Representation of Class and Status

Definitions:

Class and Status: A status hierarchy in which individuals and groups are classified on the basis of esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and accumulation of wealth. Social class may also refer to any particular level in such a hierarchy.

Upper Class: The social group that has the highest status in society, especially the aristocracy.

Middle Class: The social group between the upper and working classes, including professional and business people and their families.

Working Class: The social group consisting of people who are employed for wages, especially in manual or industrial work. 

Stereotypes of the Class System:

Upper Class:

• Well dressed - Suits, Waist coats. - Appearance.
• Own businesses and live off of the investments. (Family run) - Lifestyle
• Boarding schools and expensive university for their children.- Lifestyle.
• Wealthy. - Possession 
• Own horses and a lot of dogs. - Possession
• Have expensive cars e.g. 4x4's. - Possession
• Well mannered. - Behavior.
• Hunt and shoot. - Lifestyle.
• Mostly go out on vacations. - Lifestyle
• Own Mansions in the countryside. - Living arrangements 
• Have their own clubs. (Closed society) - Lifestyle.
• Have their own flats and houses in the cities or abroad. - Living arrangements.
• Live with parents usually. - Living arrangements
• Snobby. - Attitude
• Quite arrogant. - Attitude.
• Good temperament. - Behavior.
• Well Heeled. - Behavior.

Middle Class:

• Financially stable family. - Lifestyle
• Able to go on vacation once a year. - Lifestyle
• Usually have some extra money on the side. - Lifestyle
• Works white collar jobs e.g. Doctors or Office workers. - Lifestyle
• Nuclear family. - Living arrangements
• Family car. - Possession
• Medium sized homes. - Living arrangements. 
• Church goers. - Lifestyle
• Successful small business e.g. Corner shops. - Lifestyle
• Chooses work that requires a degree. - Lifestyle
• Children may go private schools, more likely to go public schools. -Lifestyle
• Have been taught with one skill or more. - Lifestyle

Working Class:

• Selfish. - Attitude
• Women are physically out of control - fat, loud, overly sexual and dressed in a 'loud' and inappropriate clothing. - Appearance.
• Racist. - Behavior
• Complete physical and unpleasant jobs. - Lifestyle 
• Alcoholics. - Lifestyle
• Extreme fans of football. - Lifestyle
• Violent e.g. Fighting. - Behavior
• Abusive. - Attitude
• Live in high - crime areas. - Living Arrangements 
• Dependent on government's money. - Lifestyle
• School dropouts. - Lifestyle
• Females are usually in out-of-wedlock pregnancy or underage pregnancy - Lifestyle.
• Commit domestic violence - Behavior.
• Violent dogs - Possession

Information taken from:

https://prezi.com/gyiynxd9hmph/class-stereotypes/

Examples from UK and US TV Dramas:

Upper Class:

Mad Men

This programme would be considered upper class because the characters present are very well off in high earning jobs (performing in a successful advertising agencies), and dress to fit the part as well (the men always in suits and the women in elegant dresses).

Downton Abbey

 

This programme would be considered upper class, as the characters within the show are very distant from the working class, showing a large divide between the system, and are very well off within their possessions and lifestyles, for example: they play croquet and ride horses regularly.

Middle Class:

Waterloo Road

This programme would be considered middle class, as the characters (who in this case are teachers) are all shown working hard to earn their money, and have average stereotypical 'normal' TV lives. 

Scott and Bailey

This programme would be considered middle class, as the characters are all shown working hard to earn their money (working as police constables/women detectives), and live what we as an audience would consider the 'norm' of a stereotypical police life. Whilst they dress smartly and sensible for their jobs, they aren't as elegantly dressed as stereotypical upper class constables would be.  

Working Class:

Misfits

This programme would be considered working class, as the characters reflect typical teenage girls and boys who are entering the beginning of adulthood, projecting the common stereotype of teens getting up to no good and ending up in prison. The characters' appearances and actions come across 'common', linking them to the audience

The Mill

This programme would be considered working class, as the characters battle a continuous struggle with themselves and society to try and earn some money in order to survive, relying strongly on their family members. Their outfits are very dull and ragid, almost mimicking/reflecting their lifestyle.

