Essay number 2

How far does the representation of a particular social group change over time?
Refer to at least two media in your answer (50)

Intro
1.drugs
2. language
2. technology
3. clothing
4. weapons
5. conclusion

After comparing different social groups over time I have realised that not much has changed apart from new technology, weapons and a new style of fashion has been introduced.

Quadrophenia is a 1979 british film about the mods and rockers. The main character Jimmy is intrigued by the common drug everyone uses and eventually becomes an addict. The drugs changes his personality and he drifts away from the group of Mods and ends up committing suicide. Drug abuse is still happening today and many problems are caused because of people losing control or overdosing. For example, the film Harry Brown was made in 2001 and is based on an elderly man (Michael cane) investigating on a large gang causing trouble which includes a scene involving heroin taking and the effects of it.

Riots are shown in the film Quadrophenia and this is another example of how this particular social group hasn't changed a huge amount over time. The mods have no respect for authority and fight back and start a riot. The lack of respect is still the same for example, the police, the elderly, parents and waitresses get abuse shouted at them. The scene towards the end the Mods throw deck chairs at the police and knock over the elderly on the beach during the riot. Jimmy swears at his mother and tells her to 'fuck off' as he gets kicked out of the house. Also in the café scene one of the Mods was told to put his legs down in which he replied 'piss off'.

In the film Quadrophenia the Mods wore green parker jackets, suits and had scooters. The Rockers wore leather jackets and had motorbikes instead of scooters. The rockers were seen as the dominant social group or the antagonists because of what they looked like and what they had. People today are still judged and stereotyped by what they choose to wear. We construct our identity by what we wear and how we act. Today we have many social groups for example, 'chavs' are stereotyped by their clothing. They wear hoodies and tracksuit bottoms. This was shown in the film Harry Brown because hoodies can come across intimidating and frightening. The Mods have now developed into 'chavs' and become more violent because they now have access to guns and knives.

Technology has impacted on social groups massively because now the television has been introduced we are now watching the news everywhere which is a constant reminder of the riots and crimes happening all over the world. Media is now everywhere as well; we are influenced by what we see and what we believe is real. For example, films and video games encourage young people to behave badly because they begin to think it's normal.

Overall, technology has had a huge impact on social ideologies and this has influenced them and changed their attitudes and behaviour.

QUADROPHENIA

When was it made?
What sub cultures are represented in the film? mods and rockers
What is the title of the film based on? a guy who has 4 personalities (the title of the album of the who)

Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based on the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as Jimmy, a Mod. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing début.

Release date: May 14, 1979 (initial release)

Director: Franc Roddam

Based in the 70s
- Mods (green jackets and suits - violent because of boredom - riots - body language and swearing - scooters)
- Rockers (leather jackets - motorbikes - look for trouble - act as the dominant gang)

Riot Scene
editing and cross cutting camera angles to show everything going on

Characters
Jimmy
Steph
Aceface - sting

Jimmy want to stay a Mod but drugs take over control

Representation of British Youth
- still riots
- no respect
- language (café - piss off)
- no respect for authority or elderly people
- smashed up drug dealers car

Comparison to Harry Brown
- technology was introduced and changed attitudes
(filming on mobile phones)
- more access to media and constructs their identity
- still use colloquial language (swearing)
- weapons were introduced
(guns and knives whereas in the other film they used deck chairs and anything they could find at the time)

The Cultural Revolution 1950s-1960s

- before the 1950s (world war 2)
- bombings
- evacuation
- women doing the laboring jobs
AFTER
- rationing finished 1954
- britian was entering a period of increased freedom and affluence
- women want their own jobs and own income
- birth of the teenager (before they went from being a child straight to an adult) - left school and got job and then had a family
- america starts having a big impact in the war
- public culture, material goods were introduced (television)
- american marketing is influencing britian
'set the people free'
- no matter where you lived you were looking to america for influence
- american glamourous lifestyle
big impact on britian after the war and still does today
- TV
- E4
- films
- halloween
- food
- fastfood (obesity)
- Music

