CON:PRO:

Is Miramonte Meant for MTV’s “Made”?Mirador8 Opinion 4/23/10

by Dani Vignos

The concept of the show is humiliating, the execution is even worse and the feeling that you get when nothing else is on and you flip to channel 43 to watch MTV’s Made constitutes a horrible mixture of nausea and emptiness. Yet, when asked if Made should come to Miramonte, the obvious answer remains yes.

Made locates a kid, usually one without friends or a talent, and makes them into something they never can and never will be. It exposes kids to ridicule and categorizes people into cliché high school stereotypes. With tears shed, swear words exchanged and privacy unfiltered, Made represents the trash of the 21st century. However, just because this is the norm, it does not mean that we would have to abide by these rules. With Miramonte’s tradition of excellence, we as a student body can transcend the low standards of this show and give it our own spin. MTV will not know what hit them!

As is readily apparent, Miramonte’s student body consists of the smartest, most attractive, and most well rounded students in all of America, so we have already created a huge problem for MTV’s evil plan. We do not have a friendless loser for them to “make.” They would have to choose someone from one of our various programs of excellence who could not possibly be portrayed as stupid or unaware. Putting aside the benefits that Miramonte as a whole will receive, one lucky individual will be transformed into a superhuman of incomprehensible talent. Made could act as a platform for aspiring artists, musicians, or athletes.

With so much talent being cultivated nowadays, how the hell are you supposed to make it? It’s not about talent anymore. It’s all about connections. MTV could very well establish the ultimate link to glory.

This would be far superior to winning any sporting event against Campolindo or putting on a theatrical production far greater than usual. This would put Miramonte a step ahead of Campolindo for eternity. They could never trump the time that Miramonte premiered on Made.

Miramonte students have a reputation for being cloned elitists who lack opinions or individuality. This could be Miramonte’s big break. We could prove to all of America that we are real people too. Enough of this rich kid persona.

If this plan fails and Made depicts Miramonte as a wealthy rich kid community, then hey, at least we made it on TV. This argument alone makes MTV’s mission justifiable at Miramonte. Imagine having 30 seconds of stardom on one of the world’s most popular channels. Aside from being stopped in restaurants and shopping malls to give your autograph, or being known as “the kid from MTV,” you will have created something for your children and grandchildren to live up to. Your name will be highlighted on the family tree next to your grandfather who fought in World War II or great grandmother who traveled barefoot across America in search of a better life. Students at Miramonte are stressed out from being so gosh darn perfect. Made coming to Miramonte would be a light stress reliever.

Seeing cameramen around school or being interviewed on your fellow student’s progress would be exciting. It is nothing to take seriously, only an outlet for fun.

by Marina Allen

America’s fascination with stardom has seeped through the gates of Miramonte with the arrival of MTV’s Made. Students have a chance to be featured as one high school stereotype evolving into another. What our dear Fore Fathers established as the American Dream has perpetually increased to revolve around glamorized icons. Now, the American Dream is to get onto MTV and have one’s life dissected, the parts removed and then reassembled and sewn up into a new, better image. Miramonte High School has been summoned to deliver the current idea of the American Dream, with 20 students now trying to star in Made, where they can become pawns in the grand game of demographic marketing.

The American Dream has always been partly myth and partly truth. For reality TV, people change and get made over, but they suffer from the shaming exposure of their fears and self-defined faults. The program is attractive to students, unhappy with their current lifestyle, to be “made” into whatever they desire. Why is Miramonte willingly supporting this sham?

We all fall for the premise of Made: that if we change a couple of things, our lives will improve; that there is something wrong with us that can be molded into something that will make us happier. But does it ever work that way? And is that really MTV’s intent? Of course not.

The theory of Made is just as shallow as the reason people watch the program. It’s the theory behind all reality TV. Let’s observe trauma and react to it, and judge where we stand in our own ability to handle shame. Mostly we get to feel superior. By focusing on drama queens and kings, and people who are relentless in the exposure of their own deficiencies, we can feel secure in our own more moderated reactions to hardship. The show isn’t reality. It’s an exaggerated play, modified and refined for your viewing pleasure for the purpose of exploiting another human being’s very real turmoil to increase entertainment value. It fuels our need to be judgmental over others.

