Mason taking drugs
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Boyhood
highland_lassie — 10 years ago(May 05, 2015 03:01 PM)
I know that there are teens who take drugs, so I'm not saying it is unrealistic to show Mason smoking pot just before his 15th birthday and then accepting a pot/hash brownie when he starts university.
But I am curious as to why Mason as an individual takes them. Are we meant to understand why? It is never elaborated on. Perhaps it is his unstable family background, or the type of people he mixes with? Is he trying to fit in, or fill an empty hole in his life? Or does he just think it's cool?
Although I liked the film overall, watching things like the drug-taking make me feel sad. I know it's not meant to be a film with a moral story, but for all we know nobody warns Mason about the dangers of taking drugs, and he never seems to think about it too.
Of course these are just assumptions on my part. But I'm kind of frustrated as to why we're left guessing, and also concerned that as the film doesn't highlight any of the dangers of drug-taking, or show anyone object to drug use, that it is sending out a message to impressionable teens that it's OK to take drugs
Which kind of leads me on to something else.when Mason is an older kid, he seems to choose friends that are not that nice, and his first serious girlfriend, Sheena, turns out to be shallow and bitchy. Whereas he is generally a good guy, less rebellious than his sister, and polite and responsive to his new step mum and her parents, like when they give him a Bible for his birthday even though it's not the type of book he'd normally read.
I feel sorry for him. This may not sound realistic given how the overall story goes, but I would love for him to have friends who are kind-hearted and who have personal qualities that he admires. Maybe this happens at uni, but we only get to see the beginning of that as he has now finished his boyhood. Oh yes, and a girlfriend who loves him for who he is and doesn't mess him about, and who has some depth and strength of character. He deserves it.
Thoughts?
I -
highland_lassie — 10 years ago(May 08, 2015 10:43 AM)
I understand and appreciate both of your points, but what niggles at me is the possibility that this is giving the wrong message to teens - that it is cool to take drugs.
Also when Mason arrives at uni,someone offers him a pot/hash brownie almost straight away. He accepts it, but if this girl's already met him how does she know if he wants to take drugs or not? It may be seen as cool and normal for some students, but not all.
I feel sorry for Mason. Apart from the drug-brownie bit, I liked the university ending. The group he met seemed nice and friendly. But his first serious girlfriend, Sheena, I didn't like - she came across as bitchy. His sister wasn't that nice, and whilst he had a few fine friends in school like Tony, he's also friends with people like Chase and his friend and friend's brother who just want to get off with women and use them like objects, and who pick on Tony, thinking he's some kind of wimp and a "pussy".
I just think this is a shame. I liked the Ethan Hawke character, Mason's mum, and the woman Mason Snr settled down with and her family.
Kind regards
highland_lassie -
Metatron_Fallen — 10 years ago(June 14, 2015 07:46 AM)
but if this girl's already met him how does she know if he wants to take drugs or not
Because, he looks like a bit of pothead.
I smoked dope when I was a teen. You could always tell who else in school smoked even if you never smoked it with them. It's just one of those things that comes with the experience I suppose.
But even beside that, I've been at plenty of parties where some people light up a joint and even if they didn't know you, they'd offer it to you because it would be kind of rude not to.
It's no different than offering someone a beer if you're having one. Or offering a sweetie from a bag if you have them.
'It's a work of art and there's really no "right" interpretation' RDM -
feodoric — 10 years ago(September 15, 2015 06:05 PM)
The OP seems to make too big a deal of an activity that is no more addictive or dangerous than alcohol drinking. I have much trouble with the frequent attitude of righteous people towards cannabis because it reeks of sheer hypocrisy, no matter if it has already been realized as such or not by the person who shows said attitude. The overused and now pitiful argument that "pot leads to more dangerous drugs" should not be revived without some appropriate backlash because it is false, simplistic, hypocritical and can even send the wrong message.
Psychology 101 teaches that taboos or forbiddance most often have the exactly opposite effect for which they were intended. It's called a perverse effect. And in the case of pot, it's the "drug" label which is attached to it that contributes to feeding the myth that its consumption is somehow connected to the use of addictive, hard drugs such as cocaine or heroin. The only link that has any actual relevance to facts is the persistence of cannabis' illegal status in most parts of the world. This is currently changing, albeit slowly, with the legalization of non-medical cannabis consumption in Colorado and Washington states, just to name these two. Nonetheless, one can reasonably argue that having to deal with pushers to obtain a mild recreational drug such as pot can expose fragile individuals to the temptation of trying other drugs offered by these sellers.
Still, in my own experience, the use of pot has always been a rather benign activity for the majority of the people I know ( inclding myself). And I say it in the past deliberately, knowing very well that the THC content of 21st century cannabis has rocketed up to ridiculously high levels (something I discovered by myself before someone told me that it was much more potent than what I used to smoke back in the '70s !!!- too late: i was stoned for a whole week after three puffs
).
Back to the main topic now, I simply want to point out that the OP's reaction is more inappropriate than any message that seeing Mason Jr. try out a joint might be sending to the viewers. It's falsely and even suspiciously alarmist, not to mention the fact that Mason's personality does not correspond
at all
to an addictive type.
