Race and Ethnicity essay- Hotel Babylon

In the extract of Hotel Babylon, many different races and ethnicity's were portrayed, the first of which was a young jamaican man. He was portrayed as being a party animal as a party was the first thing he spoke about after seeing his friend whom he hadn't seen for seven years. This character used language such as 'bruv' and 'man' which gave him a type of gangster image. He also has his hair in dreadlocks, this is a stereotypical Jamaican style and adds to the exotic feel of the country.

The next characters we saw were two cleaners one of which was French, they were portrayed as being of a lower class, this can be assumed from the job that they had. When they went into the room they were asked to strip to get more money, they agreed and seemed to have done it before. This can be seen as the stereotype that they are seen as prostitutes. The man who offered them the money was asian, he was seen to be very wealthy and to have a well paid job. 

The man and women who seemed to own the hotel, or were managers of some part of the hotel, were both english. They were in control of the rest of the employees at Hotel Babylon and held some sort of power over them. They were seen to be of a higher class to everyone 

Race and Ethnicity

I think that race is over represented in TV dramas, for example, in Eastenders, on the square there are many different races, probably more than you would get in real life. I think that TV dramas try to be politically correct and so use as many different races within each episode as they can. Patrick from Eastenders is Jamaican, he is portrayed

Ethnicity-
An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population group whose members identify with each other on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditionsEthnicity connotes shared cultural traits and a shared group history. Some ethnic groups also share linguistic or religious traits, while others share a common group history but not a common language or religion.


Race-

The term race refers to the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics (which usually result from genetic ancestry).

Race presumes shared biological or genetic traits, whether actual or asserted. In the early 19th century, racial differences were ascribed significance in areas of intelligence, health, and personality. There is no evidence validating these ideas.ethnic group or ethnicity is a population group whose members identify with each other on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditions

Ethnicity connotes shared cultural traits and a shared group history. Some ethnic groups also share linguistic or religious traits, while others share a common group history but not a common language or religion.

Racial stereotypes are also made from myths and can be very harmful and dangerous as it makes a bold impression on children. 

Alvarados Race Theory (1978)

Four key themes in racial representation:

• Exotic
• Dangerous
• Humorous
• Pitied

Moral Panics- Cohen (1972)

Described as a condition, episode, person or group of persons which emerge to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests.

Tokenism is a practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of a traditionally marginalised group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination.

Film Opening Analysis

Ahs Coven Analysis from mary lawson

Waterloo Road essay

In the extract of Waterloo Road that we watched we saw a fire break out in the school. The reactions between teachers and students were very different and this showed the stereotypical differences between both old and young.

When evacuating the building it was clear that the adults held an authority and were directing the students where to go and what to do. The students were following these orders, doing exactly as they had been told. The students were seen to be helpless, with lots of diegetic sound of pupils screaming and crying, the teachers however, were more calm and sensible.

The stereotype of the young being naive came in to play as a teen pregnancy was announced, this gives the portrayal that young teens are irresponsible, naive and perhaps less educated when it comes to safe sex.

When looking at the mise en scene the students can be seen to have mobile phones and other technological items on them at all times, whereas the teachers communicated by word of mouth. The stereotype here is that younger people spend a lot of time in their own bubble, communicating with people through their phones and social media platforms.

Representation of Age

Older people tend to be shown as:

1. Grumpy-conservative, stubborn, resistant to change.
2. Enjoying a second childhood- as relieving their adolescent and engaging in activities that they have always longed to do before they die. (Cheeky)
3. Older people are also represented as pitied, dependent or and economic burden- helpless and dependent on other younger members of society or family.

Catherine Tate Nan

• Is she stereotypical? No
• Why? Even though she is grumpy, she takes it to the extreme and becomes unrealistic, for example she swears a lot and seems to enjoy being horrible to her family who look after her. 
• Look at her iconography, what does it say about her character? She is wearing a dress and knitted cardigan which is stereotypical to the role of a nan. Her skin is wrinkled and and her posture stumped to show ageing within her body. 
• What type of genre of programme does she exist in? How does this affect her representation? Comedy, makes her character more extreme and less realistic, she may take the stereotypical role and make it more comical by taking it to the extreme. 

Youth- positives 

• Active 
• Sociable
• Innocent
• Strong
• Long future ahead 
• Adventurous
• Fun

Old Age- positives

• Wise
• Authoritative
• Well educated
• Freedom
• Wealth
• Stability

Youth- Negative

• Lazy
• Rebellious
• Rude
• Hormonal
• Vulnerable
• Naive
• Dependant 

Old Age- Negative

• Weak
• Vulnerable
• Fragile
• Mentally incompetent 
• Not in control of their own bodies
• Lonely
• Dependant 
• Boring
• Unwilling to try new things

A touch of frost essay

In the extract of A Touch Of Frost that we watched we see a boy called Billy being questioned by the police. The first scene is of him walking through a dark forest makes him seem like a threat, almost scary, this is added to by the use of a wide angle shot, making it seem as though he is not someone you want to be near. 

