How and why does the representation of black youths differ to the representation of the older black generation in contemporary historical dramas such as ‘The Butler’ and ‘Straight Outta Compton’?
“Race that generates terror in all of us…”
African Americans have had a long and somewhat complex history in the film industry. The migration of African Americans from rural areas in the south to more urban regions between the 1910s and 1940s shifted the racial landscape, and mainstream Hollywood began to reflect this demographic change in its films. However the representation of African Americans in the media has been a major concern. It can be argued that black youths are presented more violent and reckless whereas the older generations are presented as wise, which is particularly evident in the contemporary historical dramas ‘The Butler’ (2013) and ‘Straight Outta Compton’(2015). The Butler is a historical drama inspired by true events between 1940 to 2008 on real events and people during the 34-38th presidential reign. The main iconography present in this film is the impact that all those social conflicts had on American culture at that time. Whereas ‘Straight Outta Compton’ is a historical drama based on 5 youths in 1988 about the rise of a California hip hop group N.W.A. The film borrows its title from the name of their debut album and title track. There are some positive representation of the youths in this film being successful and independent, but the extent to which the negatives outweigh the positives is questioned.
Friday, 11 December 2015
Friday, 4 December 2015
Tutorial Essay Plan
04/12/2015
- Introduction- look at example
- Introduction info
- how are representations
- techniques/media language
- redraft essay (focus on the question)
- MIGRAIN (label in each section)
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
Critical Investigation Task #3
Birth of a nation
How has society and the issue investigated changed:
- The black roles were not played by black actors, but instead by white actors in blackface who were painted with burnt cork.
- American film has popularised and reproduced predominant stereotypes and perceptions that are held by society(zeitgeist).
- Black performers were forced into a narrow range of types, so they attempted to create complex characters within the confines of the roles they were given.
- Many of the black actors who worked on the film rose above stereotypes by creating resilience, humour, and humanity in their characters.
- This early struggle, encapsulating the historical and contemporary challenge of race relations, was the beginning of black cultural identity in American cinema.
Characters
- Griffith supposedly based on a Stone man on real-life Pennsylvania Republican Thaddeus Stevens, who led the House of Representatives’ opposing to Lincoln’s more moderate plans.
- Stoneman embodies the Union’s weakening will and its misguided social reforms. His vanity makes him easily susceptible to temptation, so he “unnaturally” supports Silas Lynch, disagrees with Abraham Lincoln’s policy of clemency for the South, and openly admits to his lust for his housekeeper.
- When Silas Lynch assumes power and subsequently becomes involved with the Ku Klux Klan, the basic premise of the reformers—that black men are equal to white men—is exposed as something they don’t truly believe in.
- Stoneman’s hypocrisy is revealed when he responds with revulsion to Lynch’s suggestion of marriage with Elsie. As a consequence of his weakness, Stoneman’s health deteriorates and he gradually fades from relevance.
how popular culture reflects the 'spirit of the age' or zeitgeist
- The film represents how racist a white American could be in 1915 without realizing they were racist at all.
- Blacks already knew that, had known it for a long time, witnessed it painfully again every day, but "The Birth of a Nation is thought to" demonstrated it in clear view, and the importance of the film includes the clarity of its demonstration. That it is a mirror of its time is, sadly, one of its values.
- the first ever representation or refrence to black people, so the turning point to black people in cinema
- this film discusses issues of slavery, which is what most historical dramas are on, the first to address issues of slavery
Research
- "unavoidable fact of American movie history, and must be dealt with"
- James Agee: "The most beautiful single shot I have seen in any movie is the battle charge in "The Birth of a Nation.' I have heard it praised for its realism"
- "but it is also far beyond realism. It seems to me to be a realization of a collective dream of what the Civil War was like..."
- "That this achievement was made in a film marred (flawed) by racism should not be surprising"
- "As a nation once able to reconcile democracy with slavery, America has a stain on its soul; to understand our history we must begin with the contradiction that the Founding Fathers believed all men (except black men) were created equal"
- This film addresses the issues black people faced, although they didnt get the other side of the story or from the preservative of a black person (like the Butler)
- My main texts present the black actors as honourable wise and determined which are positive stereotypes but this focuses more on negative stereotypes, the black characters are presented as rapists violent and reckless.
Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Critical Investigation Task #2 historica
Academic research and bibliography
- MacKinnon, K. (2003). Representing men maleness and masculinity in the media. London: Arnold.
“Many
Western definitions of youth culture present young people in terms of what they
are not – they are not children, they are not adults, and they are not economic
or social contributors to the wider society”
In
reference to women to “reaffirms the standard of beauty” – this is most
prominent through the character of Carly, who arguably is used as an object of
affection.
“Youth
culture challenges and sustains larger cultural norms and shapes young people’s
identities”
- Malik, S. (2002). Representing black Britain a history of black and Asian images on British television. London: SAGE Publications.
“Today’s
youth come to understand and navigate their way through the world” – the boys
are seen as having more independence as they are now young adults. They have
more responsibility- such as pressure to do well in order to go university and
they have a lad’s holiday to mark their freedom.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HTiM8g1Jnx0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=represent&f=false
- Ferguson, R. (1998). Representing "race": Ideology, identity, and the media. London: Arnold.
“Excessive drinking involves many dangers which are either ignored or downplayed by adolescents because the use of alcohol has a special meaning in the subculture of delinquency” – excessive drinking in shown in the movie, where they take a lad’s vacation to celebrate the fact they are going into university
“Adolescents
and young adults, particularly those of high school and college age, engage in
social situations which pressure participants to drink far more alcohol than
they would ever choose without that pressure.” This is evident from the scene
where Simon drinks too much and ends up puking on his crush’s little brother.
This creates awkwardness, yet comedy at the same time.
- Gauntlett, D. (2002). Media, gender, and identity: An introduction. London: Routledge.
“’Youth’, as Oscar Wilde, famously observed, is a ’wasted on the young,”
“Youth culture lives on, across generations, not simply in commercially exploitative revivals or in smart ‘post-modern’ references to a digital archive of pop culture, but in the daily choices and interactions that people make.”
- Altman, R. (1999). Film/genre. London: BFI Pub.
“Certain small number of characters”
.
“Choice of scenes is limited to your show’s standing sets and maybe one
or two swing sets or outside locations” – most of the filming takes place in a
high school, only in the movie there are multiple locations because they are on
vacation.- Lacey, N. (1998). Image and representation: Key concepts in media studies. New York: St. Martin's Press.
“Youth culture has been substituted for ‘working-class culture’ in the twenty-first century much of the language and perplexing nature of the modern alcohol problem would have been recognisable to reformers.” – drinking is part of youth culture, this theme is prominent through nearly every episode.
“Laddish culture” described through “sex, sport, fast cars” – the sex element is prominent for the youth
This generation of teenagers described as “having more freedom” and “appeared to have more money to spend” – this is evident as the boys have no restrictions and proves how youth culture in a modern day society allows teens to have more freedom.
- Lacey, N. (2000). Narrative and genre: Key concepts in media studies. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Difficult in sitcoms as they are too “excessive” to be “realistic” - males are seen as creating banter, feature of female characters, such as Carly as being too serious and temperamental.
“Sitcom narratives works by setting up oppositions and connections” – develops “compatibilities” and “incompatibilities”
“Audience pleasure partly derives from anticipation that these conflicts will be resolved satisfactorily”
“Facial expressions are important generic signs and narrative turning-points"
- Williams, K. (2003). Understanding media theory. London: Arnold
“Youth around the world – including Britain – favour urban African American influences” – this is most evident when Jay has an N.W.A poster in his room. This shows how British cultures are influenced by American culture.
- Taylor & Francis.(2004). An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture.
Youth describes as “signs of sings and transgression of modernity”
Behaviour described as “deviant” or “criminal”
“Culture of exploitation” – youth exposed for what they really get to. This relates to the majority of the target audience as they’d be faced with the same obstacles and complications/
- Strinati, D. (2014). An Introduction to Studying Popular Culture. Hoboken: Routledge, Taylor and Francis.
- Neale, S. (2000). Genre and Hollywood. London: Routledge.