- luxuary goods were introduced
- fidges
- televisions
- music systems

Car ownership rose by 250% between 1951 and 1961
between 1955 and 1960 average weekly earnings rose by 34%
while the cost of most technological consumer items fell in real terms.
1950s - more goods

by the 60s lifestyle era had begun
- able to spend more money on clothes
(Maslows Hierarchy of Needs)

- start of our teenager recognised as a social group because of the goods that were introduced

- increase of pop music
- fashion
as youth culture became more dominant these attitudes rapidly spread among other social groups and ganed a personal identity
YOUTH HAS BEEN GIVEN A VOICE

Social Mobility
children from working class family went to college
higher education
television radio and magazines

Art began to crumble
Andy warhol were introduced

art was developed (pop art)
new freedoms and liberties were gained
increasing our social ability
society had become fragmented and less predictable


Rebel without a cause (starring james dean 1955)
the wild one (1953 starring marlon brando)
The happy days

PUNKS

punk rock music developed in 1974 - 1976 in the USA
- viviene westwood
- malcom mclaren
(sex pistols)
music group
- laddered tights
- doc martins
- safety pins
- chains
-paddlocks
- loads of colour in their hair

SKIN HEADS

- haircut
- jackets jeans and high boots
- tattoos (on faces and foreheads)
- females the same
- brands - ben sherman, fred perry, brutus, warrior
- listened to reggae (open culture) and then moved onto punk rock

THE ROCKERS

- violent
- identified through their motorcyles
- want to beat up the mods
- black leather jacket
- creepers

THE MODS

TEDDY BOYS

THEORIES SHORTCUT (homework)

1.     GRAMSCI THEORY (1971) (CULTURAL HEGEMONY)

Cultural Hegemony

(One social class dominate a society by making their values appear normal)

(Other social classes accept these values as the normal)

 

Gramsci sees hegemony as a site of constant struggle as societies are constantly debating what is and isnt acceptable.

 

2.     GIROUX THEORY (1997) (EMPTY CATEGORY)

 

-         Youth becomes an 'empty category' (Empty person)

-         Representations constructed by adults.

(Their personality and emotions are taken away from them and are just judged by their appearance and known as 'empty.')

 

3.     ACLAND THEORY 1995 (DEVIANT YOUTH)

 

-         Ideology of protection; deviant youth and reproduction of social order

(Deviant youth - bad youth)

The good youth are reassured by what we see from the bad youth. We get an idea of what is right and what is wrong.

('Normal' adult and youth behaviour, contrasted with deviant youth behaviour)

 

4.     MCROBBIE (2004) (SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE)

 

- Contemporary British TV often contains 'symbolic violence' against the working class

- These representations emphasise middle class dominance and depict the working class in very negative ways

(Violence is a symbolic representation/code of the lower social class and the male lower social class.)

 

5.     COHEN (1972) (MORAL PANICS) (Audience effects theory)

 

- Its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media.

- The effect of a moral panic is to reassert hegemony by allowing a society to make clear what values it does not accept.

(Cohen first discussed this with the regards to mods and rockers)

- These days there are still moral panics with regards to youth

- For example the idea of 'chavs' and 'hoodies' may be considered a moral panic

 

(A panic created by cultural hegemony in order to overcome threats on society.)

 (Creating fear with the aim to re-order society.)

 

6.     GERBNER (1986) (CULTIVATION THEORY) (Audience effects theory)

 

-         Gerbner studied the effect of television on peoples perception of crime.

-         He found that people who watched a lot of televison tended to overestimate the levels of crime. He called this 'mean world syndrome'

(Because news reports, TV dramas, films, contain lots of representations of crime over time this influenced people's perceptions of the world.)

-         This is called 'cultivation theory'

 

(The repetitive pattern of television mass produced message and imaged influences peoples understanding of the world.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

emma's blog link

http://ewila2mediaexam.blogspot.co.uk/

ESSAY

HOW ARE YOUNG PEOPLE REPRESENTED IN CONTEMPORARY MEDIA?

 

 Ill Manors and Eden Lake are extremely similar because they exploit violence, drug abuse and bad language. They all represent the word ‘chav’ by using the stereotypes of their fashion, language and persona. However, Ill manors is trying to show the reasons why they riot and why they have been classed as ‘chavs’ whereas Eden Lake encode the stereotype and create a film where it may encourage youth or make people aware of what they’re like.

