Friday, 26 April 2013

Final Draft


How does British television negatively represent Black people?
British television has become more diverse over the years. There are programmes being broadcasted that include different ethnic minorities from “Desmond's” to “Top Boy” but has British television challenged or reinforced negative stereotypes of black people? It can be argued that British television exaggerates the typical and negative stereotypes of black people and other ethnic minorities. Von Dijk found that “black people, especially African-Caribbeans tend to be portrayed as criminals”[1]. In a popular black British television programme, Top Boy (2011), it mainly focuses on the typical stereotypes of black people, such as drug dealers and gangsters, in order to represent black youths' daily life - the director, Ronan Bennett, wanted to produce something ‘honest’. The representations that are being reinforced and challenged through ‘Top Boy‘, audiences are highly critical as it ‘continually misrepresent[s]’[2] ethnic minorities which may ‘strengthen the lines of division in a community’[3]. But this isn't always the case, as there is a counter-type black British television programme: Luther (2010). Luther doesn't fulfil the typical stereotype for black people, as the main character John Luther, played by Idris Elba, doesn't portray the norm as a 'drug dealer' but a Detective Chief Inspector instead; Hall would describe Luther as “changing the relations of representation”[4].

British television programmes often use stereotypes to “give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people”[5], so the use of stereotypes can reinforce the negative representation of black people. In the opening scene of “Top Boy”, the audience can immediately assume what type of programme Top Boy is, despite the few glimpses of London's iconic tourist attractions. As British television regularly uses stereotypes, the main focus on the black actors and dilapidated council estates shown will give audiences an impression of crime and drug use. On the other hand, this can be portrayed – from the director's perspective – to “give audiences an accurate portrayal of growing up in London”[6]. Barry (1986) argues that ethnic minorities are labelled in three categories: troublemakers, entertainers and dependant[7]. Barry’s three categories of ethnic minorities are evident among British television, “whether the fault lies with commissioners or writers, the fact remains that the spectrum of blackness on TV is narrow, and has remained almost stagnant in the last decade or so”[8]. However, in “Top Boy”, the character Ra’nell subverts Barry's ‘dependant’ category as he rejects money from a close family friend in order to help with basic necessities as his mum is in hospital.

By contrast, a black lead character on a counter-type drama was introduced to BBC 1 in 2010, “Luther”. Luther deflects the common roles of black people in British television as he is a Detective Chief Inspector who works for a Serious Unit Crime which is set in London. It can be said that Luther is a counter-type British television programme because “if a show does feature black folks, they are usually one-dimensional, sidekicks of the lead character or the rapist/murderer/gang-banger on Law & Order[9]. As the program progresses, it can be argued that “Luther” may reinforce some of the typical stereotypes based on the setting of John Luther's appartment, as he lives in a groggy council estate in London, despite his middle class job as DCI. According to Barry's theory, John Luther averts 'dependency' as he adapts a father role to a broken girl called Jenny who he met in a strip club and, who the audience later find out, has also been neglected by her mother. She has to resolve to stay with Luther as she has nowhere else to go.  However, Luther’s middle-class profession, as a Detective Chief Inspector, is ignored by his overpowering strong east London accent. Luther’s accent may seem more relatable with the working class socio-economical group as he uses phrases that the working-class audience may be familiar with. Therefore, “Luther” reinforces the negative stereotypes of black people, as they can be looked upon as unsophisticated, solely on the way they communicate. So, Luther seems as if it is trying to steer away from the negative stereotypes – but it actually refers back to them.

The negative representations of black people on British television could have a significant effect on racial prejudice in society according to George Gerbner’s cultivation theory. Cultivation theorists argue that “television has a long term effect on the audience which is small, gradual, indirect but cumulative and significant”[10] and according to research by Robert Lichter, “about one-third of those with an opinion say that the ethnic characters they see on television affect their attitudes toward ethnic groups in real life”[11]So, the more programs that constantly misrepresent black people, the more the audience will eventually have fixed ideas associated with them. This unvarying representation can also stamp an impression on black people themselves as it was found that “black students were the heaviest TV watchers and were also the group most likely to use television as a learning tool”[12], this is because television “teaches them things they don't learn in school”[13]. So, the lack of lessons teaching black children about their culture and background can result in black people turning to television to help them gather knowledge on information they are not receiving at school. Therefore, this can suggest why black people, especially young black people in the UK, can be ‘learning’ attitudes from programmes such as “Top Boy” – for its realistic approach and it’s reflection of real life. But the exposure of negative labels in violent programmes has a “small and limited negative effects on the audiences”[14]. The negative misrepresentations of ethnic minorities shown on television can have a strong impact on white audiences because “if the audience views certain ethnic and racial groups in a negative manner and television portrayals confirm those images”[15] this would be unfair on ethnic groups as “people actually form their opinions of cultures or races based on what they see on TV”[16].  So, with “Top Boy”, the negative representations can have either enhance opinions or create fixed interpretations of black people through the gangs and drug use seen in the programme.

