Running head: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE BREAKFAST CLUB 1

Intercultural Communication Ethics in The Breakfast Club

Jayme Keefer

Queens University of Charlotte

April 30, 2018

Intercultural Communication Ethics in The Breakfast Club

Regardless of whether or not one has seen the film The Breakfast Club, we have all

experienced the social organization of a public high school. There are the athletes, the prom

queens, the nerds, and the outcasts in every school, and Shermer High School in the film is no

different. While the film is a staple of American pop culture, it also is a strong example of many

aspects of intercultural communication ethics where a variety of diverse cultures collide and

must navigate differing points of view. By taking a closer look at the film, we cannot only

illuminate intercultural theory but also explore what the theory would look like in our own life

situations.

The Film

Released in 1985, The Breakfast Club tells the story of five high school teens who find

themselves in Saturday detention for a variety of reasons. These five students each come from

different social groups in the school that have their own nicknames: the athlete, the princess, the

brain, the criminal, and the basket case. As they start to interact in detention, they quickly realize

how different they are and develop tensions between themselves, particularly between John

Bender, the criminal, and Claire, the princess.

As they work to cope with the boredom of detention and undermine the tyrannical

authority of Mr. Vernon, the students begin to understand one another’s perspectives and open

themselves to learning more. Some of these moments include the students smoking marijuana

together, running through the halls without being caught, discussing their lives at home, and

revealing what they did to end up in detention. They develop friendships and trust, but they

struggle to understand how their experience will change their day-to-day lives outside of the
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microcosm of detention. By the end of the film, Claire and Bender develop a strong romantic

connection as do Andy, the athlete, and Allison, the basket case.

Brian, the brain, also becomes good friends with the members of the group and gives

them the name, The Breakfast Club in an essay he leaves for Mr. Vernon when they leave for the

day. This essay answers the question Mr. Vernon posed to them at the beginning of the film:

Who do you think you are? Brian writes on behalf of the group that, while they accept their

punishment for their actions, they refuse to answer the question because they believe that Mr.

Vernon does not truly care to know them on an individual level. He sees the students as simple

labels and will not soon change his views because of a simple essay.

The Theory

At the center of any discussion of ethics is “the good” or the value that a person or an

ethic is trying to protect. In the case of intercultural communication, the “good” is a particular

culture itself and the understanding that culture is “the shaping force behind persons and

communities” (Arnett, Fritz, Bell, 2009, p. 155). For example, the culture of the American South

promotes the good of the southern way of living where southern traditions and values guide

behavior and viewpoints. The American South culture is a group identity that promotes itself as

the “right” way of behaving and understanding the world. To understand intercultural

communication ethics, we first need to understand culture.

Culture, as defined by Arnett, Fritz, and Bell (2009), is “the communicative practices,

traditions, and stories that give identity to a group of people” (p. 156). In other words, culture is

made of many elements that are shared by a group of people and these commonalities create a

framework for how people within that group understand the world and give a sense of stability to

their lives. When we study “the differences and similarities of cultural content and its influence
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on personas within and across different cultures,” we are looking at intercultural communication

(p. 156). Often, these similarities and differences can be hard to explain or pinpoint, especially if

one is a part of the culture and too immersed in it to study them objectively. These abstract

elements are referred to as the inarticulate. The inarticulate is related to a sense of gestalt, or the

belief that the whole of something is greater than the sum of its parts (Arnett, Fritz, Bell, 2009, p.

167). Returning to the American South example, southern culture may include such stories and

traditions as family members’ sacrifice in the Civil War, agriculture, sweet tea, manners, strong

families, and appreciation for history, but the culture as a whole is more than these things

combined. These are elements that, when brought together, create something more that cannot

adequately be explained.

These articulates can sometimes be seen when one enters a culture that varies from one’s

own and experiences culture shock. While culture shock is typically seen as a side effect of

international travel, it can be seen on all levels of intercultural communication. Culture shock is

“a feeling of disorientation experienced when encountering communicative events disruptive of

one’s expected routine” (Arnett, Fritz, and Bell, 2009, p. 156). There are many different

explanations of the phases of culture shock, but for the purpose of this discussion, we will refer

to a study from Młynarczuk-Sokołowska (2018). She outlines culture shock as a series of eight

steps on an axis of mood and time (see Figure 1). The eight steps are as follows:

1. Honeymoon

2. Crisis (Culture Shock)

3. Recovery

4. Adjustment

5. Honeymoon at Home
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6. Crisis at Home (Reentry Shock)

7. Recovery at Home

8. Adjustment at Home

These steps create a wave pattern where people enter the new culture with a high mood full or

expectation, soon experience a low mood, rebuild it as they become used to the culture, then fall

again when they struggle to reintegrate into their native culture. Finally, it ends with a high mood

when they successfully integrate their intercultural experiences with their own culture.

