So like the rest of the world, I’m obsessed. Okay, no. We’re obsessed. J and I were camped out on the couch all weekend long binging. I’m ashamed to say we watched the entire third season in just under 36 hours. Now before you click out thinking you don’t want to see any spoilers, I’ll spare you. This post is about something different.
This post is about why the concept of Orange is the New Black scares me.
I read the book when it first came out. And while I was intrigued by the story, the book itself bored me. I don’t think it focused on the right parts and that she didn’t capitalize on the actual story she had to tell. But that’s neither here nor there. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that OITNB is based off of a true story.
Piper Kerman’s story, to be exact. And the details are a little fuzzy for me (it’s been a while since I read the book which was the actual story), but from what I understand she got locked up for a crime she “committed” (I use that word loosely) ten years earlier when she was young and stupid.
Since the crime, she went on to live a relatively normal life. A boring life, even. She was just a normal, regular woman with a relatively boring past with a bump of shady mixed in.
And then she ended up in prison.
And here’s the part that scares me. I think we’re all pretty responsible people with an understanding of our expectations in life. Of ourselves and of what we want our lives to be like. But we’ve all been young and stupid before. Maybe not that stupid, but stupid enough. And it’s a little alarming to me how one tiny blip on our radars could come back to haunt us.
Now, I’ve never carried drug money or murdered anyone, but I’ve had some moments in my past that I’d rather not relive. I have some things that I look back on and think I’m not that person. But regardless, I still did those things. But I don’t let them define me. (And before anyone starts thinking I’m some badass, I’m not. We’re talking petty crap decisions here).
But it’s things like OITNB that brings our responsibility of being functioning adults into laser sharp focus. We are free to do what we please and make any decisions we feel like making. And on a regular basis, our decisions seem small. What drink to order at Starbucks. Should I take the express way or surface streets to work? Should I pay this bill online or send in a check?
But every so often, a big decision bubbles up and in the heat of a moment you have to decide. And what if the decision you made was the wrong one. What if you’re a good person making a poor choice?
We all walk around with these definitions of ourselves floating around in our heads, hoping that our little cloud that follows us has us labeled as A Good Person. But good people do bad things all the time. And what if that one bad decision you made all those years ago when you were young and stupid came back to bite you in the ass? What if it could change the path that you’re currently on? What if it could change your life as you know it?
And the thing is, when we’re young and stupid, I know we don’t quite get the gravity of certain situations. Some of us were lucky enough to never end up in shady situations or mixed up with the wrong batch of people, but what if you weren’t so lucky? What if you were just a normal person mixed up with some bad people? And then you ended up in prison?
So what I’m trying to say is, while I enjoy OITNB, I can’t ever watch it without wondering how I’d fare. How well would I do if I landed in prison so unexpectedly based off a bad decision I made many moons ago?
Oh god it really is terrifying because I would 100% not last!! I haven't been able to get into OITNB after trying to watch the first episode but we were the same way with breaking bad and maybe just need to push through!! xo, biana –BlovedBoston
Haha well that really makes you think huh.. There have been many times in my adulthood life that I've thought back to things I did as a teen and cringe. I think about how DUMB it was and what could have happened, then my mind spirals to one day when I have a teen, oh lord help me… I haven't watched the show, yet. I probably will after we finish Parenthood.
Oh yeah I definitely think about this too!!! It's crazy to think that it can really happen to anyone.
I've always had a fear of being accused of something I didn't do & end up in prison – I've had that fear since I was little. Don't know what that says about me. But this show reinforces my fear, for sure.
You are always so insightful! I already know I wouldn't do so well in prison… no surprise there. I haven't watched any OITNB, but I've been meaning to check it out. Maybe it will be our next series!
xoxo
Kat
I have never watched this show, but I totally get what you are saying about how scary it is that one little action in our past could have changed the road our life drove down! I for one can think back to numerous things I have done when I was younger that could have ended badly. Just crazy!
This is an awesome show. If I wound up in prison, I imagine I'd be shanked. I have a temper without caffeine and you have to have money for the commissary to get caffeine there. So…yeah…
I believe I'm in the minority who doesn't like this show. We tried it when it first came out. Does it get better as the seasons move along?
I don't know if good person/bad person makes a difference. I had to go to the county clerk to pay a speeding ticket last week and I was all, "Crap, these people here are really in trouble…am I one of them?" Who knows how we end up the situations we do, I guess.
I actually feel the opposite. I'm 100% confident I'll never go to prison because I know I'd do poorly while there so even though I've made some very bad decisions in my life, I know none of them can land me in jail or prison even if they do catch up to me. I've always made sure to stay on just this side of the law with my bad choices.
I love books like that, but I remember seeing it when it first came out– or at least before it was famous, lol, and there was something about it that just didn't totally draw me in. I've been wondering if it's worth reading though, so hearing this I'll probably skip it. I liked season 1, but only watched bits and pieces of season 2 and I couldn't really get into it. But I know none of that is the point of this post… I think you're right that it does make you think and it is a good reminder that small decisions can have big impacts!
OMG, yes. I know exactly what you mean! I had this concern a few years ago when a friend was accused of murder in a situation that ANYONE could have been in. After years on trial, he was acquitted. It was the scariest thing, ever. xo
Great thoughts. I haven't really considered this, but you're right. We're all just one bad decision away from changing the rest of our lives in the worst way. And what would it take to push us to the edge? Maybe something that's beyond the realm of reality. But maybe not? It's easy to judge the people we see on television and the news, but I feel like we're all capable of doing things we're not proud of. Thanks for sharing!
Great thoughts. I haven't really considered this, but you're right. We're all just one bad decision away from changing the rest of our lives in the worst way. And what would it take to push us to the edge? Maybe something that's beyond the realm of reality. But maybe not? It's easy to judge the people we see on television and the news, but I feel like we're all capable of doing things we're not proud of. Thanks for sharing!