The media can produce stereotypes which can result in moral panics: “a moral panic refers to the reaction of a group of people based on the false belief that another sub-culture or a group poses danger to the society.”[17] In ‘Top Boy’, a moral panic can be shown by the main characters, Dushane and Sully as they are associated with gangs and drug-use. The strong emphasis on gangs, crime and drug-use in ‘Top Boy’ can alter audiences’ opinions, as they are making a generalisation on black people. Cohen identified three central elements that the media use to label black people: ‘exaggeration, prediction and symbolisation.’[18] In recent events such as the London riots in 2011, it has been said that the media exaggerated violent behaviour of black people, Azumah Titus-Glover adds “how many times have we seen in our daily newspapers and televisions Black people associated with crime?”[19] We can infer that the constant labelling of black people being associated with ‘criminals’ amongst the media reinforces stereotypes, resulting in moral panics.
The negative representations of black people on television can be explained by Frantz Fanon's book 'Black Faces, White Masks'. Frantz Fanon “uses psychoanalysis and psychoanalytical theory to explain the feelings of dependency and inadequacy that Black people experience in a White world”[20] which means that Fanon argues that black people don't have a chance in succeeding in this world, due to their colour of their skin. According to the ethnicity theory by Alvarado et al (1987)[21], he describes the four themes in racial representation: exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied. In “Top Boy (2011)”, Dushane and Sully represent black people to be ’dangerous’ as they are associated with gangs, violence and drug-use. But, Ra’nell represents the ‘pity’ category as he is left to provide for himself as his mother is taken into a mental hospital.

In 1976, television in Britain had changed remarkably. “The Fosters” became the first British sitcom to contain a solely black cast. Sadly, this sitcom only lasted a year which shows that it wasn’t very popular  with the ‘white audience’ as much as it was with the ‘black audience’. But despite being unsuccessful for British television, “The Foster’s” was a stepping stone for other black British sitcoms such as, “The Real McCoys”, “Desmond’s” and “The Lenny Henry Show”. It can be argued that the only positive representation of black people “tends to be found in sports and entertainment - both of which point "naturally" to Blacks”[22], this links with Alvarado’s theory of black people being categorized as ‘humorous’ or Barry’s theory as ‘entertainers’ because it’s something that black people find ‘natural’ to do. In the late-80s, “Desmond’s” became one of the most popular and successful black British sitcoms – surviving six seasons and broadcasting seventy-one episodes. The programme appeared on Channel 4 because it was known for ethnic programming but “Channel 4, had been unable to fulfil original expectations”[23] as the roles of the characters were very stereotypical. The main character, Desmond Ambrose, owned a barbershop which was seen to be ‘common’ for many Afro-Caribbean males; Sean Ambrose (Desmond’s youngest son) inspired to be a rapper which was popular among black young males and this relates to Barry’s theory of black people being ‘entertainers’. However, in the late 60s, “there were more than two dozen programs featuring black actors as leading characters or in prominent, regular supporting roles”[24] amongst American television. A popular African-American sitcom in the 80s was “The Cosby Show”, which Bill Cosby “integrated the show with blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos to broaden the audience”[25], it can be argued that Cosby had to put on a ‘white face’ (Frantz Fanon) to relate to a wider audience in order to succeed. In the 90s, a popular African-American sitcom was “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which, in my opinion, the most successful black sitcom, as it still airs previous episodes on channels like ‘Vivo‘. However, the lack of positive images surrounding the black community on British television leads black British actors wanting to pursue a career in America. For example, Idris Elba (who plays John Luther in “Luther”) started his acting career on a successful American drama “The Wire”, before he had the opportunity to star in television programmes in the United Kingdom.  So this shows that black actors have to go abroad in order to succeed as an actor in Britain.

More recently, young black writers and actors have taken to the internet to upload videos of their own dramas/sitcoms. With British television, “there really aren't that many roles for authoritative, strong, black characters in this country”[26] because “commissioners say: 'Can you make white people laugh?'”[27] So black people’s end result is the internet, on sites like “YouTube” because they can’t get television networks interested in the shows they have created. A web-series called “Brothers with No Game” is about 3 black males, they’re friends showing their ways of finding love. However, with this particular web-series, it subverts the typical stereotypes of black men; Theo is a middle aged man who works as a marketer, Dorien is 25 and works as a sales representative and Junior is a freelance IT consultant. But, they have a white friend, who in this particular series represents the unsuccessful, comical individual working with an internship to create his own designer label. This contrast between the roles of the black men and white man is significant as it challenges the typical stereotypes of black people shown on television.

