Chino? Eww!

  

 The pilot episode of The O.C. begins with a glimpse into the rough life of Ryan, who is arrested for stealing a car and thrown out of his house by his mother. Soon, however, the show changes pace completely and the viewer becomes engrossed in the lives of the elite of Orange County. Ryan is welcomed (is that too strong a word?) into the home of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen who live in a neighborhood full of affluent teens who spend their time partying. Alcohol features prominently on the show and I have to agree with the "Ten Years Later" article, that drinking is at least somewhat glamorized on the show. When Ryan and Seth arrive at the beach house party the audience is immediately accosted with images of gorgeous "teens" (who definitely are portrayed by older actors and actresses) drinking and doing other drugs, having a great time. Admittedly, the show does portray some negative effects. Seth and Ryan get into a fight after drinking, but it appears to be the fault of the bullies, not a consequence of alcohol consumption. Slightly more serious effects appear when Marissa Cooper arrives at home, carried by her friends, completely passed out. Unable to find her house keys, they leave her unconscious on the sidewalk. Luckily, Ryan comes to the rescue, carrying her into the Cohens' pool house. So, getting passed-out drunk can increase your romantic options. Good! Drinking seemed to be portrayed as normal on the show. While I do not think anyone watching the show would think ending up in Marissa's situation is a good idea, the show did not really warn against it either.
   That being said, I do not think television shows with partying teenagers has a huge effect on the way real teenagers act. I do think that there can be some negative effects if the person watching the show really has no established morality for themselves, but I like to believe that people watching The O.C. do so for a fun escape. I'd be interested to see what the actual statistics about whether teens who watch shows that portray teen drinking are more likely to engage in the behavior themselves. The "Ten Years Later" article brought up some interesting points about how the characters' behavior was perceived by viewers but never really discussed how that transfers to real life. I guess the problem with shows like this is that it normalizes the behavior on subconscious level. While I hope no one watching purposely sets out to be the next Marissa Cooper, teens who internalize the actions of these glamorized characters begin to see drinking as "no big deal".