Representation of Ethnicity - Exam Question

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following:

• Editing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00vd137 (Extract)

Editing is shown widely across the extract. The first example of editing in the interior office scene is the reaction shot, used when the protagonist discovers his mistress has committed a crime. This countertype challenges the stereotype of black people being 'cold hearted' within tv drama, and shows his emotional side towards the situation. This makes the audience feel pity for the protagonist due to his unsettling situation, and supports the overall stereotype of ethnicity being pitiable.

An extended cut is also used in this section of the clip as the camera pauses on DCI gates’ face; this is used to further highlight his emotion towards the situation for his realization. The slowing in pace emphasizes the aggression he feels and allows the audiences to predicate that he will later release his aggression on the woman. This foreshadowing is commonly used in TV Drama and also supports the stereotype of black people being dangerous. This danger is supported later on in another interior scene where the protagonist confronts the mistress and arrests her. Fast pace editing is used in this scene to intensify the action and further support the stereotype of danger. A series of shot reverse shots are also used in this discussion to keep the up the pace and show both of the characters emotions. The female is shown to challenge the stereotype of white females being sweet and kind as she is represented as the antagonist who is committing the crime, highlighting a danger within her. 

The final scene is the interior shot of the car in which the protagonist and his mistress engage in conversation after he has arrested her. The audience see a reaction shot which is used a couple of times during this extract. The reaction shot is used to show his emotion to what she has said about his wife and children finding out about their relationship. It shows him as sad about this revelation that she will tell his wife, this is a countertype that black people aren't usually shown as having emotions and being emotionally strong so this goes against it as it shows the protagonist as being emotional at this. This also follows the stereotype that they are pitied because the audience feel for him for the fact that his mistress is going to ruin his marriage.

Representation Of Ethnicity

Within racial representation, there are four key themes. These are:

• Exotic or "Other"
• Dangerous
• Humorous
• Pitied

Examples of how the following ethnic groups are represented in TV Drama (British or American):

Black

BLACK STEREOTYPES:

• Gangster
• Fun loving
• Athletic
• Criminal
• Involved in drugs
• Hospitable (friendly)

Bonnie Bennett - The Vampire Diaries

Bonnie Bennett would be seen as representing the stereotypical black character within the TV Drama "The Vampire Diaries", as she is seen as a very 'fun loving' character who is constantly around her friends enjoying her time as another teenage girl at high school. She is also very 'athletic' as she is a part of the cheerleading squad for her school. However, one way that she would be seen representing the atypical character, is the fact that she is one of the 'protagonists' within the show, proving that she isn't seen as a 'criminal'.

John Luther - Luther

Luther is represented atypically, rather than stereotypically, as he is represented through his TV Drama "Luther" as a very 'helpful' character. He is also seen as the main 'protagonist' of the show, rather than the stereotypical 'dangerous' black character, showing that he isn't considered a 'criminal' at all. 

Curtis Donovan - Misfits

Curtis Donovan would be seen as representing a stereotypical black character within his TV Drama "Misfits", as he is a character that is 'involved with drugs', who is arrested for being caught possessing cocaine. He was also a very 'athletic' character before being arrested with the drugs. 

White

WHITE STEREOTYPES:

• Educated
• Affluent
• Socially awkward
• Rational
• Arrogant

Clara Oswald - Doctor Who

Clara Oswald is seen to be represented as a very stereotypical white character within the TV Drama "Doctor Who". She is very well 'educated', as she assists the doctor on all of his missions, and has the privileged occupation of being a teacher. She is also seen as a very 'rational' character, as she comes across as a natural leader and likes to be in control. However, one way that she would be seen representing an atypical white character is the fact that she comes across as being the complete opposite to being a 'socially awkward' character, as she captures the minds and hearts of anyone who will allow her to do so. Also, based on audience interpretation, one could argue that Clara could be seen as both 'arrogant' and not 'arrogant', due to the fact that some will take her love of being control and her assuredness as an 'arrogant' trait, but some will not.

Blair Waldorf - Gossip Girl

Blair Waldorf would be seen as the stereotypical white character within her TV Drama "Gossip Girl", as she is seen as a very well 'educated' character, who is currently trying to get her way into Yale. She can also be seen as a very 'arrogant' character, as she is very self-centered and narcissistic, and because she thinks of herself in a very high manner, by always addressing people through their errors by stating that she is the one and only "Blair Waldorf". One way that she would be seen as an atypical white character however, is the idea that she is not considered to be a 'socially awkward' person, as she is seen as quite a socialite, unless she is around poorer people, then this trait could be questioned upon. 

