Closed Captioned
Grades 4-12
Directed by Connie Littlefield
Produced by The National Film Board of Canada
DVD Purchase $195, Rent $45
VHS Purchase $195, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1998
Copyright Date: 1998
DVD ISBN: 0-7722-1171-X
VHS ISBN: 0-7722-0736-4
Subjects
Advertising
Canadian Studies
Children's Films
Consumer Education
Consumerism
Economics
Environment
Language Arts
Local Economies
Marketing and Advertising
Media Literacy
Psychology
Social Studies
Sociology
Values
Voluntary Simplicity
Awards and Festivals
Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival
American Psychological Association Convention
Teaches teenagers about media, malls, money, and consumerism.
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"Here is the Mall as a school for consumerism, owned and operated by adults, but functioning to instruct teens in mindless consumption." John D. Jackson, PhD, Concordia University Centre for Broadcasting Studies |
This hip-hop style documentary teaches young consumers about media, malls, and money. Teenagers represent a huge and lucrative market for advertisers. They may work in low-paying service sector jobs, but as one teenager says, "I pay no rent. My income is 100% disposable."
Many teenagers come to see themselves primarily as consumers. It's a self-image marketers are only too happy to encourage and exploit. This is an excellent resource to educate young people about advertising, consumerism and marketing.
Reviews
"This well-rounded video...discusses several key issues, including peer pressure, how media shapes society, the role of the advertising sector in targeting teens, and the resultant socialization process...Filled with one on one confessions of teens regarding their desire to fit in, and their often irresponsible spending habits...All the Right Stuff is accompanied by clear, narration, and has a contemporary flair...A very creative and well-done film...recommended."
Belinda L. Robinson-Jones, MC Journal
"Clearly illustrates the interlinkages among larger economic structures, the media, youth cultures, and the experiences of individual youth...would be valuable in any courses that address youth culture, consumerism, or mass media."
Tami Bereska, Dept of Sociology, University of Alberta
"Here is the mall as a school for consumerism, owned and operated by adults, but functioning to instruct teens in mindless consumption...Recommend(ed) for use in sociology...and communications...courses."
John D. Jackson, PhD, Concordia University Centre for Broadcasting Studies
"Offers considerable insight into the reasoning of youth in our modern Western culture in which young people are not valued as citizens and community members but, rather, are signified by their ability to consume."
Susan Alexander, St. Mary's College