"KIDS AND MONEY" BY LAUREN GREENFIELD

Today in class we watched the movie "Kids + Money." We saw a variety of kids from different social classes and different age groups. They were all influenced by money and dealt with consumerism in different ways. Some kids spent money without limits, some were poor or did not have much money but still spent money, and there were others who were poor with a restricted cash flow and hardly spent any money at all. This lead to a divide between the kids' social norms--some spent money profusely in order to fit into the superficial society of LA, and others did not get caught up in the hype of consumerism at all. The video used mainly interviews, in addition to voiceovers, to make a point and really got me worked up and frustrated. Honestly, I just wanted to slap some of the spoiled kids in the face. Some of the things them and their parents said were just over the top and completely ridiculous. However, it did inspire me because I thought the way they edited their video was very effective and I admired the reaction they got out of the audience.