Youth are represented badly in the music video ill manors because of the riots and violence. However, Plan B (Ben Drew) wanted to prove to people that the youth aren’t like the stereotypes people seem to view them as. Plan B quotes in an interview ‘I genuinely want to change things. When you attack someone because of the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, or their lack of education, and you do it publicly and its acceptable to do that, you make them feel alienated.’ ‘Ill Manors says if you stereotype people as socially worthless then they will grow into those stereotypes’

It can act as a protest song because it can make people aware that the word ‘chav’; is derogatory and he wants to change the way people stereotype them ‘This is just the first step. Let me make my point first and raise the issue, and then if anybody wants to talk to me about how I think we can change these things im ready.’

However, he is being a hypocrite by blaming ‘rich people’ and alienating that class and blaming them for their violence. He is exploiting what they do and showing the public what happens and what these people are like which is making it worse. They feel in their eyes that society has made it very clear they don’t care about them.

The protagonists in this music video are the youth and Plan B; the antagonists are the government and seem to be the cause of the problem. The representation of youth in the video is portrayed badly because of smoking, gangs, rudeness and no respect for authority (the police, law and their environment). They live up to their stereotype because of their actions for example, violent towards the police and politicians. They look for trouble because of community centres closing and have nothing better to do; ‘what you looking at you little rich boy?’  Deviant youth is represented a lot through this video (Acland Theory 1995.)

 

Representations of youth vary through generations. The way in which representations are chosen is through the current fears of society at that time, what is perceived to be threatening to them (society). Youth representations are filled through the interests of the adult world.

The more violence seen in films the more likely we are to believe in its existence. Eden Lake would then make us believe that it is the lower class British youths that behave in this way and therefore develop negative and ideologies about them. This results in moral panic, through symbolic violence and follows cultural hegemony.

 

The Theory by Mcrobbie (2004 Symbolic Violence) is used in the film Eden Lake because it portrays deviant youth and highlights the contrast in social class. Cultural Hegemony (Gramsci Theory 1971) is used also because in the opening scene we are introduced to a normal couple who go away on a romantic holiday. They are the protagonists and at the start of the film the mise en scene overall is very vibrant and happy. This changes and becomes very dark when we are introduced to the antagonists (deviant youth) looking for trouble. They show animalistic characteristics because they are portrayed as wild animals in a forest hunting the couple. Before getting to know the gang the audience have automatically viewed them as stereotypical ‘chavs’ because of their clothing, body language, colloquial language and behaviour towards the others. (Giroux Theory 1997) we see them as the empty category. For example they reply rudely when asked to turn the music down. A waitress in a café describes them as ‘little terrors’ in a sarcastic way. Which is what some people may view them as before getting to know what they’re like.

 

Films like Eden lake create a moral panic on the representation of youth COHEN (1972) because this is what we believe is real and our views and opinions change after watching these films. We then ultimately judge and look down on the youth after what we seem to believe. The repetitive pattern of television mass produced message and imaged influences peoples understanding of the world. GERBNER (1986) (Cultivation Theory) television and the news are constantly reminding people of the bad representations of the youth and we then adjust to this and view them as the empty category.

 

 

Gerbner (1986)Cultivation Theory (Audience effects theory)

Gerbner studied the effect of television on peoples perception of crime.

He found that people who watched a lot of televison tended to overestimate the levels of crime. He called this 'mean world syndrome'

Because news reports, TV dramas, films, contain lots of representations of crime over time this influenced people's perceptions of the world. This is called 'cultivation theory'

The repetitive pattern of television mass produced message and imaged influences peoples understanding of the world.

The effects of mass media communication on society’s beliefs and attitudes. The more violence seen in films the more likely we are to believe in its existence. Harry Brown and Eden Lake would then make us believe that it is the lower class British youths that behave in this way and therefore develop negative and fearful attitudes about them. This ultimately creates moral panic, through symbolic violence and follows cultural hegemony.

COHEN (1972) (MORAL PANICS) (Audience effects theory)

- Societies appear to be subject, every now and then, to periods of moral panic.

- A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests.

- Its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media.

- The effect of a moral panic is to reassert hegemony by allowing a society to make clear what values it does not accept.

