Social Class Representations
- Created by: phoebe.gregory
- Created on: 10-04-18 16:13
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- Representations of Social Class
- Neo Marxist perpective
- argue mass media representations of social class rarely focus on social tensions or class conflict
- function of the media is to ensure cultural hegemony of the dominant capitalist class
- Nairn
- mass media rarely criticise the monarchy
- since WW1 they have reinvented themselves as the 'royal family'
- like soap operas, media views royal events as national events important for the whole country
- celebrate the monarchy and forgive their misdeeds
- since WW1 they have reinvented themselves as the 'royal family'
- mass media rarely criticise the monarchy
- little attention is drawn to inequalities in wealth or the overrepresentation of ex public school pupils in power
- upper classes are presented in a rosy and idolised way
- Altman
- proportion of news pages focusing on celebrities and entertainment had doubled from 1980-003
- national affairs coverage had dropped by 10% over the same period
- proportion of news pages focusing on celebrities and entertainment had doubled from 1980-003
- Newman
- tabloids focus on lavish lifestyles of the wealthy
- argue mass media representations of social class rarely focus on social tensions or class conflict
- Marxists
- Cohen and Young
- British culture is a monetary culture categorised by a 'chaos or reward'
- top businessmen rewarded for failure, celebs rewarded for their 'talent' - not necessarily hard work
- British culture is a monetary culture categorised by a 'chaos or reward'
- Cohen and Young
- Postmodernists
- we are obsessed you wealth NOT class
- class is therefore no longer significant to contemporary society
- we are obsessed you wealth NOT class
- Pluralists
- argue representations of the wealthy are justifiable for 3 reasons...
- UK is meritocratic and we should celebrate success
- such stories may motivate others to work harder (boost the economy)
- focus on finance further reflects the importance of these sectors to out economy
- argue representations of the wealthy are justifiable for 3 reasons...
- Representations of the middle classes
- mc interests are often overrepresented - role models for good behaviour
- substantial % of newspapers are targeted at a mc audience and their interests
- daily mail assume the mc are worried about the decline of moral standards
- present values as opposed to factors such as immigrants? benefits claimants
- most media officials are mc - those who's expert opinions are sought are also mc
- Representations of the working classes
- often presented as a problem e.g. the miners strike
- representations tend to focus in the criminal/deviant acts that the WC may commit
- e.g. blue collar crime, benefits fraud, rather than an everyday example of WC experience
- representations tend to focus in the criminal/deviant acts that the WC may commit
- Newman
- few TV shows on WC lives in recent years
- Pluralists might argue that other representations may be more sympathetic -
- TV soaps resent issues in a sensitive and supportive way
- Curran and Seaton
- Newspapers targeted at WC audiences assume they arrant interested in politics or other serious matters
- only focus on celeb gossip and lifestyles
- marxists see this as an attempt to distract the WC from the inequalities of capitalism
- only focus on celeb gossip and lifestyles
- Newspapers targeted at WC audiences assume they arrant interested in politics or other serious matters
- often presented as a problem e.g. the miners strike
- 'CHAVS'
- owen jones
- the media use this term to demonise the working class
- Schildrick and MacDonald
- media use this to imply poverty is the fault of the poor
- Webster
- promoted as sucm, eroding public sympathy
- owen jones
- Neo Marxist perpective
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