Blog Post 3, Group C: Dangers of the Internet by Sam U.

Bad Match is a 2017 psychological thriller filled with a lot unexpected turns and shocking realities for millenials. The film starts off with Harris, a video-gamer with a laid-back corporate job living in a one-bedroom apartment. Harris is a womanizing jerk that loves one night stands and uses dating apps to score his victims. Much like Tinder, he has to swipe right when he’s interested and swipe left when he isn’t. However, no one is safe on this app because he swipes right every time! This film demonstrates the extreme dangers of the internet and online dating. For as much privacy you think websites offer theirs also professional hackers digging for personal information, stealing identities and accessing your cameras or microphones to spy on you. Even if the motives of these hackers are unclear– they are never good.

Harris decides to meet up with Riley after they are a match. He does his research on her to sweep her off of her feet for an easy access pass. When they officially meet, he swears to have the same interest as her and doesn’t even let her order her own drink because he is able to “see” her favorite drink. It’s a cheap move! He sees cranberry vodka and tequila shots with every girl. Surprisingly, this asshole’s move works every time. Riley decides to take Harris back to her place to do the do. Once it is all done, Harris strategically waits for Riley to fall asleep so he can untangle her hands on his body and head for the door. It's best for him to not spend the night in order to avoid any explanations or morning after expectations.  

When Harris is home he likes to go online to play videogames with a much younger kid that goes by the username “Shadowman”. Harris likes to win and while doing it these two insult each other back and fourth. They usually go for the over used “suck my dick” but Shadowman becomes increasingly offended when Harris insinuates he’ll never be able to get laid with an actual breathing woman. Shadowman and his defeated manhood go offline while Harris becomes frustrated because Riley wont stop blowing up his phone. He’s used to getting laid, leaving before the girl awakes and never speaking to them ever again. He is the common fuckboy but Riley just happens to be the game changer because she doesn’t give up easily and will make sure to see Harris again. 

After Harris has had a stressful day at his job and tiered of avoiding Riley at all costs, he decides to pick up her phone call and tell her he can’t go out that night because he isn’t feeling well. Instead, he goes out to the bar with his best friend Chuck and his girlfriend, Lydia. Harris is telling his friends that Riley turned out to be an obsessive psycho but he admits that he screwed up because he’s a slave to his genitals and slept with the same lunatic twice against his better judgment. That’s when the music in the background starts to change and get suspenseful. In the film the viewer can see the backside of a figure with a skirt slowly approach their table. When the woman makes it to the table the viewer then realizes it’s Riley! The first thing Riley says is, “I thought you were sick– who is Lydia?”. She had been standing there for the whole conversation and Lydia made the mistake to check everyone in on Facebook. Riley’s stalking game was on point but that didn’t play in her favor. She gets aggressive with Harris and walks out crying. It is easy for a man to blame their genitals as if they are not one. As if doing so, makes it more acceptable or less shitty even though he's admitting to all the wrong reasons. 

Just when Harris thought he was clear from Riley’s madness he receives a call from her. At first, he’s reluctant on picking up but Chuck convinces him to pick up. After all, that’s the least he can do for her. Riley then proceeds to say that she took some pills but wants him to go see her. Harris is afraid she might’ve overdosed so he makes his way to her apartment where he finds her laying unconscious. The room is red to set the mood of a dangerous event but Riley disrupts this scene by waking up and laughing. It was all a trick to lure Harris back into her trap and in a way get her sweet revenge. However, Harris was not very fond of her prank and reacts by smashing his fist into a mirror behind Riley. She screams and her emotions are reflected in her wide eyed gaze. Harris walks out and tells her to never contact him again.

    

Later that day, Police officers knock at his door and ask to see his computer. According to their records he downloaded over 5 gigs of child pornography onto his laptop. Unaware and afraid, Harris denies these absurd accusations. However, with all the evidence incriminating him, he is taken to jail. He speaks with his lawyer and tells him he is positive that his troubling past with an obsessive one-night stand fueled the whole situation. The lawyer believes this set-up but tells Harris he needs Riley to confess in order to prove his innocence. In addition, the lawyer asks Harris to lay low and not to take measures onto his own hands because it wouldn’t end well in the eyes of a judge. This is when Harris’ situation takes an unexpected spin. He decides to kidnap Riley after putting drugs in her drink. He takes her to a secret place, ties her up to a chair and waits for her to re-gain consciousness. The film set-up is red once again to initiate fear and suspense. He then tells her that as soon as she confesses he will let her go. Riley is afraid but agrees to do whatever he asks as soon as he unties her. She says the video wont look good if she is tied to a chair. After Harris unties her she decides to hit him and nearly kill him in order to buy her some time and find the nearest exit. Once she finds the gates that lead outdoors, she realizes she needs a code to lift the gates. Riley starts to scream for help but he unexpectedly stabs her in the chest. She removes the knife and falls to her knees to die. The viewer gets a mixture of relief and fear until he receives a call from his lawyer. He tells Harris he was right all along– kind of. Riley didn’t do it! But he did get hacked by a 15 year-old boy better known by his online username Shadowman. His mom caught him and made him confess about the whole thing.

