Adventures in Babysitting and The City

I am proud say I am an '80s baby. I guess most people are proud of the decade in which they were born and I think the 80s were no exception. Personally, I love 80s pop-culture - especially movies. These were the movies I grew up watching on VHS and they defined my early youth. Unfortunately, some of these movies haven't withstood the test of time and watching them as an adult can be a bit of a disappointment. The magic of a movie from my childhood sometimes does not transfer to my highly sophisticated 28 year old standards (although the Never Ending Story is a classic - 28 or 8, it is still one of the best films ever made). While we can't always look to older movies in order to re-live some much loved childhood memories, we can enjoy older movies for what they embody: a specific period in time. Older movies can serve as a time capsule, a window, into the social norms, culture, humor, and values of decades long gone. Ah yes...decades in which high-tops, Michael J Fox, and wood paneled station wagons were rockin. 

Last week, one of those "oldies but goodies" came on tv. There was no way I could pass on watching Adventures in Babysitting.For the sake of the post length, here is a link for a synopsis of the movie. The movie embellishes city life but there was an unintentional commentary of urban life in the late '80s. To the suburban teenagers in the movie, Chicago is seen as a wild place. A place where anything can happen and danger lurks around every corner. In essence, the movie satirizes the urban crisis of the late '80s, especially within the older cities of the East. Unemployment, recession and the crack epidemic all contributed to instilling a certain level of fear regarding our cities; the movie highlights the ills of the city.

I also believe this movie can serve as a testament to how far our cities have come in the three decades. Through the time, energy and money of various entities, we've started to re-claim our cities as places of culture and excitement, not fear and despair. In no way do I believe the work in our ciites is finished. The widespread levels of inequity are too obvious to overlook but "the city" has once again become a cultural center. A place where you go to enrich your life, not endanger it.

Even at the end of this post, I'm still shocked how a movie such as Adventures would challenge me to think critically about urban space. I guess inspiration can be found anywhere...even amidst high-tops and leggings.