- Cohen first discussed this with the regards to mods and rockers

- These days there are still moral panics with regards to youth

- For example the idea of 'chavs' and 'hoodies' may be considered a moral panic

- riots

(they are a threat)

- a person or group of persons become defined as a threat to societal values

- presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion


Creating a threat for society and therefore a social panic that will allow attacks on that threat. A panic created by cultural hegemony in order to overcome threats on society. A way of creating fear with the aim to re-order society.

MCROBBIE (2004) (SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE)

- Contemporary British TV often contains 'symbolic violence' against the working class

- These representatins emphasise middle class dominance and depict the working class in very negative ways

Creating a symbolic narrative in order to guide and offer self-improvement to the misguided; helping to redefine their identity. Violence is a symbolic representation/code of the lower social class and the male lower social class. This again helps to create a defining boundary between the middle and lower class; ensuring the dominant ideology of the ruling class.

Acland theory 1995 (Deviant Youth)

Ideology of protection; deviant youth and reproduction of social order

(deviant youth - bad youth)
the good youth are reassured by what we see from the bad youth. We get an idea of what is right and what is wrong.

This refers to the re-ordering of the limitations so that the anarchist youth can be brought back into a protective state; reordering society. Dominant ideologies infer that youth need to be protected. This is shown through the films by the protagonists (such as Harry Brown, the couple in Eden Lake) attempts to overcome and over power the youths. In Attack the Block society is reproduced through the youths themselves who are protecting society from the ‘real’ monsters. These representations are used to show the deviant and ‘normal’ youths the results of the actions of anarchist’s youths, in order to keep them within the boundaries in which they can be protected. 

- Representations of delinquent youths reinforce hegemony

- 'Normal' adult and youth behaviour, contrasted with deviant youth behaviour

- Representtaions of young people out of control allows the state to have more control

- Ideology of Protection: Young people need constant surveillance and monitoring.(police) State ensures that  they conform to hegemonic values.

Harry brown is full of deviant youths

GIROUX THEORY (1997) (EMPTY CATEGORY)

Giroux argues that in media representations youth becomes an 'empty category'

Media representations of young people are constructed by adults. Because of this they reflect adults concerns, anxieties and needs.

As a result of this media representations of young people do not necessarily reflect the reality of youth identity.

- Youth becomes an 'empty category' (Empty person)

Representations constructed by adults.

Apply this theory to Harry Brown:

Who constructed the text?
Daniel Barber

Who is it aimed at?
18+

Does the text reflect adult anxieties or serve the purposes of adult society? (reinforcing hegemonic values)
Harry Brown is constructed by Adults so the representation of the youth identity is an empty catergory because it is a stereotype. (Judging before knowing them.)Yes harry brown starts off with anxiety because he is afraid of the youth. The producer is reinforcing the hegemonic values because he is exaggerating what happens with a negative view. (given a personality by the media)


Their personality and emotions are taken away from them and are just judged by their appearance and known as 'empty.'

Representations of youth vary through generations. The way in which representations are chosen is through the current fears of society at that time, what is perceived to be threatening to them (society). Youth threaten the structures of dominant ideologies. Youth representations are filled through the interests of the adult world.

GRAMSCI THEORY (1971) (CULTURAL HEGEMONY)

Cultural Hegemony (one social class dominate a society by making their values appear normal)

(Other social classes accept these values as the normal)

(Media to promote the ideas of the ruling class.)

This is the idea that one social class (usually the middle class) is able to dominate a society by making their way of life and values appear normal, natural and common sense.
A a result other social classes accept these values as the normal way of life.

The media uses cultural hegemony to fix the social classes.

The working classes are somewhat trapped in an illusuion that they will benefit from society staying the same.

Media aim to district individiuals and promote the ideas of the ruling class.

Films (Examples)

- downtown abbey
- lonodn riots
- skins/misfits (promoting they're all the same - nothing changes - same class)
- Eastenders

Pursuit of Happyness (oppose - change things)
- The matrix
- V for vendetta

Gramsci sees hegemony as a site of constant struggle as societies are constantly debating what is and isnt acceptable.