You may even want to try it to relax a little bit. But do it safely and legally!
Is it safe? What is safe? Is it safe? Yes, very safe? Is it safe? No, not at all! Is it safe? Aaahh! -
elgatonegro765 — 9 years ago(November 29, 2016 10:51 PM)
I agree with the OP. The recreational drug use by the character without any context just normalizes the behavior and sends out a bad message. Actually, the recreational activities of a lot of the kids' behavior sends a lot of bad messages and speaks more about the directors thoughts about the world which isn't the most responsible.
-
bmerry-1 — 10 years ago(May 10, 2015 06:51 AM)
MJ was already an occasional toker before the brownie scene, bit not a 'pothead'. Weed aside, I think the end showed he had acquired the best of both parents. He was bright, grounded, caring, passionate, talented, had a sense of direction.
-
bmerry-1 — 10 years ago(May 10, 2015 07:07 AM)
Also, up until his girlfriend bailed, she genuinely seemed to care about him. The dumping scene caught me offguard. She did become a shallow bitch but a little too fast IMO. MJ had his heart broken which sucks no matter what age you are, but inevitably we all fall in love again as Mason Sr. points out correctly.
-
highland_lassie — 10 years ago(May 12, 2015 04:00 PM)
What makes me curious though,is why Mason in particular took drugs (I know he wasn't a regular drug addict or anything), but why he experimented with them..Peer pressure? His family problems? Or that HE thought it was cool, or was a bit of a rebel?
I know a number of teenagers do experiment with drugs, so I'm not saying that showing teen drug use in a film of somebody's life is in itself unrealistic. But I was left a little confused as to why Mason did it. I'm thinking perhaps it was his troubled background, but I could be wrong.
When he mingled with adults, e.g. when his mum invited friends over, and when Mason Snr took him to meet the new in-laws, Mason Jnr was always polite and accepted their kindness. And he didn't bitch or laugh about them behind their backs. He just takes it all in his stride, like when Mason Snr's in-laws give him a Bible for his birthday. Not the kind of book he would normally read, but he politely accepts it as their way of being nice.
So he's not an out-and-out rebel, obnoxious or delinquent. But his pre-university friends as a teenager (bar Tony) are loud-mouthed and brash. I think the two seniors at the camping night are bullies and degrading towards women. Then the guy who drives him home just before his 15th birthday (the same guy from the camping night?) starts mouthing off and getting balshy, and then hands Mason what we know is more than just a standard cigarette.
I noticed at the camping night that Mason is relatively quiet when the other boys brag about their sexual exploits and pick on Tony. I'm just wondering why he seemed to choose really rough friends in high school. I went to a number of different schools due to my parents moving about, and even in the not-so-good schools you had at least a minority of kids who weren't rough. -
oceanaire — 10 years ago(May 13, 2015 03:19 PM)
I'm not sure why seeing Mason getting high is so surprising. I think I'd be surprised if they tried to push him off as a straight-laced kid who didn't experiment. Why do most kids, teens, adults, etc. get high, wasted, or whatever? More often than not, to escape reality, numb out the pain, as a social relaxant, etc. Mason had very little consistency as a child, and he was rather reserved. Those factors, in addition to many others, are often associated with substance abuse. Mason was all about experience, living in the moment. He was an artist.
-
CoachGilligan — 10 years ago(May 16, 2015 12:41 AM)
"What makes me curious though,is why Mason in particular took drugs (I know he wasn't a regular drug addict or anything), but why he experimented with them..Peer pressure? His family problems? Or that HE thought it was cool, or was a bit of a rebel?"
Why does it have to be something like that? He did it for the same reason(s) any teen does. He was curious, he isn't strong enough to say no, he doesn't feel like it's a big deal, he likes it. This was not an exciting movie. It wasn't adventures and big moments. It was a normal kid having a pretty normal life. At least a little pot is a part of that for a lot of kids. That's all there was to it.
Bucka bucka, Enzo wife yucka. -
jmhow — 10 years ago(June 08, 2015 09:45 PM)
All the above reasons plus, his mom at least (who he lived with most of the time) didn't seem to care. She had some event at her house, maybe it was the Thanksgiving get-together, when she asked him if he'd been drinking and smoking, and he said a little to each question, and she just let it go.
www.freerice.com -
allpoliticiansareevil — 10 years ago(September 21, 2015 06:47 PM)
lots of teens smoke pot for no reason other than to feel good. There need not be some hidden issue the pot smoker is trying to deal with. They see and hear other kids talking about feeling good from it and they are curious.
His character didn't look like he was abusing pot or alcohol at all, just a pretty typical American teen experience. -
wyldeone2 — 10 years ago(November 18, 2015 10:32 AM)
There need not be some hidden issue the pot smoker is trying to deal with.
Exactly, the OP seems to believe the propaganda of public service films or what ever else they were taught about pot smoking as a gateway drug. Choosing not to participate in any social activity is fine if you think it is wrong or risky to your future.
I agree with all of the other folks who have said that his observation of others who have smoked and their behaviors lead him to believe it was not that big of a deal.
Just try to stay alive and see what the next minute brings.