- Neale, S. (2002). Genre and contemporary Hollywood. London: British Film Institute.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Critical Investigation Task #1
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
How and why does the representation of black youths differ from the representations of the older black generation in contemporary historical dramas such as the The Butler and Straight Outta Compton?
Primary text
- The Butler (Older Generation representation).
Media forms:
- The beginning of this film is based on Cecil Gains past life. The opening is of his childhood years (between 9/10), the colour is bright and vibrant which can suggests the ignorance at such a young age, or the happiness he had as he was shielded from all the racism going happening. However as he approaches his teenage years the colour becomes darker. This low key lighting can suggest the overwhelming he is going through to to his realisation of this new cruel world he was shielded from.
- The facial expressions during his teenage years are content and show anger, this was shown due to the content and extreme close up of his poorly lighten face, most of the light looked like it came from inside a bakery shop he soon breaks into, long shot is used to show his body language and the anger he is facing.
- the setting is in an area that looks poor therefore showing the struggles of poverty the black individuals went through.
- Mostly voice overs were used to show anger and loss of hope associated with the younger generation;
"a white man can kill any of us at any-time and not be punished for it..." 7:57 The Butler film
"Law was against us..." 8:06 The Butler film
"i was hoping all the time..." 8:29 The Butler film
"i didnt know i was going to get home alive..." 1:19:04 The Butler Film
"i didnt belong in this worls..." 1:19:16 The Butler Film
"the whole world was changing and i dint know where fit in..." 1:19:20 The Butler Film
- he wore dark casual colours, which the audiences would associate with recklessness and youth, the clothes were dirty to show struggle which may have fueled his anger.
- The camera work and the constant close ups of his injury or his crying face, or the long shots to show the environment he is in/ sleeping in, as well as showing the mistreatment of the black people (lynchings). creates the mood and atmosphere for the audiences, suggesting that these representations/ issues help the audiences empathise. therefore the representation of youth differ to show sympathy and the extent of change.
- The editing is showing the age and attitudes of "ceicel gains" changing as he grows up, the editing is really fast to speed up the story line.
- Most of the sound is contrapuntal as the focuses of this film is about the violence faced by the black people, during the civil rights movements. however it can be argued that it is parallel as the music sound sad as-well as peaceful and that is the point the film is trying to create.
Media representations:
- The younger generation in The Butler presented as reckless and looking for trouble. this is evident in the opening scene where young ceicel breaks into a bakery. when ceicles older child joins extremist groups, in order to create change. his son also joins the black panther a a civil rights group which thought the only way to be heard is through violent acts.
- These actions are shown as reckless due to the constant visit to a jail house. furthermore these representations are associated with the younger generation, as this film shows only young people acting violently, therefore negatively representing the younger generation.
- the accuracy of this representation can be questioned, as there is evidence to show the civil rights movements were not mostly concentrated by the younger generation.
- However this representation is created as research suggests that the younger generation are more likely to have impulsive actions than the older generation.
- the main reason for the negative representation of those youth, was a way of showing social change and america(and its people) getting wiser with age.
Narrative:
- These negative representations if the younger generation is creating a foundation for the story like, ordered to show social change.
- the narrative is organised by following a protagonist throughout his life, and as he gets older the older and wiser the people in america get also.
- this chronological structure helps the audience understand as well as empathise.
- although there is no clear distinguished between hero and villains because it shows situations from multiple different perspective. for example most of the black people blamed the president for their mistreatment however this film shows there was a limit to how much the presidents can do, and when they exceed those limits there are bad consequences such as being shot (J.F kennedy) or being forced to resign.
- it showed that that time was a difficult time for everyone living in that society. the main heroes were the protagonist, non violent protesters and to some extent the political leaders. the main villains were the traditional white people which refuse or change to take place. Making the villain/ hero the people of america no matter what race.
Views and ideologies:
- Richard dyer says that genres are pleasurable because it offers escapist fantasies into fictional worlds
- Antonio Gramsci developed the idea of hegemony, which means that one's viewpoint becomes accepted by the public opinions common sense, making it difficult for opposition groups to make an effective challenge. this can be applied to the representations of black youths, because the media sees them as reckless therefore the public accepted those viewpoints making it difficult for them to be seen in a different light.
