Representations
AN: Key Terminology in boldClass
The representation in this article about the London Riots is a negative one of the underclass. This is supported by the fact that the article identifies the people involved as 'feral' and part of a 'ruined generation'. This use of negative language displays the underclass as less than other, more sophisticated classes such as the middle or upper class.The newspaper that has produced this article is the Telegraph, which is not a tabloid newspaper, and so presents itself to a more middle class or working class audience and readership. The writers therefore value information and a degree of sophistication, which
the underclass isn't conventionally seen to have.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8630533/Riots-the-underclass-lashes-out.html
Gender
Using 'The Only Way Is Essex' as a case study, women in this programme are presented as brainless and almost stupid. This is because they are often seen in very revealing and promiscuous clothing that definitely feeds the idea of the Male Gaze Theory. This is a negative and inaccurate representation of women, as the programme is only a snippet of a very scripted lifestyle of a certain area of the country.The programme is shown on ITV2 which is committed to airing new and innovative shows, and also to entertain. This would explain why TOWIE contains very typical stereotypes of women, as it allows the audience to identify easily with the people on the show as well as be entertained.
Age
An example of a film that challenges the stereotype of age is Hot Fuzz. Although a comedy, the film uses elderly people as its main antagonists. This is something highly irregular, especially of an action/adventure/comedy film. Typically, the villain in a movie is intelligent, sometimes ugly, otherworldly, and usually has an aspect of themselves that is not righteous or normal.
However, in Hot Fuzz the antagonists are elderly men and women in a small village. This challenges the stereotype of the antagonist in a movie as it uses an unconventional age group as its villains.
The values of this film, however, are those of comedic intentions. This therefore suggests that the use of elderly antagonists is for comedic effect and not to intentionally challenge a stereotype.
Race
'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' is a great programme to use to study how the ethnic group on Romani gypsies and modern day gypsies are represented in the media. Firstly, it primarily displays modern day travellers in a negative light, illustrating them as rather poor, lacking eduction and therefore value in society. They are shown in glamorous and sometimes tacky attire with no regard for eduction, only their looks and desire to marry as soon as possible.
The channel this is aired on is Channel 4, who's charter is to air new and alternative shows, using the tagline that they are 'born risky.' This therefore connotes that their values are those of entertainment for a mass audience. This would explain why the programme is quite stereotypical and negative, as it provides a sense of entertainment for an audience by making them feel superior to the group portrayed.
Sexuality
A large portion of the news not so long ago contained many articles on Ellen Page as she came out as gay at the Las Vegas Human Rights Campaign's 'Time to Thrive' conference. Most articles displayed Page in a very positive and strong way, describing her speech as 'moving' and 'deeply personal'. This suggests that the general reaction to Page's sexuality was well received and highly supported, displaying her in a very positive light.
The news outlet that reported her story interesting was The Hollywood Reporter. The nature of this news outlet is one of up-to-date and current celebrity news. This perhaps suggests that the article may be more in favour of Page's sexuality openness as she is a very popular star in Hollywood. Their values may be slightly skewed depending on which celebrities and actors/actresses they favour.
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