You can relate this to our more positive representations of working class youth which challenge the perception of wokring class as thugs.

Equilbrium - state of piece
Todorovs theory - equilbrium, desequilibrium, equilibrium. (peaceful, heavy, peacful.)

Youths in harry brown threatens the equilibrium by being violent and looking out for trouble.
However, Harry Brown does this aswell but he settles it by resulting piece.

Harry Brown - Police at the end assume they saved it and Harry Brown didnt exist. They assume they are the middle class and they got rid of all the working class. They are denying Harry Brown's existance. (desequilibrium, desequilibrium, equilibrium.)

Equilibrium  (peace) - Another word for Cultural Hegemony

My Own Words
(Cultural Hegemony)
An idea that a class like middle class dominate society and working class look up to them as normal.

In all the three films the equilibrium (Todorov) is disrupted and thus dominant ideologies are disrupted. These dominant ideologies have been created through cultural hegemony and we, have been positioned to accept them as the ‘norm’. Themes of all three films revolve around the lower classes disruption of dominant ideologies and the middle class fighting to keep order. The fears of the middle class (and their power structure) are the lower class and their power to disrupt their ideals

GRID FOR EACH

 

Key text:	Protagonists:	Antagonists:	Representation of British Youth:	Detailed Examples of Key Scenes:
Ill Manors	-Plan B (He thinks he’s trying to show their better side) -Government?	-Plan B -The gang of yobs Government are shown to be bad ones and are the cause of the problem	-Hoodies, caps, bandanas -Violence, mugging -‘Chav’ -Smoking, drugs, drink, gangs -Rioting clips- destructive, rebels -Rude, puts middle finger up -Hanging out on the streets -No respect for authority (police, law, etc) -They use excuses for the way they are -Blame rich people and the government -Live up to their stereotype	-Beating up people and violent to Politians -‘Give him a hug you’re going to get mugged’ -‘Council house and violence’ -Setting car on fire -‘Let’s go looting the high streets closed so cover your face’ -‘What you looking at you little rich boy’ -‘My mind is ill’- corrupt -Community centres closed down- nothing to do, resort to violence -Camera is a handy cam. It feels like we are in the scene following Plan B and being talked to.
Harry Brown	-Harry Brown. concened about the women at the drug den	-Gang of 'Chavs' -Drug dealer, tattos, scarns, tracks -Dark lighing suggests a sinister atmosphere and gives the impressin the are up to no good	-Hoodies -Gangs -Drugs -Smoking -Violence -Motobike -Coloquial language -Set, have a women kept in the drug place, prostiuion -The green lighing in the drug scene makes the dealer look sickly -Careless -Uses his gun to smoke weed through -The gang has an adult leader, who they take orders from- able to respect this form of illegal authority bu not police or law -The guy who was sexually abused as a child is sexually abused by the adult leader. -Mikey is weak and unlike the other membes of the gang. He cries and can't stand he tourture, he cracksn tells Harry everything. -He isn't actuall tough/hard like the est -Hegemonic atmosphere of the group	-Drug scene -The stat has a scene filmed on a camera phone of he gangs doing drugs and fighting. -The sooting in he park and then geting hit by a truck (POV shot, we are there with tem) Drug scene is overexgareated dealing lots of weed is a run down building. -Dark and gloomy, shabby, shows that it is bad. -'For them out there it's just entertainment' -Harry has killed people when being a marine, has meaning -Scene where the aid happens -Youth get out of contol, attacking police with fire and rocks. Like London Rios. -Hoods up to protec themselves from being recognised -Long shots used in violent drug scene, gives more focus to the scene.
Eden Lake	-The gilfriend and boyfriend -Her dress was white but from trying to get away it gets dirty and turns to black which changed the comotation -Bright lighting used on couple	-The youths (all the boys -Dark characters as they have dark clothing -Turns to dark scenes once te violence starts	-Hoodies -Knives- stabbing -The dog, stereotypical 'Chav' -Bikes -Playing loug music, of a rap or expletive nature -They are like wild animals in a pack and hunt the couple down -Violent, rude Sick (torturing) -Film what they are doing -Smoking -Stealing -No respect	-Telling them to turn down the music, they reply rudely -Stolen car almost runs them over -Stolen beach bag -Confrontation, leads to fights -Boyfriend tied up and tourtered -'We've got to finish this'- Boy -'You've had your fun' -Boyfriend -'Little terrors'- women in cafe -Couple protect themselves against they 'animals' with fire and bits they find