I really liked this movie because it explores many dangerous issues going around in today’s tech savvy society. As we progress with innovative applications the idea of meeting people as opposed to getting to know people starts to decrease. Online dating isn’t one-hundred percent safe and you never know who is on the other end of the screen. In addition, cyberbullying is dangerous and harmful. One rude comment can trigger someone to do incriminating acts such as killing themselves or others. According to McAfee, “Only 61% of youth have enabled the privacy settings on their social networking profiles to protect their content, and 52% do not turn off their location or GPS services across apps, leaving their locations visible to strangers. Additionally, 14% have posted their home addresses online – a 27% increase from last year’s results”. More and more people aren’t keeping their lives private anymore. They are intentionally and unintentionally becoming victims to the internet and to an extent we are all guilty of sharing too much on our social medias without thinking twice about it.

Citation:

Ross, E., & Eichorn, K. (2014, June 03). Cyberbullying Triples According to New McAfee "2014 Teens and the Screen study". Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://www.mcafee.com/us/about/news/2014/q2/20140603-01.aspx

Post 2, Group C -- Secretly Influencing Children in Movies by: Sam U

I was watching TV with my little brother the other day and he took it upon himself for me to find us a good movie. He’s a 6-year-old who has probably watched every popular kid’s movie so as much pressure that I was under, I resorted to my childhood. Luckily, I ran into The Sandlot by David Mickey Evans. I could only remember great things about it and I thought it could teach him a thing or two. However, after watching it and paying close attention I was in for a surprise.

The Sandlot has many wonderful things to teach children such as the value of friendship and persistence but it also has some questionable scenes that are still relevant. It mirrors how kids in the 60’s can be similarly influenced to kids in our current time period.

The Sandlot starts off by introducing Scotty Smalls and his family moving in to the neighborhood. Smalls’ mother suggests he should go out, make new friends and get into trouble just like any other kid his age would. That’s when Benny “the Jet” Rodriguez takes him under his wing and introduces him to the rest of the baseball buddies. Even though Smalls isn’t much of a baseball player he is desperate to learn and practice the love for the game in order to make the team. They play baseball everyday in a field behind several fenced homes. On days it gets too hot they go the local pool to take a break and fantasize over Wendy Peffercorn. She is the lifeguard and aside from being out of their league, she is also way older than they are. Earlier in the movie when Yeah-Yeah and Squints are outside of a store, Wendy is approaching them in slow motion. Squints can’t help but to lock eyes with her and focus all of his attention on her. The camera then proceeds to zoom in on her ass as she continues to walk across the street and they emphasize the attention by Squints pulling out his glasses to see clearer. This threw me off because as a little girl I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t register how women’s bodies are heavily sexualized in movies regardless of the targeted audience. Young boys are taught to glorify women for their attributes as opposed to their personalities. Wendy could have been played by a much younger girl but it would have been morally wrong to sexualize a little girl. However, it is acceptable and desirable for boys to fantasize over women at a very young age. When the roles are switched it only works in favor for boys.

Another scene that stuck out to me the most was when they all decide to go to the carnival one night to celebrate their latest game victory. Before they proceed to the mechanical rides one of them pulls out a bag of Big Chief which he describes as, “the best”. Smalls is killing them because he has no clue what it is or even worse, what to do with it. They all burst out laughing and further explain that it is chewing tobacco. They also say all the pros do it and gives a great deal of energy. Their love for baseball was so great they wanted to be just like the men in the major leagues. I was shocked at the fact that they actually allowed children to advertise a product that is illegal to minors. This issue is still relevant in today’s society because in accordance to Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society approximately 33 percent of Major Leaguers use smokeless tobacco. They are trying to ban smokeless tobacco from all major league ticketed events but some players are speaking out about it. They feel like their rights are being taken from them but I believe they are professionals with an image to uphold. Many children look up to them therefore they should take their habits all the way home!

Overall, I had some explaining to do to my little brother but we both enjoyed it very much. Even though, some parts in the film didn’t seem age appropriate I can agree that most children are aware and exposed to similar things. It is our duty to properly educate them but it serves as a reminder that children are curious and will do things behind their parent’s backs. They have huge imaginations and are always willing to try new things. This 60’s inspired comedy did a great job at exploring the value of childhood. Some of the kids moved away, others became working members in society, a sportscaster and Benny a famous MLB player. The sandlot inspires children to enjoy the simple things in life with great people and above all, follow your dreams.

Reference:

Images, K. D. (2016, April 5). A Surprisingly High Number of Major League Baseball Players Still Chew Tobacco. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/04/how-many-major-leaguers-use-smokeless-tobacco.html