Figure 1. Culture Shock in Relation to Mood and Time

Note: From Młynarczuk-Sokołowska, A. (2018). Education of Foreign Children in Poland.

Methodological Contexts, 7.

This theory of intercultural communication ethics has several parts, but each of them can

be seen in some level in The Breakfast Club. To apply the theory to the film, we will first explore
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the cultures present in the film, dissect what makes these cultures, analyze where the characters

experience the stages of culture shock, and question if The Breakfast Club is its own culture.

The Cultures

In The Breakfast Club, each social group the students are a member of represents a

different culture with their own stories, values, and traditions. These are never explicitly stated in

any particular scene in the film, but from a holistic view, we can make some inferences about the

elements that comprise the five cultures present in the film.

The Athlete

Andy, who is a wrestler with a very competitive father, presents the athlete culture in the

film. From his story about why he is in detention, Andy describes his father’s obsession with

winning, which is a clear value that underpins the culture. He says in Scene 30 that his father

would tell him, “Andrew, you’ve got to be number one! I won’t tolerate any losers in this

family…Your intensity is for shit! Win. Win! WIN!!!” (Hughes, 1985, n.p.). This exchange

serves as a story that is foundational to the culture. Other stories central to the athlete culture

might include games, locker room conversations, and tales of the “glory days” as a high school

athlete. Also central to this culture is a sense of masculinity. In the same scene, Andy divulges

that he is in detention for pulling a vicious prank on another student in the locker room. He says

he did this to impress his father who would often talk about the fun times he has causing trouble

as a student in high school. Andy felt that he had to prove himself to be a man in order to be

accepted by the athlete culture.

The Princess

The princess culture is represented by Claire. She is a wealthy student whose parents are

often absent and use material gifts, such as diamond earrings, as an expression of status and love.
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Claire is very fashionable, popular, and involved in the school through a variety of school

activities. Contrary to Andy, Claire’s culture values femininity and encourages girls to shop and

be skilled in applying makeup. This is part of the reason why Claire declares her talent to be

applying lipstick by placing the tube in her bra. Inside of her culture, this would be a talent, but

outside of the culture, it comes across as strange and superficial. Bender expresses the

strangeness of the activity in Scene 30 as he sarcastically claps for her “talent” (Movieclips,

2011). Some stories that might support the princess culture may include prom, sleepovers, and

shopping sprees.

The Brain

The Brain culture is presented by Brian, who is a star student with a strong grade point

average. He says in early scenes of the film that he is in several academic clubs including the

math club and physics club. He works hard to receive top grades in his class and is devastated

when he receives his first failing grade. While the brain and athlete cultures may seem very

different, they are both fundamentally influenced by the desire to win and achieve. Brian’s

parents pay little attention to him and expect him to graduate at the top of his class and earn a

scholarship. The F he receives in shop class is devastating to him because it makes him a failure

in the eyes of his culture, and his parents. He explains this in the confession scene where he says

he brought a gun to school with the intent of committing suicide because he could not handle the

pressure from his parents who are also members of the brain culture.

The Basket Case

While we know very little about Allison, we can make some inferences about her stories,

traditions, and values as they pertain to the basket case culture. The basket case culture is unique

in that it is fragmented. We know this because Allison states that she has no friends (Hughes,
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1985). The strongest commonality among the group is their separation from more cohesive and

stable social cultures. They are a group of individual outcasts. However, we can see that

independence and individuality are values that support the culture. We can see this in a few

scenes including Allison’s interesting sandwich made with Captain Crunch cereal and Pixie

Stixx and her conversation with Andy where she says that her parents ignore her (Hughes, 1985).