Francis Underwood - House of Cards



Francis Underwood would be seen as representing the stereotypical white character within the TV Drama "House of Cards", as he is seen to be very well 'educated' through his occupation of being a member of the South Carolina State Senate. However, it could be argued that he is also representing the atypical white character, as he is seen as being the complete opposite of a 'socially awkward' character, as he is presented being a main 'antihero', with many 'manipulative', conniving' aspects to his personality.

East-Asian

EAST-ASIAN STEREOTYPES:

• Intelligent
• Martial arts
• Hard working
• Determined
• Love of technology
• Lacking emotion

Glenn Rhee - The Walking Dead

Glenn Rhee can be seen as a stereotypical East-Asian character within his TV Drama "The Walking Dead", as he is seen to be a character who is 'intelligent', extremely 'determined', and also very 'hard working', because he is one of the strongest characters within the entire show. One way that he could be seen as being represented atypically however, is that he is show to feel a lot of 'emotion' throughout the loss of a lot of his friends, and also his loving relationship that he maintains with his wife.

William Kim - Prison Break

William Kim is represented as the stereotypical East-Asian character, as he appears to 'lack a lot of emotion', due to the fact that he is seen as one of the 'antagonists' within the TV Drama "Prison Break". Kim is also seen to be 'intelligent' as well as a 'hard working' character, because he will do whatever he can to try and catch both Michael and Lincoln.

Nelly Yuki - Gossip Girl

Nelly Yuki is represented as a stereotypical East-Asian character within the TV Drama "Gossip Girl", as she is seen to be a very 'intelligent' character, due to the fact that she is the smartest out of everybody within her class. She's also very 'hard working' and 'determined' due to the fact that she wants to get into Yale university. Even though she is represented stereotypically in these aspects, she can also be seen to be atypical to the role of an East-Asian character in TV Drama, as she is a very 'emotional' character, which could be seen more of a teenage girl stereotype instead. 

South-Asian

SOUTH-ASIAN STEREOTYPES: 

• Glamorous
• Educated
• Very religious
• Criminal/Brutal
• Villains

Meera Malik - The Blacklist

Meera Malik is represented stereotypically through her TV Drama "The Blacklist", as she is well 'educated', due to the fact that she is one of the researches within the operations. One way that she could be represented as atypically however, is that she is a seen as a 'protagonist' within the show, proving that she isn't a 'criminal' at all. She also isn't very 'religious', and wouldn't really be considered as the stereotypical sort of 'glamorous' woman that you'd expect, as she is classed more of a tom boy, even though she is seen as a very attractive character. 

Aayan Ibrahim - Homeland

Aayan Ibrahim is represented as a stereotypical South-Asian character within his TV Drama "Homeland", as he is well 'educated' due to the fact that he is a medical student. However, one way that he could also be seen as being represented atypically, is that he isn't seen as a very 'glamorous' character, plus the fact that he tries to stay out of the spotlight through multiple occasions, showing that he isn't very 'criminal like'.

Sayid Jarrah - Lost

Sayid Jarrah is seen to be represented as a stereotypical South-Asian character within his TV Drama "Lost", as he is classed as a 'criminal type' character, due to the fact that he becomes a hit-man as the show progresses. One way that he could also be represented atypically however, is that he isn't seen as a very 'glamorous' character, because he's stranded on a desert island with the rest of the characters, and despite committing some criminal acts whilst he's there, he also shows a lot of love to another character: Nadia.

Representation of Disability: Stereotypes and Examples

As a sinister or evil: Jaws - James Bond



Non-Sexual: Artie Abrams - Glee



Laughable: Suzanne Warren AKA "Crazy Eyes" - Orange Is The New Black



Being unable to participate in daily life: Rae - My Mad Fat Diary

Stereotypes of Disability

The stereotypes:

In his 1991 study, Paul Hunt found that there are 10 stereotypes of disabled people, used in the media:

1. The disabled person as pitiable or pathetic
2. An object of curiosity or violence
3. Sinister or evil
4. The super cripple
5. As atmosphere
6. Laughable
7. His/her own worst enemy
8. As a burden
9. As Non-sexual
10. Being unable to participate in daily life