VIDEO LINK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXDZ15uNt8
Desperate housewives is one of America’s guilty pleasures. Initially, I started watching this show expecting to see another drama depicting Hollywood’s idea of suburban marriage and motherhood. Even though Wisteria Lane endures more problems than the common street they bring to light issues that everyone can experience. For some reason, there is this myth that life in suburbia is perfect, but it is not true. Women who live in the inner city projects and women who reside in the suburbs do in fact have some common ground.
In Nancy Campbell’s article entitled “Introduction: Drug Policy, Social Reproduction, and Social Justice,” she addresses the problems that women deal with and how society views them. Campbell discusses how there has been a history of drug use within the domestic sphere. These drugs were even cleverly named, “mother’s little helpers.” Even though women have transitioned into the workplace, they still kept the responsibilities of taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, and providing food for the family. A normal human being should not have the amount of necessary to undertake all of the aforementioned responsibilities along with a full time career. This is where the drugs come in. Campbell mentions that methamphetamines were the drug of choice and were known as “pink collar crack. The problem with Meth is that not only is it highly illegal, but it takes a drastic toll on the mother’s ability to nurture but is an excellent source of energy, so an alternative method was inevitable.
This alternative is a legal form of drugs classified under dextroamphetamines, and commonly known as Adderall, Dexadrine, or Ritalin. Unlike Meth, these drugs can be legally obtained from a physician. The intended use of these drugs is for people suffering with Attention Deficit Disorder. According to Drugs.com, “Adderall is a central nervous stimulant. It affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. (Drugs.com) Basically, this medication temporarily puts its user in a zombie like state that allows them to do nothing but concentrate a certain task. This concentration prevents distractions from interfering with productivity, which is why it has become one of the most widely prescribed medications. This legal form of speed has become a trend amongst mothers, especially in suburban neighborhoods.
In the show Desperate Housewives, Lynette Scavo is a former marketing executive and now a stay at home mom. She has four monster-like children and is the character that most women can identify with. On top of that, this character has survived cancer, found out that her husband has a love child, and tried to transition back into work place unsuccessfully. This led her to drugs, but not the bad kind. (Is there really a good kind?) Lynette begins taking her son’s Ritalin and life is great. Her house is clean, the yard is kept up, dinner is made, the kids are at all of their extracurricular activities, and she still has some spare time for herself. (Episode: “Anything You Can Do”)
We should know by now that there is no such thing as perfection, especially within a family. Desperate Housewives did an excellent job portraying this truth. It even won a Prism award, which is given out for media that portrays drugs and addiction in accurate ways.( http://www.prismawards.com/winners/) After the Ritalin ran out, Lynette began fantasizing about suicide, had a freak out, and ran away from her house. Her friends followed her at which point she confessed all of her secrets. It is at that point that Susan and Bree, the image of domestic perfection explain that everybody has tough times with children.
I would never wish to be Lynette Scavo. I also would never see myself taking my child’s ADD medication. However, I know that I am busy as a college student without children, a husband, a full time job, or house to manage. This makes the idea that drug abuse in this form is much more plausible. I mean as long as the wife is fulfilling all of her responsibilities is it really a problem? That is the way society makes it seem. But if this is such a problem and everybody has it, then why don’t we talk about it. Society perpetuates this notion that motherhood is supposed to be perfect. If we pointed out that there is no such thing as an ideal mother maybe there wouldn’t be so much pressure on women, and maybe a decrease in drug use.
Links:
Adderall: http://www.drugs.com/adderall.html
Episode: Desperate Housewives “Anything You Can Do” -http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/index?pn=recap#t=25253&d=25160
Campbell, Nancy. “Introduction: Drug Policy, Social Reproduction, and Social Justice.”
Desperate housewives is one of America’s guilty pleasures. Initially, I started watching this show expecting to see another drama depicting Hollywood’s idea of suburban marriage and motherhood. Even though Wisteria Lane endures more problems than the common street they bring to light issues that everyone can experience. For some reason, there is this myth that life in suburbia is perfect, but it is not true. Women who live in the inner city projects and women who reside in the suburbs do in fact have some common ground.
In Nancy Campbell’s article entitled “Introduction: Drug Policy, Social Reproduction, and Social Justice,” she addresses the problems that women deal with and how society views them. Campbell discusses how there has been a history of drug use within the domestic sphere. These drugs were even cleverly named, “mother’s little helpers.” Even though women have transitioned into the workplace, they still kept the responsibilities of taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, and providing food for the family. A normal human being should not have the amount of necessary to undertake all of the aforementioned responsibilities along with a full time career. This is where the drugs come in. Campbell mentions that methamphetamines were the drug of choice and were known as “pink collar crack. The problem with Meth is that not only is it highly illegal, but it takes a drastic toll on the mother’s ability to nurture but is an excellent source of energy, so an alternative method was inevitable.
This alternative is a legal form of drugs classified under dextroamphetamines, and commonly known as Adderall, Dexadrine, or Ritalin. Unlike Meth, these drugs can be legally obtained from a physician. The intended use of these drugs is for people suffering with Attention Deficit Disorder. According to Drugs.com, “Adderall is a central nervous stimulant. It affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. (Drugs.com) Basically, this medication temporarily puts its user in a zombie like state that allows them to do nothing but concentrate a certain task. This concentration prevents distractions from interfering with productivity, which is why it has become one of the most widely prescribed medications. This legal form of speed has become a trend amongst mothers, especially in suburban neighborhoods.
In the show Desperate Housewives, Lynette Scavo is a former marketing executive and now a stay at home mom. She has four monster-like children and is the character that most women can identify with. On top of that, this character has survived cancer, found out that her husband has a love child, and tried to transition back into work place unsuccessfully. This led her to drugs, but not the bad kind. (Is there really a good kind?) Lynette begins taking her son’s Ritalin and life is great. Her house is clean, the yard is kept up, dinner is made, the kids are at all of their extracurricular activities, and she still has some spare time for herself. (Episode: “Anything You Can Do”)
We should know by now that there is no such thing as perfection, especially within a family. Desperate Housewives did an excellent job portraying this truth. It even won a Prism award, which is given out for media that portrays drugs and addiction in accurate ways.( http://www.prismawards.com/winners/) After the Ritalin ran out, Lynette began fantasizing about suicide, had a freak out, and ran away from her house. Her friends followed her at which point she confessed all of her secrets. It is at that point that Susan and Bree, the image of domestic perfection explain that everybody has tough times with children.
I would never wish to be Lynette Scavo. I also would never see myself taking my child’s ADD medication. However, I know that I am busy as a college student without children, a husband, a full time job, or house to manage. This makes the idea that drug abuse in this form is much more plausible. I mean as long as the wife is fulfilling all of her responsibilities is it really a problem? That is the way society makes it seem. But if this is such a problem and everybody has it, then why don’t we talk about it. Society perpetuates this notion that motherhood is supposed to be perfect. If we pointed out that there is no such thing as an ideal mother maybe there wouldn’t be so much pressure on women, and maybe a decrease in drug use.
Links:
Adderall: http://www.drugs.com/adderall.html
Episode: Desperate Housewives “Anything You Can Do” -http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/index?pn=recap#t=25253&d=25160
Campbell, Nancy. “Introduction: Drug Policy, Social Reproduction, and Social Justice.”
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