MEDIA THEORIESLO: To apply theories on the representations of youth, cultural identities and society to Harry Brown

GRAMSIC (1971)

Cultural Hegemony: 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.

As a result other social classes accept these values as the normal way of life.

CULTURAL HEGEMONY

The media uses cultural hegemony to fix the social classes.

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

Media aim to distract individuals and promote the ideas of the ruling class.

Can anyone think of any examples that promote or oppose this idea?

CULTURAL HEGEMONY CONT…

Gramsci sees hegemony as a site of constant struggle as societies are constantly debating what is and isn’t acceptable.

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

CULTURAL HEGEMONY (GRAMSIC 1971) AND HARRY BROWN

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.

How can we apply this theory to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Todorov’s theory of equilibrium, disequilibrium and equilibrium.

What else can we call equilibrium?

What/who threatens this equilibrium?

How does this fix social class outside of the film?

GIROUX (1997)

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.

Can you think of any examples of this?

EMPTY CATEGORY (GIROUX 1997) AND HARRY BROWN

Youth becomes an ‘empty category’

Representations constructed by adults.

Reflect adults concerns, anxieties, and needs.

Representations do not necessarily reflect the reality of youth identity.

How can we apply this theory to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Who constructed the text?

Who it is aimed at?

Does the text reflect adult anxieties or serve the purposes of adult society? (reinforcing hegemonic values).

ACLAND (1995) Media representations of delinquent

youths actually reinforce hegemony.

They do this by constructing an idea of ‘normal’ adult and youth behaviour, and contrasting it with deviant youth behaviour which is shown to be unacceptable.

  Media representations of young people out of control allows

the state to have more control of them (e.g. media reports about delinquent youths led to ASBOs).

‘Ideology of protection’ – the idea that young people need constant surveillance and monitoring. This happens because youth is the time when young people learn about social roles and values, and allows the state to make sure they conform to hegemonic values.

VS

DEVIANT YOUTH (ACLAND 1995) AND HARRY BROWN Representations of

delinquent youths reinforce hegemony.

‘Normal’ adult and youth behaviour, contrasted with deviant youth behaviour

  Representations of young

people out of control allows the state to have more control

Ideology of Protection: young people need constant surveillance and monitoring. State ensures that they conform to hegemonic values.

Apply this theory to Harry Brown. Think about:

The extent to which the text shows young people as in need of control.

Does the text show young people as behaving in an unacceptable way?

If so does this identify what behaviour society thinks is acceptable? (i.e. hegemonic)

How does the text show class youths to be deviant thus reinforcing middle class hegemony.

COHEN (1972)

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.

MORAL PANICS (COHEN 1972)

Cohen first discussed this with regards to mods and rockers (very old stuff I know)

However these days there are still morals panics with regards to youth.

For example the idea of “chavs” and “hoodies” may be considered a moral panic.

How would this theory

explain this?

MORAL PANICS (COHEN 1972) AND HARRY BROWN Moral Panic:

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

Presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion

Reasserts hegemony by allowing society to define what values it does not accept.

How can we apply this to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Who is creating the ‘Moral Panic’?

Is the panic justified?

Is the panic resolved?

How?

MCROBBIE (2004)

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

SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE (MCROBBIE 2004) AND HARRY BROWN

‘Symbolic Violence’ against the working class emphasises middle class dominance

How can we apply this to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Who is the protagonist and antagonist in the text?

How are the issues in the text resolved?

GERBNER (1986) Gerbner studied the effect of television on people’s

perception of crime.

He found that people who watched a lot of television 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’s mass-produced message and images influences people’s understanding of the world

MEAN WORLD SYNDROME (GERBNER 1986) AND HARRY BROWN

Mean World Syndrome: People exposed to large amounts of media tend to overestimate the levels of crime.

Cultivation Theory: exposure to negative representations influences peoples perception of the world

How can we apply this to Harry Brown?

Think about:

If this text supports or opposes ‘mean world syndrome’

The message overall contained in the text?

If this message can be applied to ‘cultivation theory’

APPLYING THEORYHOMEWORK Write up each of the theories we have covered in your

own words.

Gramsci (1971), Cultural Hegemony Giroux (1997), Empty Category Acland (1995), Deviant Youth, Ideology of Protection Cohen (1972), Moral Panic McRobbie (2004), Symbolic Violence Gerbner (1986), Mean World Syndrome, Cultivation Theory

Apply these theories to the other texts we have studied Eden Lake Ill Manors Attack the Block

Theorist Year Concepts Your explanation

Giroux 1997 Youth as ‘Empty Category’

Acland 1995 Deviant Youth,Ideology of protection

Gramsci 1971 Cultural hegemony

Cohen 1972 Moral Panic

McRobbie 2004 Symbolic Violence

Gerbner 1986 Mean World Syndrome, Cultivation Theory

Support for Homework

ESSAY QUESTION:

How are young people represented in contemporary media?

LO: To write a plan for this essay using the texts we have studied.

ESSAY QUESTION

Introduction: State argument (link

to theory) Identify texts

Paragraph 1: Main text Examples Link to theory

Paragraph 2: Main Text

Examples Link to theory

Continue paragraphs as necessary…

Conclusion: Summary of key points in

P1, P2 etc… Summary of overall

argument

How are young people represented in contemporary media?