Primary Text:
- Straight Outta Compton (younger generation representation).
Media Forms:
- The denotation shown in the trailer is 5 young black individuals acting violently and causing much rebellion and controversy with their music. however the connotations/ the deeper meaning to their music is trying to create social change for the young people in compton who are abused by the police as they automatically assume drugs and illegal activity.
- The significant connotation is this idea of social change, therefore they need to rebel in order to have their voice heard.
- Their gestures are mostly bold and explicit especially when they are preforming 'F**** the police'. a song to show their level of anger they have for the police. The facial expressions look intimidating/ dangerous this effect is further created by the low key lighting through out this trailer, showing the reason the police are acting this way is due to they way they present themselves (justifying their misstatement to some extent unconsciously). The costume/clothing they wear makes them look dodgy due to them wearing nice clean clothes although coming from a poverty area.
- there are allot of references made to guns drugs and violence suggesting that although these younger generation don't want to be associated with these things, they are still involved in it.
- the mise-en-scene is used to show the success of these young 'artists', the change in the color of the setting at their local area of crime poverty and drugs, to when they earn money and they have big houses/ attractive women (the color becomes more vibrant and happy)
- the dialogue are harsh and what they see as honest, to describe their experiences as second class citizens;
"i got a women and a baby man... its hard, but everybody can't do what your doing" 0:13 Straight Outta Compton trailer.
"you have a chance to change the situation..." 0:53
"we are witnessing history in the making..." 1:02
"our art is a reflection of our reality.." 1:23
"rap is not an art..." 1:30
"are you harassing my clients because of what they look like..."1:33
"yo, dre i got something to say.." 2:26
- Dialoge between police and ice cube; Straight Outta Compton trailer.
P: "where do you think you're going"
IC:"man i'm just tryin to get home"
- The language used is mostly slang and explicit, word we would associate with with young black individuals so reinforcing their stereotype, this can further represent them as aggressive do to the aggressive language they use.
- the dominant representation is aggression and violence as we witness some deaths and fights, reinforcing what is expected of them.
- the camera work is used efficiently in order to create these effects, they use the handheld camera effects to show their adrenaline as they run away from police, and close ups of facial expression to show the sadness they are going through, when they lose friends/loved ones.
Media Representations:
- The younger generation are being represented as the turning point to social change, through their acts of aggressiveness/ rebellion. this can inturn creating the representation of young people acting violently in order to get what they think they deserve.
- These representations of violence drugs and sex are mainly present in the black youths in america and these perceptions remain permanent and automatically associate those actions with those youths.
- The representations tend to be accurate although the aim of this film was to justify those reasons for those representations in order to relax the harsh representation of the black youth, due to the desire to show social change they need to show corruption as a result showing a significant change when it does occur.
- The main reason for the negative representation of those youth, was a way of showing social change and america getting more successful with age. However this representation is created as research suggests that the younger generation are more likely to have impulsive actions than the older generation.
- The aim of this film was to show how successful individuals can be if they had a true aim.
Narrative:
- Todorovs theory can be applied to the trailer, the trailer starts of at the main characters living their mundane lives in their houses, them there is the equilibrium made obvious byt the police sirens and individuals running away. the climax is made even more apparent by the parallel music suitable for the occurring events. The new equilibrium is shown by the showing pools big houses and naked girls showing success.
- this makes the audiences envy their lifestyle as well as making is achievable. this also helps the audiences create that attachment/relation as they experience their ups and downs with them(securing that bound)
- the main villains in this are the older generation presented through white police. they tend to be the cause of mistreatment for black youths whether they are successful or not.
Views and ideologies:
- The miss representation of black individuals exist but more on youths rather than the older black individuals. influencing some parts o the community to be afraid because of them being presented as dangerous and a threat to society.
- Giving them no choice but to live the crime life in order for them to survive, creating fear in other members of the community.
