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Are American high schools exactly portrayed like that from Teen Shows (Netflix) or Hollywood? (feddit.online)
submitted 7 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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This is the type of question I receive if non Japanese people ask: "Are high schools in Japan like anime?" and the answer I give is: "no" since that's not reflective of what actual school life is. Sure, there may be inspirations upon anime taking place at a school setting since all they portray is nothing but festivals, clubs and events as if the environment is that relaxing (far from the truth, JP school life in reality is regimented on studying).

In contrast, the same shit is said about US high schools via pop culture when shown to foreigners mainly portraying: teens hanging out in someone's house partying with drinks, flexing who's the most popular, jocks in sport, bullies picking the nerd, cheerleaders & football, 13 reasons why, high school musical, prom king & queen to list a few. However, is any of that representative of real high school life in the United States?

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[–] 15 points 5 hours ago*

It's pretty much the same kind of thing as Japanese schools portrayed in anime: the major points are often accurate, but the specifics are exaggerated and certain things get disproportionate focus, because those are the "most entertaining" parts.

Do many Japanese schools have culture festivals? Yes. Is it every Japanese highschoolers most important event of the year where major life changing events happen? No.

Do many US highschools have prom and homecoming? Yes. Is it the highlight of every teenager's school experience? No.

It's all based on something real, but it's exaggerated, and definitely not a universal experience for everyone everywhere.

I should also note that the stereotypical American highschool you see in TV shows and movies is heavily modeled after 70s/80s/90s school life, because those are the people creating the shows/movies.

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