Introduction
Sexual education is very important to the youth who are in their adolescent stage, where they experience queer changes in their bodies as they approach adulthood. Youths can get sexual education formally in the school as part of curriculum or they can also get it informally from friends, parents, media or religious leaders.
The extent of sexual education determines the reproductive health of a society in terms of making the informed decisions about pertinent sexual aspects in our families. Superbad is a movie that portrays the perceptions and intentions of high school boys on sex. Superbad explores the intentions of two high school boys who are about to graduate as the main characters in the movie.
The two boys, Seth and Evan are best friends and are about to part their ways because they are going to different universities and so they are afraid of the uncertain future. The boys are contemplating on how they are going to have sex with their female classmates, and break their virginity before they join college (Mottola, 2010, Para. 1). This essay is going to analyze the assumptions of Superbad movie and depiction of Western norms.
Superbad Overview
Superbad is the funniest teen movie that depicts how teenagers perceive sex and sexuality. The film has received diverse reactions from both teenagers and the adults since it has been rated to require parental guidance for the under 17 age.
The characters in this play are high school students who are on the verge of graduating hence they are celebrating their high school achievement. Besides high school achievement, the boys still want to make an additional achievement of having sex with their classmates hence breaking their virginity (Chen, 2007, Para 3). Boys view breaking of virginity as a necessity to join college because it gives them experience and skills of sex.
Seth and Evan are the two main characters in the movie and are classmates who are winding their high school education. They are about to graduate and are set out to make an additionally social achievement, to have sex with their classmates and break virginity. Seth already has his girlfriend called Jules while Evan is still thinking on how to approach Becca, so what remains is to look for an appropriate opportunity for each one of them to have sex with his own girlfriend.
An opportunity presented itself when Jules invited Seth, Becca and Evan to her graduating party, and they thought the best way to attain their objective of having sex with their classmates, is to make them drunk during the party (Mottola, 2010, Para. 2). They are very convinced that when they are drunk they are going to have sex with them.
Seth offered to provide alcohol for the party and plans to steal from the supermarket but at last, he did not manage because he was afraid to be caught. Their friend, Fogell had faked his identification to McLovin hence Seth and Evan sent him to buy alcohol for the Jules’ party from the store. Although Fogell managed to buy alcohol with his fake identification, unfortunately, a robber knocked him unconsciously attracting police attention but Seth and Evans assumed that Fogell was being arrested for faking identification.
Consequently, Seth was very worried for losing both the alcohol and a hundred dollar Jules gave him to procure alcohol for her graduation party. The car of Francis accidentally hit Seth and they agreed that Francis should compensate them by buying them alcohol at some distance house party from the alcohol store where the fight ensues between the owner and Francis.
Due to the fight, they never obtained any alcohol but Evan accused Seth for taking him to dangerous places and vowed never to allow to be dragged again to such places. Seth also finds himself in fight with Mark, when he danced with his girlfriend who is menstruating and stained his pants, and he accused Evan of not protecting him as a friend. Seth resorted to stealing of alcohol at the party house using two large jugs of laundry detergents (Chen, 2007, Para. 3).
Fogell, Seth and Evan escaped the police attempt to arrest them and headed for the Jules’ party carrying with them alcohol in jugs and the one Fogell had bought earlier. In the Jules’ party, Becca had already drunk heavily and Evan dragged her into Jules’ bedroom but she refused to have sex with him.
On the other hand, Jules refused to drink and needed him when he is sober while Fogell was disturbed by the police when he was about to have sex with Nicola (Mottola, 2010, Para. 3). Eventually, the boys learned better ways of approaching girls rather inducing them to be drunk with alcohol so that they can take advantage of their intoxication to have sex and break their virginity.
Assumptions
Superbad movie has several assumptions about the adolescent boys. The movie assumes that the sexual characteristics displayed by the boys in the movie are quite normal and universal in that we can support the intentions of the characters to get drunk and break virginity as an achievement to join college (Morris, 2007, Para. 2).
Though the adolescent boys experience great urge to have sex, the film is an extreme view of sexuality and adolescent. Schools boys need sex because of their feelings for pleasure but not with the intention of an achievement or prerequisite skill to join college. From boys’ perspective, they just need to break virginity of which sexuality is not just limited to the breaking of virginity.
The perceptions of sex and sexuality in the Superbad movie are rooted for by the youths resulting into negative influence to the perceptions of other teenagers worldwide. In the Superbad, sex is being depicted as a rite of passage for a high school student to join college; it forms part of social status to have done sex.
Moreover, boys need to must break virginity of some virgin girl in order to be considered fit to go join college (Murphy, 2010, Para. 4). These perceptions have great impact in the secularization of the sex education leading to the bad behaviours of the adolescence.
Seth and Evans are assuming that they are going to have sex with their classmates Jules and Becca respectively when they get them to be drunk in the party and break their virginity. The film is portraying how adolescent boys use alcohol in the party in order to make their classmates or girlfriends be drunk and allow them have sex.