- The extent to which the increasing violence of of black youths shown/described in the newspaper being a moral panic can be questioned. some research shows that crime rated by young individuals as fallen in the last year suggesting that the obsession with black youths being violent may just be a moral panic.
Friday, 13 November 2015
Notes and quotes Part 2
MEDIA MAGAZINE AND ONLINE RESEARCH
1)
‘black youths in urban america’
“It has also resulted in awareness among urban Black
youth that there are many who share and resist attacks on Black youth”
“black urban cultural institution may seem an overstatement,
but its role in addressing modern issues of morality, injustice…”
·
contemporary historical drama representation
of "youth"
“Instead, I’d like to examine the film’s representation of race and
gender, as it’s a fascinating counterpart to the modern, whitewashed
blockbusters”
“What’s brilliant about the representation of races in Straight Outta
Compton is that it not only subverts the system by focusing almost entirely on
black characters”
“Historically what is important in terms of these
discourses around race/racism is that henceforth any Black protest is
invariably labeled negatively”
“ as "riots, disturbances, unruly mob
violence"”
“since the early 1980s protest has been called
"orgies of arson, rampaging Blacks, black tide of looters.”
“Blacks remain invisible until and unless they are
perceived as a problem”
·
In
other words what is occurring is a normalizing effect through these discourses
around Black protest whereby it becomes something quite other.
·
There
is a effect at the interface of political and media discourses which points to
innate Black lawlessness. Blacks are stereotyped and rendered visible only as "rioters, looters, muggers, scroungers
on the welfare state, illegal immigrants."
“Blacks on TV have very
little favourable representation.”
·
Based on Therese Daniels' as yet
unpublished research into the TV archives
“synoptic view of what's
been on the small screen since the 1950s will show that there has been little
change in the representation of Blacks”
“at least until the last
fifteen years where there has been a mixture of progress and racist regression.”
“It is only now with
deregulation and the new technology of cable and satellite that there may well
be a definitive change because of audience targeting...”
·
Suggesting
that media producers are forced to show positive representation to avoid
protests riots and being labelled as racist.
·
More
people have access to media products (due to the development of new technology)
and in order to reach a wide range of audiences they need to be equal.
“Naturalised representations again referenced original
social realism with on location shooting in Hackney and a contemporary take on
urban life as a USP”
“a contemporary social realist film that maps the
original genre template onto more up to date representations but also reflects
an independent film that is both culturally”
·
This
suggests that the aim of racial historical dramas is to show the social realism
aspect of life and some film do that affectively.
·
http://media.edusites.co.uk/search/results/6ea6baa82414bed26429ce4785e71745/
(media theorist)
“Contrasting postures toward the representation of
Afro oral history are seen in two carefully positioned nonfiction films…”
“Warrington Huahn's STREET CORNER STORIES (1978)…
New
Haven corner store where black men congregate before going to work, catching
their practice of black storytelling and uninhibited rapping”
Black historical dramas
were known for the “verse of liberation
struggles past and present together with their uncensored opinions, directly
into the camera.”
“…major message films about U.S. racism are either
historical narratives (e.g. The Butler)”
“that allow viewers to believe that racism is entirely
a thing of the past, or they’re “sensitive,” “balanced” stories (Crash) that
pretend that racism is nothing more than individual bigotry…”
“Arguably does more to reproduce Hollywood’s racism
than it does to address that problem.”
·
Although
historical dramas are criticised for “reproduce racism” they think showing it
in this narrative structure allows since that “story” merely reduces the issue
to a clash of individual personalities, and it directs our attention away from
the broader structural problems that help to fuel that feud in the first place.
“The street hustler and the more respectable social climber alike
represent the most petty bourgeois individualism”
“Blacks involved in organized political struggle are
denigrated as buffoons.”
·
This
suggests that in order for young black people to become social climbers and
avoid being labelled as a “buffoons” they need to present themselves as “street hustlers”
Notes from the Conference
Bill Thompson: What does the internet do for me?
- "the internet allows open to innovation..."
- "Network is becoming seemless and very fast - accessable..."
- "Internet is valuable for free speech but is not yet safe..."
- "The internet is replacing many things such as newspapers..."