 

ATTACK THE BLOCK

'Attack the block' Youth, Stereotypes, Social Class, (2011) Director Joe Cornish

OPENING SCENE
foley - added noise (cars) (traffic)

- set at night
- graffiti (already assume whats going to happen)
camera angles - following (being watched)
- meets hoodies (gang)
- language (allow it)
'welcome to london mother fucker'
'bruv'

Characters were stereotypically introduced as 'youth' by their clothing
Black guy - ring leader (mosis) (15)
- violent
- no respect
- angry
- looking for trouble (bored)
- intimidating innocent people
- cornering
- 'their council block'
- them against the world
(said the aliens landed in the wrong place)

TOWARDS THE END
- mosis has a point to prove the world
-  gives the ring back (develops)
- saves the woman he mugged
- saves the block
(wouldnt of mugged the woman if they found out she lived on the block)
(metaphor throughout the whole film with the monsters)
- Contrast to other films like harry brown when none of them change and they all die)
- whereas attack the block has a change in the ending and is more forgiving.

In my opinion i'm not sure if i would forgive the youth towards the end however, they have developed and changed and in the end they saved their 'block' and all the peoples lives.

Utopia - The Perfect

Film theorist Richard Dyer argues that one of the functions of entertainment is utopianism:

'Entertainment offers the image of 'something better' ...the sense that things could be better ...Entertainment does not present models of utopian worlds...Rather the utopianism is contained in the feeling it embodies.

Utopian Catergories

Reality
Exhaustion
Scarcity
Dreariness
Manipulation
Isolation/fragmentation

Utopian Solution
Energy
Abundance
Intensity
Transparency
Community

Dyer argues that these catergories reflect 'temporary answers to the inadquacies of the society'.

Definition of a 'chav'

Definition of Chav

The Collins English dictionary defines the word chav as ‘derogatory slang’

It says chav is ‘a young working class person whose tastes, although sometimes expensive, are considered vulgar’

Upper class created chavs.

Plan B – Ill Manors

-          Protesting against the word chav

-          Blaming Politicians and ‘rich people’

-          Bikes

-          Dog muzzles

-          ‘oi what you looking at you little rich boy’

-          They’ve got nothing to do (bored) so gonna go out stabbing people

-          ‘you bloody rich kids never listen’

-          Violence

-          Smoking

-          Drinking

Ill Manors Article

Plan B quotes in an interview ‘I genuinely want to change things’

‘It’s partly about the riots, and the government is in the background, but mostly its about the psychology of class.’

‘when you attack someone because of the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, or their lack of education, and you do it publicly and its acceptable to do that, you make them feel alienated.

‘For every person who uses the word chav there is a less educated person ready to embrace it.’

‘Ill Manors says if you stereotype people as socially worthless then they will grow into those stereotypes’

-          It can act as a protest song because it can make people aware that the word ‘chav; is derogatory and he wants to change the way people stereotype them ‘THhis is just the first step. Let me make my point first and raise the issue, and then if anybody wants to talk to me about how I think we can change these things im ready.’

-          However, he is being a hypocrite by blaming ‘rich people’ and alienating that class and blaming them for their violence. He is exploiting what they do and showing the public what happens and what these people are like which is making it worse.

Plan B – Ben Drew

He is stating that the reasons for the violence and riots is because Middle England classing them all as ‘chavs’ And they feel in their eyes that society has made it very clear they don’t care about them.

‘Just because you were lucky to be born into a family that can afford to give you a good education doesn’t make you better than anyone, it makes you lucky’

Harry Brown, Ill Manors and Eden Lake are all extremely similar because they all exploit violence, drug abuse and bad language. They all represent the word ‘chav’ by using the stereotypes of their fashion, language and persona. However, Ill manors is trying to show the reasons why they riot and why they have been classed as ‘chavs’ whereas Harry Brown and Eden Lake encode the stereotype and create a film where it may encourage British youth or make people aware of what it’s like.