Pickpockets and Proud - Race representation

1. Pickpocketing and Proud

In the Channel 5 show, Pickpockets and Proud, the Romanian ethnicity is given a negative representation. This is constructed using miss en scene, for example when the three Romanian men are seen in their home drinking and smoking, and dressed in very cheap branded clothing. The dialogue here also says that they pickpocket up to £300 a week from people on the streets. The commentators says 'Eastern Europeans are the Kings of pickpocketing', and that they make money 'out of the UK'. This represents Romanians as criminals and people who take the UK for granted, and abuse it, creating a negative representation of the Romanian ethnicity.

There is also a section included where two young, black men are shown to be pickpockets. The lighting in one section is low key, and so connotes shadiness and seediness, which adds to the overall representation of young black men. The non diegetic sound of the voice over also says that they are addicted to heroin, and the men also go on to say that they 'don't care' about stealing a man's phone. This represents young, black men as dangerous criminals who are addicted to drugs and don't care about other people.

This program positions Romanians and young black men as criminals, and the 'bad guys', which means that the audience sides with the police, who fight this type of crime. This therefore reinforces the negative stereotype of these people.


2. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

In The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the representation of Indian people is positive. This is constructed using the mise en scene and camera angles. During one short sequence, an establishing shot is used to display the beautiful setting of Delhi. There are also shots of very happy, young Indian men and women, which is an overall positive portrayal. Also, the dialogue of one of the young, Indian men says 'I have a dream to create a home for the elderly so wonderful...', which displays him as ambitious and kind towards those who are elderly, portraying Indian people as ambitious, hardworking and kind.