Ways to use the internet:
- Connection (citizen journalism, social networking)
- Information (articles news all over the worls)
- Voices in your head
- Political action
- Cartias and campaighning
- Financial reward
- Games
- Learning
- friendship
However has some negatives...
- Bullying
- Unwanted porn
- Images of child sexual abuse
- Abuse
- Scams and rip offs
- Fraud
- conspiracy theories
- The dark web (hacking and inappropriateness)
"Over 50% of newspapers are controlled by billionaires e.g Rupert Murdoch"
"Stuart Hall - role of society - 'commonsense"
Rob Watson and Pete Fraser - film production
"Never simply about journalists behaving badly - it is about power
Media power:
- Power over:
- Media content
- journalists
- audiences
- government
- Power to:
- censor
- mislead
- set the agenda
- Media and democracy?
Diversity and plurality
- Last few decades -
- Rolling news
- Free newspapers
- mobile apps
- online news
- Cut and paste journalists - 'cut and paste from the daily mail'
- Hackgate - corruption of power
Chris Jeffres - documentry
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Notes and quotes
How and why does the
representation of black
youths differ from the representations of the older black generation in contemporary
historical dramas such as the The Butler and Straight Outta Compton?
Media
Text Articles (primary text) 3 articles
for each
Media
Text Articles (secondary text)3 articles for each
Other
Media Texts 5 other films or media text
Youtube
and Documentaries
Academic
books/ 5 exp
Magazines
3 examples
online
text 6 examples
Internet
links 22 examples
Theory
and evidence 3 exmples
Female
black youths?
MEDIA TEXT ARTICLE
(THE BUTLER)
1) ‘What
could have been a powerful story of race politics set in the White House is
held back by the whiff of Downtown Abbey’
“It is based on the life of
Eugene Allen, a black butler in the White House whose human-interest story was
recounted by Washington Post reporter Wil Haygood as part of his paper's Obama
victory coverage in 2008”
“A black man was in the White
House – in a position other than menial”
“he movie (fictionally) claims
for Cecil a victory concerning black servants' pay in the White House”
‘”admire Gaines's endurance and everyman heroism”
·
This film discusses the issues in the film about
black people in a white dominated society
·
The connotation is the misrepresentation of
those black people and ways they could overcome it.
·
Connotation is the impact that all those social
conflicts and even change can have on a person’s life.
·
the
denotation for the movie was man which was an average mundane obeying person
who questions his faith due to his sons political view and rebellion about the
rights he deserved as a human which happened to be black.
2)
‘‘The Butler’ Fact Check: How True Is This
True Story?’
“one black man who spent nearly
four times that—34 years—in the White House”
“a butler who served every
president from Truman to Reagan and weathered the worst of the country’s brutal
racial history”
“the older son in The Butler and
a Freedom Rider and early member of the Black Panther Party”
“two-hour tour through the
ugliest moments of the country’s history, The Butler concludes with one of
those lump-in-the-throat rousing moments”
3)
‘Lee Daniels's The Butler is an ambitious
sweep through American racial history – and it packs a sustained emotional
punch’
“Their son, Louis (David Oyelowo) – riding a freedom bus to challenge
racial segregation”
“is ready to trade security for liberty, awakening his father’s terror
and disapproval.”
“a superb performance from Whitaker as a man burning with passion
beneath his immaculate, repressed exterior”
4)
‘Lee Daniels interview: 'I told Oprah
Winfrey she sucked' The director of The Butler, Lee Daniels, talks drugs,
racism and giving orders to Oprah Winfrey’
“he witnesses many of the major
milestones of the civil rights movement”
“a tale about child abuse that
outraged some in the African American community for its “clichéd stereotypes”
but went on to attract six Oscar nominations”
·
Oprah was Christianised because people thought
her acting was forced and she was only given the role because of her popularity
·
there are alternative representations of black
people in this film, this is mainly due to the main character Cecile Gaines is
a black butler being treated as a friend by the white president of the united
states
·
the friend role he plays defeats the dominate
representation of black people being worthless and ignored.
