Minority Representations in French Popular Culture – The Case Of “Stress”

8/10/2019 Minority Representations in French Popular Culture The Case Of Stress

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Media and Communication Fall 2014

Dr. Alexandra Brown

Response Paper 2

Konstantin Kirilov / Student #10331840

Minorit! Representations in Frenc" Popular Culture #"e Case $%

&'tress(

Tokenism is the notion that media has a tendency to include a single

ethnic minority character in order to give the impression o !eing

inclusive" $odkinson% &08'% (hile at the same time actually helping to

perpetuate the stereotypes associated (ith a particular group) *ithin the

rame(ork o racial and ethnic misrepresentation that (e studied in class%

$odkinson also introduced burden of representation, the concept that

mem!ers o ethnic minorities are e+pected to stand or their entire ethnic

group" as a result o !eing isolated (ithin predominantly (hite media

institutions" &08') The de!ate on ho( to deal (ith these pro!lems has

gro(n louder as social media and the *e! have e+panded their in,uence

and reach) The ideas can !e applied to virtually any type o media% !ut

this paper e+amines a music video !y -rench. reek director omain

avras% produced or the aris.!ased electronica !and 2ustice in &008

avras')


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The video (as commissioned !y 2ustice as a visual counterpart to

their track Stress ) Shot in a style more reminiscent o a short movie% it

ollo(s a group o -rench youths o rican and 5orth. rican descent as

they make their (ay rom the run.do(n apartment !locks o their banlieu

to the center o aris) Throughout the video they harass and !eat up

several people% 6ght (ith the police% steal and demolish a car% and

violently attack the cameraman at the very end)

*ithin &0 days o its release% the ootage had gained over &%000%000

vie(s on 7ouTu!e and aily9otion) eactions (ere varied% !ut :uick to

arrive ; some :uestioned the point o sho(ing pointless violence"% (hile

others accused it o acilitating the stigmatie 9onde suggested that the

6lmmakers have ended up ?oining those they (ish to denounce"

=verson') e( months later% the !and pu!licly de ended the video in an

intervie(% calling it an e+periment in making an un.!roadcasta!le video

or an un.!roadcasta!le song" $e!!leth(aite') =n addition% they

denounced -rench ne(spapers as sensationalist% saying that not only (as

the video not !anned rom T@% !ut most ma?or net(orks personally called

the !and and re:uested the high resolution version% an oAer they re?ected)

=n regards to theory% Stress is a good e+ample o ho( social

commentary can !e misread in various (ays% o ten (ith the help o the


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medium itsel ) -or e+ample% some ?ournalists reporting on the controversy

(ere :uick to point out ho( the pro?ect did no avors to the !lack

community" or the immigrant community") This leads us to $odkinson s

idea that no such undiAerentiated !locks o people" (ith an identical

e+perience and a uni6ed vie(point" actually e+ist &08') =ndeed%

$odkinson himsel admitted that this is a (ell.intentioned" attempt to

portray minority perspectives that ends up !eing tokenism o a diAerent

kind" &08')

9any o the reactions to Stress seemed to completely ignore

(idespread pro!lems (ith social segregation that already e+isted (ithin

-rench society) 5ot only that% !ut they accused the video o stimulating

these issues% rather than recogni


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=n addition to the a!ove% !ecause o the !urden o representation%

these negative images (ere inevita!ly attri!uted to the entire

immigrant/ rican/5orth. rican population) The pro!lems continued even

as the !and s record la!el% Because 9usic% released a statement

descri!ing the video as Ca parody o the (ay D' ma?or television

channels treat the ne(s" =verson') Some argued that the orm o the

medium itsel contri!uted to the controversy% (hich relates to 9arshall

9c>uhan s amous the medium is the message" e+pression and the

relation !et(een the ormer and ho( (e perceive the latter) @ie(ers

ound it dangerous" to engage in something as emotive and important

D' (ithout some kind o dialogue" =verson'% and speculated that the

outrage (ould have !een much less pronounced had the images !een

part o a documentary% or e+ample) 2ustice later remarked that the (hole

story represented a reminder o ?ust ho( diEcult it is today to control the

destination o images and the integrity o their meaning" =verson') nd

(ith the great strides made !y digital media as a (hole% and video sharing

(e!sites in particular% perhaps (e shouldn t !e surprised i more disputes

like this arise in the uture)

)or*s Cited

avras% omain) 2ustice . Stress " YouTube. 7ouTu!e% >>F% &G Septem!er

&013) *e!) H Icto!er &014) J https //((()youtu!e)com/(atchL

vMN*a*sgB!-s O)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWaWsgBbFsAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWaWsgBbFsAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWaWsgBbFsAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWaWsgBbFsA


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$e!!leth(aite% hil) C Fross The Pniverse 2ustice =ntervie(ed)C The

Quietus ) The Nuietus% &8 Ict) &008) *e!) 08 Ict) &014)

Jhttp //the:uietus)com/articles/00G84.a.cross.the.universe.?ustice.

intervie(edO)

$odkinson% aul) 9edia% Qthnicity and iaspora)" Media, culture and

society: an introduction ) >ondon Sage% &010)

=verson% 2eArey T) CPproar Iver -rench 9usic @ideo)C Time ) Time =nc)% 1R

9ay &008) *e!) 08 Ict) &014)

Jhttp //content)time)com/time/arts/article/0 &F8GRR &F180HH&4 &F00)

htmlO)

9c>uhan% 9arshall) Understanding media: The extensions of man )

Fam!ridge% 9 9=T ress% 1RR4)

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Minority Representations in French Popular Culture – The Case Of “Stress”