Attack The Block Initial Analysis

1) What representations are present?

Within Attack The Block, a variety of representations are created. The hegemonic ideology is that youth are mindless and destructive. Within the opening, this is very much reflected, with a low angled shot introducing them, al wearing the same coloured hoody, it doesn't distinguish them as individuals, creating a collective identity as all youths being the same. However this does differ, as a young, not in the gang is educated and appears to be "normal" however falls back to drugs, much like the rest of youth community on the block which would suggest the entrapment the youths face, living in "the block".
The females in the initial twenty minutes are all of a similar representation. They fear what they don't understand. This re-enforces a stereotype of females as over emotional. The women who was mugged by the gang, was initially cautious of her surroundings and when seeing the gang, suggested she had reason to fear them, which she did. This conforms to the theory that older people view youths as folk devils, and they are described as "fucking monsters". The monsters to the youths are the aliens, the monsters to society are the youths, just as the behaviour of young people within this film is seen as somewhat alien to the rest of society.
2) How are they constructed?

This constructed with low angled shots, connoting authority over the rest of the community of the block. The mise-en-scene reflects collective identity as they are not being distinguished as individuals, rather like a pack of wolves.

3) Are there any folk devils?
The folk devils, predominantly are the youths, which are seen to be the monsters or 'aliens' of their community and are juxtaposed to the rest of the block.

4) Is there any moral panic being created/perpetuated/re-inforced?

Moral panic is re-enforced with the younger youths aspiring to be like the older, more troubled youths. This sense of on-going, continuous cycle of this collective identity forming panics those within society, almost like an epidemic spreading like disease. Peoples worry is suggested through the mise-en-scene of door locks.

Moral Panics

Examining the Past - Teenage, Quadrophenia and This is England

xamining the past

The label “teenager” has been in use since WW2

Many of these are explored in Matt Wolf’s documentary “Teenage” (2014)

Teenage, set in WW2 has the voice from youth, therefore represent themselves as mis-understood. There is mention of how the war forced them to grow up. They portray youth as carefree and with no responsibility as a positive, and that the older generations as judgemental.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=39768

The representation of teenagers by adults – consistent from generation to generation over the centuries (Plato c 400BC, and other sources in the lesson 5 post)

Similarly the representations of teenagers by themselves or by sympathetic adults (“Quadrophenia” (1979), “This is England” (2006))

Media arc – Dan Gardner – author of “Risk: the science and politics of fear” (2009) – only certain representations will be made by the media depending on what fits with their existing narratives about that group / event... (Explain how his point might relate to representations of British youth)

Generation conflict has always been evident, as suggested by Dan Gardner

Media Representation of British Youth

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024486/UK-RIOTS-2011-British-youths-unpleasant-violent-world.html

This article represents Britain as a "nation in crisis" and this being down to the youth culture, predominantly London based.
The youths have been represented as a microcosm for the British society as a whole, portraying the young people of Britain to all share the same mind set of frustration and due to a lack of education use brute force to get what they want with a blatant disregard for the consequences.
British youth culture is collectively shown as anti-social, uneducated people however this is only a snippet of what has chosen to be shown within the media coverage, as Ox-Bridge graduates joined in with the riots, this proved the media coverage to be partial.
With corporate media conglomerates like BBC is funded by the Government would be unable to show alternative views and theories for why young people resorted to this level of violence. This would be unbenefital for the BBC to blame their funders for the riots.

Academic Response 

The Doctor-Writer and Daily Mail have attempted to create a hegemonic ideology for British Youth Culture. From my educated opinion, is very rich coming from someone un-cultured of the youth of Britain. I ask you, how often you have converged with young people, before you create a microcosm and a pejoration of the word 'youth' itself. I myself am sure that your empty words are not backed up with reliable statistics of Britain, perhaps a minority of London, but those young people, working hard at college, university to obtain stable careers are disregarded and their efforts are neglected.
So how are British youth meant to redeem their hegemonic representation if nobody is willing to listen? Media conglomerates rarely speak to youths, only people of a similar class, background and lifestyle to your own, with no regard to the difficulties the British youths face. If you took a moment from your hectic schedule to talk to people without grouping them together, this would be something you might realise.

What is Collective Identity?

Collective Identity is factors which associate you with a particular group of those similar to you.
e.g. sharing a similar hair colour to someone can help you to associate with them from this factor and those who have similar attributes tend to stick together.

Examples of stereotypes:
Emos: Comes from "emotional" tend to dress in black, have bright hair and piercing and to lack motivation.

Nerds: Clever individuals who like comic books, reading and normally are associated with wearing glasses and being well dressed. They like being online and have many gadgets.

Identity

Identity is constructed by peoples stereotypical views based on peoples appearance, social class and self-presentation.
Youth portrayal in the media is usually negative, as youths get the blame for things such as the London riots.

Definitions

1. Representation

   
   

   1 

   the action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented.

   "you may qualify for free legal representation"

2.

the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.

"the representation of women in newspapers"

Stereotype

1. 1.

   a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

   
   

   Ideology

   
   

   of or pertaining to or characteristic of an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation

   
   

   Hegemony

   1. leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others.