5) ‘Let's
Stop Calling Lee Daniels' The Butler the New Forrest Gump’
“African-American White House
butler who waits on eight different presidents”
“multi-decade narrative and its
one-man-sees-American-history”
“social change”
“looks at the timeline of the
Civil Rights movement from both a broader perspective and a more deeply
embedded one.”
·
historical drama set in the 1960s which was a
significant earner for the African Americans due to civil rights movements
·
embarked both political and social arguments
about the role of black people in America
·
Due to its narrative structure and the dicussion
of issues it was compared to forest gump.
·
This shows the traditional representations of
black people being labelled as second class citizens in comparison to the
whites of America.
MEDIA TEXT ARTICLE (STRAIGHT
OUTTA COMPTON)
1)
‘Here's What's Missing From Straight Outta
Compton’
2) ‘The
NWA-backed sweep of the rappers’ rise to success fails to note some important
moments, such as Dr Dre’s violence towards women’
““Eazy-E” Wright (Jason Mitchell)
in a crack house”
“scattering crackheads to the
four winds”
“In 1985, Los Angeles police
chief Daryl F Gates purchased just such a tank and sent it out on to the
streets”
“In April 1989, Gates even
invited former First Lady and anti-drug campaigner Nancy Reagan to spend a
night in his tank watching him bust up crack houses a mere 15 miles from her
Bel Air home”
“DJ-ing in a nightclub”
“I couldn’t believe the things
they were talking about actually happened. I mean,
I’m Canadian- Turner (manager)”
“1989, local police warn them off
playing Fuck Tha Police”
“TV music host he felt had
disrespected NWA by giving Cube’s side of the story”
“historical accuracy here
constitutes a massive cliche”
3)
“STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON IS MISSING ONE
THING: SELF-REFLECTION”
“laughs off an abiding issue
N.W.A”
“police brutality against unarmed
African-Americans”
MORE
ARTICLES FOR STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
OTHER MEDIA TEXT
1)
12 years a slave (2013 Steve McQueen)
A historical drama about the an older black individual. A free black
man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South.
Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also
finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive
and maintain some of his dignity.
LINK TO MY QUESTION
·
It’s a contemporary historical drama
·
The main character falls under older generation
·
He is presented positively
·
Despite the bad situations he goes through
·
Older generation represented positively
supporting argument.
2)
Hot n*igga (2014 music video Bobby Shmurda)
This is a music video that shows the way young black youths in america
represent themselves, the constant action of pointing a gun, may make them
appear threatening to other members of the public, living up to the dominate
representation of black youths.
LINK TO MY QUESTION
·
Youths miss represented
·
Mainly the way they represent themselves in
music
3)
The American promise
This film looks at the academic process of young black individuals in
america, and how the lack of a safe environment and expectations has led to the
majority of these kids failing. Film-makers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson
follow their son and his best friend through the U.S. educational system.
Though both boys start out at the prestigious Dalton School, circumstances
later force one into a public high school.
LINK TO PRODUCTION
·
Documentary on how misrepresentations have led
to young youths failing in life
·
Talks about environmental issues and impact on
young black individual’s life’s.
DOUMENTARIES
1) 
Educating black boys (2013
Tony Harris, presenter of Al Jazeera) talks about how america failed the
black youths and how black youths are the easier target for the police.
Educating black boys (2013
Tony Harris, presenter of Al Jazeera) talks about how america failed the
black youths and how black youths are the easier target for the police.
2) Walking High (2012 Robin Petgrave) talks about the at risk youths of america
Race riots US, (2015 BBC Reggie Yates)looks at how he death of Michael
Brown (a black teenager killed by a police man), effected the position of black
youth in America.
3) KKK: the fight for white supremacy,(2015 BBC Dan Murdoch) looks at how the
racism on black people are still going on and the reasons for the hatred.
4) Negro soldier (1944 Stuart Heisler) documentaries
ONLINE TEXT
6) ‘Let's
Stop Calling Lee Daniels' The Butler the New Forrest Gump’
“African-American White House
butler who waits on eight different presidents”
“multi-decade narrative and its
one-man-sees-American-history”
“social change”
“looks at the timeline of the
Civil Rights movement from both a broader perspective and a more deeply
embedded one.”
