First Impressions

I have been watching the OC. Yep, me, the teen soap opera cynic has been hooked onto one of the shows I had assumed a waste of my time. I feel like quite the hypocrite.

Here's the thing. There are many good things about this show. Put aside all the teen drama and girl troubles of Seth, and let's just move on from Marissa's experienced Mom, this show has some good lessons, and some excellent examples of what it is to be a good person.

To start off I would like to say that I am rather impressed with the marriage of Seth Cohen's parents. They are put through a lot, and in the end always manage to stay faithful to one another. This is one of the best Television marriages I have ever seen. Here's my top 3.
1. Heath-Cliff and Claire Huxtable (the Cosby Show)
2. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen (The OC)
3. Charles and Caroline Ingalls (Little House on the Prarie)

The show also teaches some great morals. It deals with the pain and brutality of gossip, the deviance of stealing, and even the reconciliation and social make up involved in 'paying for one's actions.'

Although I find some, if not many of what is portrayed in the show far-fetched and no where near reality, I also have to respect the fact that I come from a small town, so for me to judge this Californian lifestyle is totally presumptuous. This I realized when I saw the episode where Ryan goes and visits his hometown on Thanksgiving.

And then, as I thought about it further, I began to realize how often I judge real people based on the stereotypes of these shows. I mean, I don't know the stories of everyone I interact with everyday. Yet, it's so easy to just slap a label on a person, like a stamp on a letter, and pass them off into the post office of society. Judge then dispose.

I know this is one of my worst attributes. I am way too apt to judge a person, sum them up based on first impressions, or just impressions and then consider myself an expert. The truth is that everyone has a story to tell. Everyone's lives matter, and the outward appearances of who they portray themselves to be are not always correct. The old cliché, never judge a book by its cover rings much truth.

Drama will always be what you make it, but at the same time, give people a chance, much like I sucked up my pride and found a ray of goodness in the OC. My life may not be like that, but who knows, reality isn't the same for everyone.