The diegetic sound of Billy talking is quite muffled and unclear, he speaks quite slow and in simple terms. This is the stereotype that disabled people are dim and uneducated. Frost also refers to Billy as being "mentally subnormal" this portrays how disabled people are considered abnormal, even though they make up the majority of a population. 

Hunts idea of the 10 stereotypes a disabled person is likely to have comes across in this clip. Frost tells his dad that he has to be present in the interviewing process, his mum also says "I'd like to clean him up first" both these examples show how Billy is unable to, or assumed to be unable to do anything for himself. He is considered a burden on other people, this is one of the 10 features of a person with disabilities as said by Paul Hunt (1991).

When the dad goes to speak to Billy he kneels down to talk to him, this is a visual representation of how a disabled person can be seen as less important and someone who is looked down upon. This can also be seen in the way that Frost talks to Billy in slow simple terms, this can be seen as patronising as he is changing his characteristics to cater to Billy's needs. 

"Do you know what the police were doing? They were looking for someone" Frost assumes that Billy is unable to answer the question and so answers for him. "You know Trisha don't you Billy" Frost also uses tag questions to assume answers and put ideas in Billy' head. This can be seen as very patronising and degrading for Billy, once again making him feel abnormal and separate to others.

Frost physically leans in towards Billy when talking to him, showing visually that Billy may be seen as beneath him. This may just be because of Frosts superior intelligence but it can be interpreted to be that Frost sees Billy as child like.

Frost directs some of his questions to Billy but the majority of them are aimed towards his dad for him to answer. Billy is shown to be inadequate and that he has no mind of his own, he is alienated from his dad and Frost, even though he is the centre of the scene and the whole episode.

The camera angles used are mainly wide shots, however a close up is used to show the expression on Billy's face, just before Frost begins asking questions, his facial expression is mundane and Billy seems uninterested and confused.

Disability within TV dramas

Dramas that feature characters with disabilities:

• Eastenders- Stacey (Bipolar)
• Hollyoaks- Patrick (Motor neurone disease-in a wheelchair)
• Criminal minds- Spencer Reid (Aspergers syndrome)
• Breaking Bad- Walter White Jr (Cerebral Palsy)

Paul  Hunt (1991)- 10 stereotypes of disabled people:

• The disabled person as pitiable or pathetic
• An object of curiosity or violence
• Sinister or evil
• The super cripple
• An atmosphere
• Laughable
• His/her own enemy
• As a burden
• As non-sexual
• Being unable to participate in everyday life

The Medical Model: Shakespeare (1999)

The media through history has depicted disability through the use of impairment. "impairment is made the most important thing" and disabled characters are "objectified and distanced from the audience" 

The Inbetweeners clip 

1. Why is this clip funny? It is funny because, in an attempt to impress a group of girls, Will throws a frisbee at them but it takes an unexpected turn as it hits a girl in a wheelchair.
2. How is the disabled girl represented? The girl is represented to be pitied and vulnerable as the girl with her has to speak to her and stick up for her when the frisbee hits her.
3. Are we meant to be laughing at the disabled person? No we are not because she is the victim of the scene, we are laughing at the mistake that Will made and his reaction to it.
4. Are they the 'butt' of the joke? I believe that Will is the butt of the joke as he is represented as awkward and we are supposed to laugh at his uncomfortable, awkward characteristics. There may be a small possibility that the intention of the disabled person was to be laughed at as they were cast for a reason.
5. How do you think disabled people responded to this? I think they would have responded negatively as the disabled person is represented as helpless and it could be seen by some as a negative stereotype of disabled people.
6. In what way does the representation comply with Shakespeare's stereotype? I think that the disabled girl is objectified because we don't really get to hear her speak for herself or know anything about her, other than she's in a wheelchair. 
7. Are we as a society being cultivated to think that we should pity the disabled? I personally think we are taught to treat disabled people differently, with extra care and as though they need help. This can be seen as patronising and objectifying.

Warwick Davis- Life's Too Short

1. Why is the clip funny? It is funny because Warwick needed his new washing machine by saturday but he ended up throwing out his new one because his friend had switched them over without him knowing. 
2. How is Warwick Davis represented? He is represented as being independent, not needed any help and being quite intelligent. 
3. Are we meant to be laughing at the disabled person? No, we are meant to be laughing at the situation he is in.
4. Are they the 'butt' of the joke? Yes he is the butt of the joke but not because of his disability, just because of how he reacts to the situation and the jokes he makes throughout the clip. 
5. How many of Paul Hunt's stereotypes comply with this clips? possibly one, seen as non-sexual, however this would not be portrayed in this genre of programme. Apart from that non of the stereotypes apply here. 
6. In what does the representation comply with Shakespeare's stereotype? Warwick is not objectified, we get to know him and the show is centred around him.