why I really like this series.
It is not only a compilation of kids' stupid things, above all it shows the strong link between the different members of the family.

(French TV channels didn't understand it, as they only consider the show as a series for children, and cut "violent" parts)

You communicate in English very well. I understand you completely.
And the French stations really cut out the violent parts? That's weird.

tony_montana said:

And the French stations really cut out the violent parts? That's weird.

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Yes, they cut a few parts they judge too violent for young public...

For example, in the french generic they deleted the scenes of boxing, fights with the giant turtle, the monsters, the brain... they only kept the parts that came from the series.

The original Pilot episode lasts 3 minutes and 30 seconds more than the french one (before the closing credits for both) !

Living wher ei do in england there nearly no drugs thinkign at all really. I suppose people talk and chat about booze and sex cause its "Cool"

Well, that's the redeeming aspect about MITM. Everything that had to do with sex was morally correct(like Hal and Lois, and in "Thanksgiving" when Malcolm wouldn't have sex with that girl, etc). Now that I think about it, the "Thanksgiving" episode also showed why you shouldn't drink, so that's cool too.

I think the boys are actually confronted to sex-drugs-alcohol stuffs. The show talks about these topics without any restriction. But they've never been directly affected by this kind of issues: I guess that what TJ meant to say. For what reason should it be different? Based on my teenagehood, the show is rather near from what I've lived. Every teenager has not mandatory problems with alcohol and drugs but these things should have approached him sometimes..

What could be contested is the fact that some shows try to do as if sex drugs alcohol homosexuality didn't exist or as if their characters were totally untouchable by these "strange things coming from nowhere". But you've not to be on drugs to be aware of the proximity of this problem and to deal with it.

To my mind.. Malcolm is in the middle... ^^ (Nice one, isn't it?)

Great post, Alfista, and I agree with you completely.
Something I love about Malcolm is that they take these serious problems and present them in a hilarious but positive way on the show.

tony_montana said:

You communicate in English very well. I understand you completely.
And the French stations really cut out the violent parts? That's weird.

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Thanks Tony. However I don't share Nico's point of view (I've just dicovered it). Actually they're not used to cutting violent scenes over here. The actual problem is that Mitm was initially targetted as a kid show, so they normally act in consequence. Obviously the show is something special and mixes genres and I understand that somebody who doesn't really pay attention to the show will assume it's for kids. Otherwise there is no similar problem in other shows.. That's my view point.