Friday's Treatment of Social Issues
Friday's Treatment of Social IssuesThe movie Friday is a comedy, but it also depicts many important
social issues. The story is set in the city of Los Angeles,
California, in what could be called a high class ghetto. The main
theme of the movie is about a young black man who looses his job and
is influenced by his best friend to smoke marijuana. The movie also
shows the relationships of his family and other members of his
neighborhood. With a zany cast of characters and a hilarious script
this movie touches on everything from gang v lence to the use of
drugs, crime, guns, relationships, sex and life in the ghetto. Because
of all these issues, I found this an interesting movie with a wide
variety of topics to address.
Marijuana has been around for a long time. It's use is once again
becoming popular. Although it's not legal, many people use it socially
and for medicinal purposes. The Hollywood elite smoke it. Musicians
such as Dr. Dre and the Black Crows celebra it's use. Television shows
like Saturday Night Live and Kids In the Hall depict it as harmless
fun. Marijuana fashion has grown into a ten million dollar industry,
with the seven branch marijuana leaf showing up on caps, T-shirts,
earrings and tattoos. Studies show that after a decade of declining
drug use, marijuana use has increased sharply among gh school students
and college students in the last two years (Duschbaun 8).
In the movie Friday, rap star Ice Cube plays the character Craig.
Craig has never smoked marijuana. However, his best friend "Smokey"
smokes marijuana everyday. Craig looses his job, leaving him home all
day with nothing to do to occupy his time. H just hangs out in the
neighborhood with his friends. Smokey tries to convince Craig to try
some marijuana. At first Craig doesn't want to. Smokey is persistent.
He points out to Craig that he doesn't have to work and doesn't have
anything better to . Craig and Smokey eventually sit on the front
porch and get stoned. Peer pressure is obviously the only reason Craig
gives in. Actually he had other options, but he chose not to use them.
Common sense and a simple explanation would have worked for aig just
fine (How to Say No and Keep Your Friends 23) Everyday we are faced
with choices. It is up to us to decide what's right and wrong. Craig
decides to try it and things start to happen that he really doesn't
like.
Craig and Smokey get into some trouble with the neighborhood
dealer, Big Worm. Smokey sells pot for him, but can't pay him the
money he owes because he and Craig smoked the pot. Big Worm threatens
them and sends a gang of "hoods" after them with mach e guns. They
just barely escape and are scared shitless. The amount of gang...
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