She has not had the support of her parents or another social group, so she is independent. Allison

also does not seem to consider herself part of a group, but rather, the title of “basket case” is

ascribed to her as people outside of her culture have developed their own notions of what she

must be like.

The Criminal

The final major culture presented in the film is the criminal which is portrayed by John

Bender. Similar to Allison, the criminal culture is considered on the outside of other cultures.

One might think that Bender is a lone member of this culture until Claire mentions his friends

who go to parties and smoke in the parking lot. Bender yells at her for making assumptions about

his friends, and this is main clue to the audience that the criminal culture includes several people

and that Bender considers himself part of a larger group (Hughes, 1985). Some elements that

contribute to this culture include abuse, neglect, and masculinity. Bender talks relatively openly

about his abuse at home from his father who bought him cigarettes for his birthday and

physically abuses him on a regular basis (Hughes, 1985). These troubling stories about families

are likely a major source of cohesion and commonality among the criminal culture.

The Collision

When these five cultures collide in detention, the students all experience culture shock.

They are disoriented and confused as they are forced to interact with people they would
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ordinarily ignore. Much of the conflict in the film’s culture shock stems from the characters

assuming they “know the Other better than [they] do” and being confronted with their

misinterpretations (Arnett, Fritz, Bell, 2009, p. 162). Not all stages of Młynarczuk-Sokołowska’s

(2018) culture shock are clearly represented in the film, but there are a few scenes that serve as

milestones along the path.

Honeymoon

The first stage of culture shock is the honeymoon where a person is excited by a new

culture. This stage does not exactly exist in The Breakfast Club in the same way that

Młynarczuk-Sokołowska (2018) describes it. According to her, this time should involve a high

mood which is simply not present as the characters in the film are not excited about being in

detention or meeting other students. Instead, we could see this honeymoon stage as a period of

homeostasis where the characters believe they can maintain their own culture without being

forced to experience each other’s. We can see this as the students try to avoid eye contact with

each other, sit far apart from one another, and generally keep to themselves. In the opening

scenes, we can also hear Brian’s narration saying “We saw each other as a brain, an athlete, a

basket case, a princess, and a criminal. We were brainwashed” (Hughes, 1985). This suggests

that they were stable in their characterizations of their cultures and did not think to learn from

other cultures.

Crisis

The crisis stage is where we begin to see the tensions of culture shock. Initially, the

greatest tension seems to be between Bender and Claire and Andy. Claire and Andy’s cultures

often interact and overlap, so they continually find themselves on the same side of an argument,

at least in this stage. In one scene, we can see where the athlete and criminal cultures clash as
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Andy says to Bender, “Speak for yourself” and Bender responds, “You think I would speak for

you? I don’t even know your language” (Hughes, 1985). Here, we see that Bender highlights the

differences between the two cultures. He suggests that they are so different from one another that

their differences are irreconcilable and that they do not have a platform from which to

understand each other. They are simply too different to ever see eye-to-eye.

Recovery

The recovery period involves information-seeking as the members of the various cultures

try to understand one another. This is an ongoing process in the film, but one scene that

demonstrates the stage well is when Allison invites Andy and Brian to look through her purse. At

first, Andy and Brian are reluctant to look at her belongings because they are not interested in

learning about her. They have their understanding and perception of her and do not wish to

change their perspective. She nevertheless dumps the contents of her bag next to them as an

encouragement for them to look. Andy is more invested in the recovery stage of culture shock as

he asks questions with the intent to understand her and tries to relate to her lament about her

home life being “unsatisfying” (Hughes, 1985, n.p.). Brian, on the other hand, does not seem

interested in learning as his questions carry a sarcastic tone and he generally seems disinterested.

Brian also perpetuates the focus on difference from the crisis stage by emphasizing the

differences between her and “normal guys” like him and Andy (Hughes, 1985, n.p.). This

disassociation and distance causes Allison to give up on her initiative to open up and she also

starts to slip toward the crisis stage by calling Andy “Sporto,” a clear reference to his culture

which is distinct from hers (Hughes, 1985, n.p.). Brian made Allison feel less like a guest in the

situation and more like a stranger. Andy seeks to remedy this by following her and asking her

one-on-one to talk to him. She still does not say much, but she opens up to him more than she
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does with anyone else in the film. This is because Andy took on the role of the guest as he sought

to “appreciate and learn from difference” rather than hold onto his assumptions or expect others

to adapt to him (Arnett, Fritz, Bell, 2009, p. 169).