By analysing the historical and contemporary texts, there is a clear similarity that British television tends to significantly under-represented ethnic minorities, as they “are responsible for influencing, sensationalising and creating stories that play on violence and conflict.”[28] The constant negative stereotypes of black people in television “and the absence of plausible alternative means that the values wrapped up in the stereotype come to appear as ‘common sense.’”[29] It can be argued that black people are “marginalised by a white ideology”[30] as they seem to be restricted to typical genres, such as, comedy or urban dramas. Karen Ross (1992) argues that “whites towards non-whites are influenced by media representation”[31] so even though “Luther” portrays more of a positive representation, this is ignored by the negative representations in programmes such as “Top Boy”. The negative representations create a heavier impact on audiences’ opinions, in comparison to the positive. This concludes ethnic stereotypes maintain the hegemonic control and reinforces the status quo and being amplified.
Word count: 2,088
















Work Cited:
Books/Journals
1.        Alia, Valerie, and Simone Bull. Media and ethnic minorities. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005. Print.
2.        Alvarado, Manuel, Robin Gutch, and Tana Wollen. Learning the Media: An Introduction to Media Teaching.    Basingstoke: Macmillan Education, 1987. Print.
3.        Awan. F. (2007). Young People, Identity and the Media - Representation [Journal]  
4.        Bennett, Peter, Jerry Slater, and Peter Wall. A2 Media Studies: The Essential Introduction. London: Routledge, 2006. Print.
5.        Fanon, Frantz. Black skin, white masks. New York: Grove Press, 1967. Print.
6.        Kwartey Titus-Glover, A. (2004). An Educational Guide to The History of Black People Past and Present [Journal]
7.        Ross, K. (1992) Television Black and White [Journal]
8.        Webb, Rob. A2 Sociology: The Complete Course for the AQA Specification. Brentwood: Napier, 2009. Print
Moving Text:
1.     Top Boy (UK – 2011 presented Channel 4)
2.     Luther (UK – 2011 BBC1)
3.     Desmond’s (UK – 1994 Channel 4)
4.     Brother With No Game (UK - 2012 YouTube)
Internet:
5.     Top Boy gives an accurate portrayal of London - http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/880078-yann-demange-being-a-teenage-boy-in-london-now-is-scary
8.     Fanon - http://www.iep.utm.edu/fanon/
9.     Black actors as supporting roles, leading roles - http://www.jfredmacdonald.com/bawtv/bawtv10.htm
Work Consulted:
Internet:
4.     Stop whining about the media! - http://www.salon.com/2000/04/19/images/
7.     Failing to reflect modern ethnic minority cultures - http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2008/07/top-soaps-accused-of-stereotyp.html
8.     Media teaches the public about ethnic minorities - http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/long-way-go-minorities-and-media
Newspapers:
2.     Underachievement representations of black people -http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/london-black-children-awards
Moving Text:  
1.     Empire Road (UK – 1978 to 1979 – Channel 4)


[2] Alia, V., & Bull, S., Media and Ethnic Minorities (2005). p.15
[3] Laughey, D. (2009). p. 78
[4]  Representation, history and ‘black Britain’ [Internet]. Available from: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/9459_011200ch1.pdf
[7]  K. Ross, (1992) Television Black and White. P.28
[11]  Television affects peoples’ opinions of ethnic minorities http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/does-tv-shape-ethnic-images
[12]  Television affects peoples’ opinions of ethnic minorities http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/does-tv-shape-ethnic-images
[13]  Television affects peoples’ opinions of ethnic minorities http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/does-tv-shape-ethnic-images
[14]  Webb,R. Westergaard,H. Trobe.K, Steel,L (2009) p.120
[15]  Television affects peoples’ opinions of ethnic minorities http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/does-tv-shape-ethnic-images
[19]  A. Titus-Glover. (2004) An Educational Guide to the History of Black people Past and Present. P.5
[21] M. Alvarado, (1987). Learning the Media. P 153; Bennet, P. Slater, J. Wall, P. (2006). p. 81.
[22]  Representation, history and ‘black Britain’ Available from: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/9459_011200ch1.pdf
[23]   K. Ross, (1992) Television Black and White. P.28
[25]  ibid
[28]  A. Titus-Glover. (2004) An Educational Guide to the History of Black people Past and Present. P.5 Representation, history and ‘black Britain’ Available from: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/9459_011200ch1.pdf
[29] Bennet, P. Slater, J. Wall, P. (2006). p. 81.
[30]   Representation, history and ‘black Britain’ p.14 Available from: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/9459_011200ch1.pdf
[31]  K. Ross, (1992) Television Black and White. P.28