Who are the drama kings and queens who make the MTV cut? Usually people caught at a point in their lives when internal forces have reduced their ability to make sensible decisions. They may not give MTV a predictable storyline, but they’ll give MTV a predictable train wreck of emotionalism. And that’s how the MTV audience will view Miramonte through its selected representative as a haven for shallow, self-absorbed dramatic know-nothings. It will appear as a wealthy, insolated suburb that banishes iconoclasts who differ from the conventional norm.

MTV’s Made contributes to a false portrayal of teen life: that we are addicted to stimulants, narcissism, and materialism. To covet our privacy and guard against spectators editing our unwritten lives isn’t paranoia, or a resistance to mindless fun; it’s a kind of freedom. Hollywood has a rotten track record in its promise to be a fairy godmother turning a trod-upon, unhappy stepdaughter into a princess. What Miramonte should pay attention to is its opportunity to tell MTV to stay away, in the interest of its students being allowed to explore their identities on their own, in a deep reservoir of options, unedited and resonant with the true American Dream.

MTV’s Made has transended your widescreen and penetrated the Miramonte campus, to the anticipation and excitement of many students. A fearless few have even tried out to

be the show’s star in its upcoming season. Is Made a unique opportunity for Miramonte students, or does it condemn us to the realm of materialism and “unreality?”

by Elizabeth Lenczowski

After missing two deadlines and having a week off from school, one month went by before I finally wrote this article. Contrary to what you may expect, I am not blaming this uncommon delay on ordinary languor. Though, as a fourth quarter senior, I have succumbed to the plague of senioritis.

Most assume that arrogance and ambivalence cause this illness amongst the 18-year-old crowd. However, upon further reflection I have realized that there exists a less-demeaning cause to this problem.

Psychology teacher Paul Fitzgerald credits stress for senioritis, not mere apathy or disdain of authority. Stress climaxes at ages 18, 19, and 20, coinciding appropriately with second semester of senior year.

The imminent changes in a senior’s life cause stress: leaving home, beginning college, being in a new environment, etc.

In addition to these changes, the choices a senior must make result in stress. Where should I matriculate next fall? What college suits me best? Will this college accept me? What do I want to study? Will I get along with my roommate? Dozens of questions concerning the future infiltrate seniors’ minds, leaving no space for consideration of homework. These life-changing

decisions ultimately result in senioritis. How could a senior attempt calculus homework when

s/he must make a daunting decision between a career in viticulture or nuclear fusion?

When confronted with difficult choices, freezing under pressure is a common reaction. This senior did not complete the calculus homework, and took safe haven in watching an episode of Glee instead of deciding on a college major. Hence, senioritis is a byproduct of anxiety about the future.

Fitzgerald assigns stress tests to his seniors in Psychology class every year and finds that more than half of them are in the highest danger zone. Students select up to 31 events that they have experienced in the past six months or are likely to experience in the next six months. Each event has a point value, ranging from the death of a close family member at 100 points, to a minor traffic violation at 20 points. After adding up the points from each event, Fitzgerald says his students have an average score of 400 on the stress scale, where anything over 300 is reason to worry.

The college application process and the anxious period of waiting undoubtedly contribute to the seniors’ abnormal stress levels. However, contrary to common notion, pressure does not lift after college acceptances arrive in the mail.

Alternatively, after the acceptance-celebrations end, stress levels rise again as seniors realize their impending responsibility.

So, instead of punishing seniors with more work for their inevitable condition, understand and be sympathetic to their situation.

And seniors, Fitzgerald recommends being careful and treating yourselves well. Remember that parents and teachers were once in the high stress zone and are ready to help with advice for the future.

Fitzgerald Credits Stress for Senioritis, Not Laziness

Photo: D. Louie Photo: D. Louie

Graphic: E. Lenczowski