Recently I have been rewatching "Degrassi: The Next Generation." And by recently, I mean that every day after I get home from work around 6 o'clock I convince my high school aged sister to sit down and binge watch Degrassi with me. While I knew how much I used to love the show and how many diverse topics it covered, I never truly understood how much it managed to cover in the 14 seasons that aired on television. And, of course, there were far more than the few I have listed below and each topic branches off into multiple story lines. The point here is that Degrassi is, and always will be, the love of my life.
While being interesting and (mostly) realistic, Degrassi introduced topics to an entire generation of people as they grew up, allowing them to become more accepting and knowledgable about the world around them.
Warning: Some videos may contain sensitive topics
1. Internet Predators
Did you know that 37 percent of sexual solicitations of youth occur in chat rooms?
2. Weight and Body Image
In a study of 3,452 women, 89% of them wanted to lose weight.
3. Sexuality
Homosexuality is still highly controversial, but acceptance is on the rise with 63 % of Americans agreeing with it morally. (#OrlandoStrong)
4. Relationships
5. Drugs
Craig's drug storyline may have only been shown through a couple of episodes, but in reality 35.3 Americans aged 12 and older have reported having used cocaine.
6. Abuse
A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.
7. Rape
Approximately 54% of rapes will go unreported by the victim.
8. Eating Disorders
There has been a rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930.
9. Islamophobia
A 2001 Gallup survey reported that 48% of Muslim Americans said they had personally experienced racial or religious discrimination in the past year.
(I actually couldn't find a single clip that contained all of the moments in this episode, but this entire episode focuses around this topic)
10. Pregnancy
11. Homophobia
"Gay and bisexual youth and other sexual minorities are more likely to be rejected by their families. This increases the possibility of them becoming homeless. Around 40% of homeless youth are LGBT."
12. Self-Harm
"In 2014, figures were published suggesting a 70% increase in 10-14 year olds attending A&E for self-harm related reasons over the preceding 2 years."
13. Cancer
"Since the late 1970s, cancer incidence rates in teenagers and young adults have increased by almost three-fifths (55%) in Great Britain. The increase is larger in females where rates have increased by more than two-thirds (69%), than in males where rates have increased by more than two-fifths (44%)."
14. Abortion
"Twenty-one percent of all U.S. pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion. (AGI)."
15. Bullying
"Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 3 U.S. students say they have been bullied at school. "
16. Mental Illness
"Most adults with mental health symptoms (78%) and without mental health symptoms (89%) agreed that treatment can help persons with mental illness lead normal lives."
17. School Shootings
"In a 2013 nationally representative sample of youth in grades 9-12, 5.2% reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife or club) on school property on one or more days in the 30 days before the survey"
18. STDs
"Each year one-quarter of the estimated 12 million new cases of STDs, other than HIV, in the U.S. occur among teenagers."
19. Interracial Relationships
I was unable to find an actual clip for this relationship so I hope you enjoy this fanmade music video as a little mood lifter
20. Hoarding
"According to hoarding statistics, 75% of hoarders have been found to engage in excessive buying behavior."