Adjustment

In the adjustment stage, the members of the various cultures begin to understand each

other. They have a general understanding of each other and are beginning to see the world

through their eyes. In the film, we see them come together in a circle, share their stories with one

another, and seek out commonalities between them. In one scene, Claire and Allison are clashing

over a lie Allison told about her having a sexual relationship with her therapist. Claire begins to

slip into the crisis stage by calling her bizarre, but Andy steps up to encourage them to see the

similarities between them saying, “What’s bizarre? We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just

better at hiding it, that’s all” (Hughes, 1985, n.p.). Claire follows up by asking how Andy is

bizarre and when Andy cannot think of an answer, Allison steps in saying, “He can’t think for

himself” and Andy confirms this guess (Hughes, 1985). Allison only knew this about Andy

because they had taken the time in the recovery stage to get to know and learn from one another.

Had they never done this, they would not be able to see the world through their eyes and have a

deeper understanding of each other’s motivations and personalities.

Crisis at Home

Even though the audience never really sees the characters return home or return to their

typical lives at school, we can still see the crisis at home stage as the characters discuss what will

hypothetically happen upon their return to their daily lives. Brian begins the discussion by

asking, “What happens on Monday?” Claire responds that she does not think they will still be

friend with each other because they will have to return to the homeostasis of their cultures. She
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believes the existing culture will trump the shared experience the five students have shared in

detention. This represents a crisis because she suggests that the Other cultures are not compatible

with her life “at home” in her princess culture. All of them seem to say that they can integrate

their cultures, but Claire remains skeptical, and for this, she is ridiculed and called a bitch by

Bender (Hughes, 1985). While it seems easy for the students to believe that Claire is clearly in

the wrong, she challenges them to truly think about what they would do by posing questions to

Bender:

Why don't you take Allison to one of your heavy metal vomit parties? Or take

Brian out to the parking lot at lunch to get high? What about Andy for that

matter, what about me? What would your friends say if we were walking down

the hall together. They'd laugh their asses off and you'd probably tell them you

were doing it with me so they'd forgive you for being seen with me. (Hughes,

1985)

They are all faced with the question: Can we still be friends when we return to our normal lives?

Adjustment at Home

Again, we do not fully see the characters return home, but the audience does see them

leaving the school together. Andy and Allison share a kiss and Bender and Claire agree to be a

couple. This demonstrates that they did answer the question about whether or not they can focus

on their similarities and integrate their cultures. Brian’s final letter also supports the group’s

adjustment and integration of their intercultural learning into their own cultures declaring to Mr.

Vernon, “You see us as you want to see us in the simplest terms, in the most convenient

definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a Brain, and an Athlete, and a Basket

Case, a Princess, and a Criminal” (Hughes, 1985, n.p.).

The Result

In this final letter, we see how the many cultures become one. As each of the students is a

princess, a criminal, a basket case, and athlete, and a brain, they can use these similarities to

become The Breakfast Club. I would argue that The Breakfast Club is a legitimate new culture. It

involves shared stories as the students came to know one another, a shared value of

understanding, and a tradition of rejecting labels. The culture may not be fixed or as stable as

some of the other cultures of which the students are members, but that does not make it any less

legitimate. Perhaps the greatest testament to The Breakfast Club’s status as a culture lies in its

articulates. As much as we can discuss why these students have similarities and a shared history,

we cannot adequately explain the special bond they have with one another. The whole of their

group means much more than the sum of its parts. The Breakfast Club is more than a group of

students who got to know each other in detention. There is something more, and the simple fact

that we cannot identify these inarticulates supports the conception of this group as a culture of its

own.
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References

Arnett, R. C., Fritz, J. M., Bell, L. M. (2009). Communications Ethics Literacy. Thousand Oaks,

CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Hughes, J. (1985). The Breakfast Club. [script]. Retrieved from

http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/breakfast_club.html.

Młynarczuk-Sokołowska, A. (2018). Education of Foreign Children in Poland. Methodological

Contexts, 7.

Movieclips. (2011, June 16). The Breakfast Club (8/8) Movie CLIP – Bender Mocks Claire

(1985) HD. [YouTube]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsZkkqLDFmg&t=80s.