Episode 56: The Breakfast Club with Shelley B. Woke

On this month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast, we're going back to school with the John Hughes 80's Classic: The Breakfast Club. Media Scholar Shelley B. Woke joins the host to talk about high school cliques, peer group socialization, the criteria of an 80s teen comedy, "The John Hughes Effect", "The Brat Pack" and a lot more.

It's time to stay after class, because we all have detention... (Yes, We know in the film it takes place on a Saturday!)

Enjoy!

Production Notes:

Intro: 0:00-2:05

Basics of Shelley B. Woke 2:06-14:40

• What they 'stan' for in Popular Culture
• First Job in Journalism
• Pop Culture and decision-making aside
• Celebrity and People in Power
• Allison Reynolds: Their 'Social Media 'Sona''
• Guilty Pleasures and social "shame"

Basics of The Breakfast Club 14:41-23:43

• Plot Synopsis
• Trivia (IMDB, Criterion Blu-Ray)

Historical Context 23:44-89:03

• Shelley's history with The Breakfast Club
• 80's Teen Comedy Criteria
• "The John Hughes Effect"
• "The Brat Pack" Label
• The Generational Conversation and Universality of the Film
• The Legacy of The Breakfast Club
• AIDS Crisis Context

Social Analysis 89:04-132:40

• Peer Group Socialization and clique archetypes
• Shallow Themes and a lack of resolution
• The enduring whiteness of John Hughes Films
• Allison Reynolds: A Nonbinary Paragon
• The Film's peroblematic gender and sexual politics
• Class and Status divisions in Academia

Outtro: 132:41-135:27

• Plugs and Socials

All Clips Used under Fair Use

• The Breakfast Club Film
• The Breakfast Club Soundtrack
• The Mountain Goats- This Year
• 'Fuck J.K. Rowling'-Apathy Unit

Links

• Shelley B Woke Bluesky
• The Sociologist's Dojo Blog
• Essay on Celine Sciamma's Girlhood
• The Queering Feminist Spectacle of Thema and Louise
• The Breakfast Club: John Hughes, Hollywood and the Golden Age of the Teen film by Elissa H. Nelson
• College Suicide Nets article