Today, teenagers are becoming increasingly suspicious of authority and authoritative figures that try to suppress their freedoms. A prime example of this is the institution of school. Many students find themselves bored with tedious tasks, and frustrated with an increasing number of rules sent down by overbearing authoritative figures. In, “Bored to Death” by Blink 182, the director captures the essence of teen anguish when their freedoms are restricted. Many students find themselves rolling their eyes at teachers with strict rules, or constantly daydreaming or taking naps in classes that are too boring. Even though these students aren’t learning much from these boring classes, they are forced to be there, which is not only a waste of their time, but also a waste of the teachers’ time. In the music video, “Bored to Death” by Blink 182, the director uses the visual elements of different types of body language, color, rebellious acts, and the freedom of leisurely activities demonstrated by the subjects to demonstrate the overarching theme that the institution of school suppresses freedom, which reveals changes that need to be made to the current education system in the United States.

In the first segment of the video, the director uses the actions and body language of the subject and a specific color scheme to demonstrate the suppression of freedom in school. While the subject is sitting in the classroom, his body language demonstrates that he is not interested at all in the class; he is slumped over on his arm and frequently rolls his eyes at the teacher. A reason why the student is doing this is because he disapproves of his freedoms being beseeched from him while he is in the classroom, so he is acting out and not paying attention to the teacher. Also, the subject reaches into his backpack to get a pair of scissors, which he uses to vandalize the desk with. The director’s choice to focus the camera on the desk etching directly corresponds to the student’s disapproval of the institution of school and the suppression of freedom it places on him. The director also uses a contrasting color scheme to demonstrate how the student feels trapped and controlled by the institution of school. While all the other students in the class are wearing bright, lively colors and seeming happy to be in school, the subject is wearing a black t-shirt, which contrasts with all of the bright colors in the classroom. The black t-shirt that the student is wearing represents how he feels trapped and not free while in school. The viewer knows that the student does not feel free while in school because he also daydreams about doing other things, like hanging out with his friends outside of the classroom and running around town. 

In the second segment of the music video, the video skips from scene to scene showing the boy being free with his friends outside of school. The student is shown riding skateboards and driving in a car with one of his friends, and he is seen smiling and laughing with her, which directly contrasts with his body language and perceived emotions while he is sitting in class. These actions also indirectly communicate to the viewer that the boy and his friends are having fun. Also, the boy is seen sitting down with many of his other friends on a curb talking and laughing, which again contrasts with his body language and emotions while in school. In the scene where the boy is in class, all the students are seen sitting in rows all facing forward, which contrasts with how the boy and his friends interact outside of school. While the boy is hanging out with his friends, they constantly break rules. The director chooses to include scenes where the students are participating in rebellious acts like going into a music store and throwing records off of the counter and trespassing on private property and swimming in someone else’s pool. These actions represent the absence of authority while not in school. Without the presence of authority, the boy and his friends are able to go against that authority and have the freedom to do what they want, and have fun while doing it. One of the lines in the song, “life is too short to last long” helps to rationalize the actions of the students; it can be interpreted as an argument saying that life is meant to be lived how people want to, and not be obligated to follow any rules that prevent them from having fun. This line directly relates to the rebellious acts the students take part in, like knocking over the stack of vinyl records in the music store. This music video demonstrates the rationale behind teenage rebellion by revealing the connection between school and overbearing authority.

The depiction of the subject in this music video helps demonstrate the flaws in the current American education system. Though the music video does not directly identify where the setting is located, the way the students are treated in the classroom in the video directly correlates to many stereotypes of American educational facilities. As stated before, the subject is dressed differently than all the other students, he is wearing all dark colors, and everyone else is wearing bright, lively colors. The difference in the color schemes worn by the students can also be a fundamental difference in learning styles. In a stereotypical American classroom, students are subjected to almost robotic ways of processing and memorizing information. In the music video, this is shown through the way that the students are seated in the classroom, all in rows facing the front of the room. As all the other students are attentive and listening to the teacher, the subject is daydreaming and not paying attention to the class. The actions and attitude of the subject represent the small number of students in the American education system that do not perform well under the traditional educational standards of public education. After observing these connections, one can see a fundamental problem with the current public education system: students are subjected to standardized ways of learning information, even when it is not optimal for the students’ success. Because of this, there needs to be a shift in public education from standardized learning, towards allowing students to learn in a way that will maximize their overall academic success.

“Bored to Death” by Blink-182 demonstrates that the institution of school suppresses the freedoms of teenagers. This is accomplished through the director’s use of color scheme, body language, and actions of the subject throughout the video. The student is seen in school as bored and miserable, but outside with his friends he seems jubilant and free, doing whatever he wants to without consequences. The director and Blink-182 use this music video to help demonstrate to viewers that the institution of school suppresses students’ freedoms. Also, by bringing attention to this issue, the music video helps highlight the changes that need to be made to the current school system. Students feel trapped by the many rules that the educational system places on them, and they crave freedom, and they do that by acting out and breaking rules while outside of the classroom. To change the rebellious teenage culture, there needs to be a change in the institution of school where students can exercise some of their freedoms, so they don’t feel the need to act out when they leave school.