·
historical drama set in the 1960s which was a
significant earner for the African Americans due to civil rights movements
·
embarked both political and social arguments
about the role of black people in America
·
Due to its narrative structure and the dicussion
of issues it was compared to forest gump.
·
This shows the traditional representations of
black people being labelled as second class citizens in comparison to the
whites of America.
The Butler: the real White House butler interviewed, aged 89
In this interview from the Telegraph archives, Eugene Allen
- whose career as a White House butler inspired Lee Daniels's new film -
movingly recalls the presidents he served
History as Drama, Drama as History: a study of three plays
as windows into people and groups in the ‘Niger Area
How does contemporary representation compare to previous
time periods? ... to be a distinct lack of representation of the older generation
of black British .... in the media is an interesting one considering the
history of the British ... Both films reflected social zeitgeist and were
released at a time of social ...
This
is a review on the film, it talks about the struggles faced by young black
people around the 80s to early 21st century by talking about
the highly influential gangster rap group N.W.A., focusing on its
three most enduring members: Eazy E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
- " It is the convergence of
the racial tensions that have been brewing in the area"
Jerry
Heller Addresses the Inaccuracies of "Straight Outta Compton", this
article talkes about his opinons on how they were and still are glamorising,
the reckless youth gang lifestyle.
This
is an interview link with N.W.A. lyricist MC Ren speaks on several topics
including the accuracy of the film Straight Outta Compton. MC Ren reveals that
certain aspects of the film were thrown in for entertainment value, and later
added that he’s content with his portrayal in the film.
- "But you gotta realize a few
things in there they threw in there just for the sake of
entertainment"
- "They could’ve showed more
of, but like I said, it’s hard to get everything in two and a half
hours."
- "The stuff we was saying
back then still happens to this day, the police brutality and all of
that"
- "all too reminiscent of
the continued targeting and harassment of black American men and boys over
two decades later"
ACEDEMIC BOOKS
1) Black Youth and the Boys in Blue: Police(2008 Joanna Marie Lee August)
2) Racial stereotypes and child development (2012 D.T. Slaughter-Defoe)
3) Race Identity and Representations In Education(2005 Cameron McCarthy)
4) Black Folklore and the Politics of Racial
Representation (2013 Shirley
Moody-Turner)
5)
Black-Latino
Relations in U.S. National Politics:(2013 Rodney
E. Hero, Robert R. Preuhs)
6)
Backlash
9/11 (2009 Anny Bakalian, Medhi
Bozorgmehr)
·
Young Black Men Counter Negative Media
Representation With Creative ... message to those who are still attacking the
younger generation.
·
Negative
media stereotypes (thugs, criminals, fools, and the disadvantaged) are
demoralizing and
“reduce self-esteem and expectations. Dealing with
negative expectations may also create stress and..”
“drain cognitive resources in some contexts —
leading to the lowered performance associated with”
“Stereotype threat.”
X The most common “role models” depicted in media
(e.g., rap stars and NBA players) imply limited options. Additionally, scholars
have explored the ways in which black males can come to internalize biases and stereotypes
and then, through their words and actions, reinforce or perpetuate those
distortions
·
portrayal
of black boys and young black men in news media may well impact .... Generating
evidence about the production as well as the content of news.
“Systemic
issues shaping the experiences of black young men or boys as
Vulnerable
young people were explored,”
·
How
does contemporary representation compare to previous time ... to be a distinct
lack of representation of the older generation of black ...
·
Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American
Culture Bakari Kitwana ... battles of the older generation (like the battle
waged over the portrayal of Black men ...
·
The merchants, the older generation, spoke
negatively about the youth in the ... and thus e√ectively destroyed an
idealistic representation of black leadership.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Yiv3s52eXpUC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq=representation+of+black+OLDER+generation&source=bl&ots=cT9hcpGhey&sig=PdHAlB3FHYHr3QqmKEETMP_8AB4&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=representation%20of%20black%20OLDER%20generation&f=false
- "the butler" + representation
- "straight outta compton" + representation
- "straight outta compton" + sterotypes
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