Lesson Write Up - 20th January

Media & Collective Identity

 

How does this clip represent young people in the 1960's?

• rampage
• act on impulse
• negative image
• retaliation
• hard to break away from the stereotype

Future:

 

Cohen: studied the mods and rockers, from his research we now know that it was the press who created the moral panic.

 

If a recreation was made it could show all the different angles from all the different people involved. The police, the press, the mods, the rockers, the public etc.

The film only portrayed the negative image shown in the press 8 years prior, therefore reinforcing the negative image.

The film showed teenagers to be brutal

 

Contempory:

 

London Riots - 2011

How were youths reported during this event?

 

What caused the London Riots?

The shooting of Mark Dougan. This was a turning point and an excuse.

 

What was the main reason behind the riots?

At the beginning it was people who wanted to avenge his death, get the attention of the police, but other people took advantage of the chaos. The media reported it to be a 'free for all'. Looting was a main reason, but there was no definitive one.

 

Who was blamed for the London Riots?

Youths and teenagers, press blamed young people for the events.

 

Cause:

6th August: Disturbances after protest outside Tottenham police station after Mark Dougan was shot.

Reason:

Ongoing debate among politicians, social and academic figures

Criminality, hooliganism, social morality, gang culture

People rioted because of racism, classcism, and economic decline

Gangs vs Police

Blame:

No official blame

'Stupidity of youths'

Poor relations with the police, government cuts, poverty, unemployment, social exclusion - reasons for rioting (for some people)

Everyone labelled in the same way

 

News now, News then

 

Reports on the London Riots -

Quotes from BBC TV report:

'teenage lawlessness', 'created this wreckage', 'unemployment'

 

The report present teenagers negatively.

Interview from a white, older man - said he 'tried to help'

Interview from a black, young man - explaining why young people are acting this way, explaining that people are choosing not to look and the wider picture and the real reasons for the riots

 

The report made it out to be about materialistic wants - money - avoiding the real issue

Manipulating the representaion (the media)

Race issues -

Presented white people to be 'helping', and black people to be the ones 'rioting'

 

It used the most extreme footage over agin for emphasis.

 

One thing that can't be disputed, is that social media is the present time, it is now. It's the immediate feelings and thoughts of people. It is the news as it's current and informative and it only takes one awe inspiring tweet to go viral. This is why social media should come with a level of social responsibility, thats something worth keeping in mind. You never know who is reading it and how it will go down, especially if it reaches the masses. (Source BBC News)