Superbad depict the value of breaking virginity as a great achievement and that is all about sex: to provide experience and skills for the independent life in college (Chen, 2007, Para. 5). The Superbad film showed the aspect of partying secularly because in the celebration of the Jules’ graduation, alcohol was shown as one of the drinks that must be obtained at all cost, as demonstrated by the struggles made in order to obtain.
Seth’s willingness to steal and acceptance of alcohol as compensation due to the accident prove the importance to which alcohol is attached in the party. The importance of the alcohol is to induce girls into having sex as they cannot dare or allow boys sleep with them when they are very sober. Superbad is secularizing partying as an occasion to get drunk and have sex.
All men and boys have been assumed to drink alcohol. Seth, Evan and Fogell are seen looking for alcohol for the Jules’s graduation party with great determination despite challenges they encountered with friends. Francis, who accidentally hit Seth entice Seth and Eva with the alcohol while Mark, the party house owner also did sell alcohol.
The two police officers who arrested Fogell wanted to be bribed with alcohol so that they can release Fogell but they were too smart, escaped their trap, and headed for the party. The Superbad society depicts men and boys as drunkards who cannot be divorced with alcohol in their pleasure hence giving an impression that alcohol and drug abuse are integral part of manhood.
Heterosexuality
Superbad depicts the youths in adolescence as actively involved in sex. Seth and Evan are so attracted to their classmates sexually while Jules and Becca are attracted to their opposite sex. Fogell also was found trying to have sex with Nicola while Mark had his menstruating girlfriend.
This shows the heterosexual behaviour of the students and this is going to have some positive impact on sex education as to what constitutes sex, contrary to the homosexual (Morris, 2007, Para. 4). The students had the knowledge of the heterosexuality that why they become attracted to their opposite sexes.
The heterosexuality was made compulsory by the student culture and beliefs that one must break the virginity of a girl as a rite of passage in order to qualify the social status of a college student. Every student is compelled to use all possible means to have a girlfriend, have sex with thus break her virginity signifying that one have experience and skills in heterosexuality.
Seth, Evan and Fogell are devising all means to hook up their classmates as their girlfriends in order to attain the social status of college students but the girls were too hard on them to achieve their objectives even though they went an extra mile by inducing them alcohol.
In the Superbad film, heterosexuality is a norm since all the characters in the play are attracted to their opposite sex. Seth is attracted to Jules, Evan is attracted to the Becca, Fogell wants to have sex with Nicola and Mark has his girlfriend. The police also tried to impress girls when they were arresting Fogell (Mottola, 2010, Para. 1-2). All these relationships are proofs of heterosexuality tradition as portrayed in the Superbad movie.
Western Secularism
The Superbad film portrays various instances where Western secularism is being emphasized. For instance, the explicit use of vulgar language in the play by naughty boys while commenting the beauty of girls and sex language.
Mark’s girlfriend was explicitly referred to as menstruating while Becca was heard shouting in desire to have sex with Evan when she was very drunk (Morris, 2007, Para. 2-3). These and many instances demonstrates secularization of language since youths all over the world are very inclined to speak vulgar and sexual language explicitly as it seems as a celebrity and civilized language.
Western promiscuity is being shown in the film by the extent that the high school students are exploring their sexual behaviours. The intention of the high school boys is just to break virginity of their classmates and they are using all means to seduce the girls to the extent of intoxicating them with the liquor (Nielsen, 2007, Para. 2). This promiscuous behaviour has no difference with what the adult people are doing; hence, it amounts to the promiscuity of the Western culture and behaviours.
Alcoholism has been shown as a Western culture in the film. All men and boys plus Becca are shown to be drinking or drunk with liquor. The culture of drinking alcohol by the under-aged students have a Western origin, and is leading to the secularization of the conserved traditions of the world. Other Western norms depicted are theft and frequent fights.
Conclusion
Objective and proper sex education to the adolescent is the foundation of future strong families. The sources of sex education determines the behaviour of the youths and shape their future lives as good sex education help youths have moral future while bad sex education makes them have immoral future.
Since, sexual education can be either be obtained formally from schools or informally from watching movies: films such as Superbad can be misleading thus requires parental guidance in order to clarify misconceptions that are portrayed in the play by certain explicit characters.
The Superbad film is depicting the naughty and immoral behaviour of the high school boys and it has great potential of secularising perceptions of sex to other students by introducing westernised cultural values. The film portrays secularising values such as promiscuity, alcoholism, robbery and the use of vulgar language, all of which threaten our conserved cultures and values that are the building blocks of an ethical society.
References
Chen, T. 2007. Superbad Film Critique. Simply Cinema. Web.
Mottola, G. 2010. Superbad. International Movie Database. Web.
Morris, W. 2007. It’s a nerd, he’s in pain — it’s ‘Superbad.’The Boston Blobe. Web.
Murphy, K. 2010. Superbad Review. Talk Talk. Web.
Nielsen, J. 2007. What is it about Western secularism? Common Ground News Service. Web.