Beginning quote of essay

Possible quotes:

• 'They ain't 'bout it if they don't listen to it' - African American teenage student (female) from Andreana Clay journal.
• 'You can't listen to all that language and film without it affecting you' - Youth, popular culture and moral panics Page 150 Chapter 6
• 'The days of making powerful, thought provoking and entertaining msuic videos are now a thing of the past' - Partners in porn by Janice Spence

Quote ideas:

• Quote one of the artists from the primary text
• Quote someone of significance from the rap industry
• Short quote with an impact

Schedule for essay

The Three days for writing the essay:

• Wednesday 21st
• Thursday 22nd 
• Friday 23rd 

I am hoping to visit the BFI library before I write the essay. If this isn't possible for next week then I will have to delay the essay to the Wednesday 28th  - Friday 30th  and visit the BFI library on the 27th Tuedsay.

Critical Investigation 6

Web Research

Police shooting statistics 2016 - 'Are more black people killed by officers than other races?'

Williams, J. (2013). Police shooting statistics 2016: Are more black people killed by officers than other races? [Internet]. Janice Williams, ibtimes. http://www.ibtimes.com/police-shooting-statistics-2016-are-more-black-people-killed-officers-other-races-2421634

Specific references/quotes:

• '990 deaths in 2015'
• '258 deaths of black people in 2015'
• 494 deaths of white people in 2015
• 172 deaths of Hispanics in 2015
• 708 deaths in 2016
• 173 deaths of black people in 2016
• 325 deaths of white people in 2016
• 111 deaths of Hispanics in 2016 
• 27 deaths described as other in 2016
• 72 deaths are still unknown in 2016
• 679 deaths were of males in 2016

In 2015, 990 people who were killed by police officers. The Washington Post reported 258 of them as black. So far in 2016, there have been 708 documented deaths in police shootings with there only being 173 African American victims. These statistics are shocking to for any person to consume because this should surely make America wonder whether allowing police to have possession of guns is ideal for the public's safety. If we consider the number of black people specifically having lost their lives in 2015 in relation with the number of deaths, which is far lower then half of the deaths. Also, the number of deaths of black people as opposed to white people is surprisingly lower with there being 325 deaths of white people against 173 black people. This statistic could possibly challenge the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign because it shows black people aren't the only people suffering at the hands of the people in authority. Therefore it could explain why some white folks, particularly in America, are against the campaign. Despite this, we shouldn't forget that white people make up the majority of the population in America so would be more likely to have more deaths by police.

Digital media has allowed audiences to see real footage of police brutality which is a major reason why people are beginning to fight for their rights. In 2016 we have seen a number of shocking events where police have victimised black people by using excessive force to detain control them. Therefore, people have joined together as a unit to form the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign. On this website it has a post on Twitter from National News which has pictures from the video recording of a number of police officers detaining one black male (citizen journalism).

MM38 - page 5 'There's A Riot Going On'

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0i5diL3vrEiSGxRNHIyZmM4Ums

The article discusses the issues faced with young people in society and how they are being influenced by the content they see through the media. It brings up the killing of a black man, Mark Duggan, at the hands of police officers who had beat the teenager on the streets of Tottenham. Riots had then been erupted at that point across areas of the capital and other places of England's major cities.

• Also, it was interesting how the rioters were described in articles with them being referred to as 'young people', 'feral youth', 'hoodies' 'yobs'. 
• 'This was reinforced by the selection of images and perhaps especially by the iconic image of one black, hooded young man which appeared on at least five front pages following the first day of the disturbances.'
• 'Issue of "race riots" was ignored or disavowed in much of the mainstream coverage as if it were somehow awkward to discuss'

YouTube - Kodak Black (before they were famous)

McCrudden, M. (2016). Kodak Black: Before they were famous. [Internet]. Michael McCrudden, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jyP3eu_FmA

• 'Began rapping at 12 and 14'
• 'Group up in the project where other Haitians were living'
• 'Inspired/Role model was a rapper who glorified the use of drugs, alcohol and objectifying women'
• 'He was rapping for drug dealers in their "trap house" and was influenced by what he witnessed in there'
• 'His name came from the drug dealers calling him "lil black"'
• 'His mother wasn't making enough money so he decided to become a drug dealer'
• 'His father had left the two'
• 'At the age of 15 he was sent to juvenile three times'
• 'At 16 he committed a crime that was punishable by a life sentence'
• 'Dolla and Dealz entertainment got good lawyers to reduce his sentence in prison'

Youtbe - Rich the Kid (before they were famous)

McCrudden, M. (2016). Rich the Kid: Before they were famous. [Internet]. Michael McCrudden, YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x9MN4BGvQI

• 'Net worth estimated at $1 million'
• 'Prison for weapons and drugs'
• 'Brought up in the slums of New York and projects Atlanta'
• 'Haitian'
• 'Influenced by other hip hop artists'
• 'Struggled in early life - school and family'
• 'Played basketball, tried for rapping at 16'
• 'Grandma kicked out of his house' - traditional black values have been changed

YouTube - DJ Akademiks (Kodak Black gets banned from South Carolina and put on House Arrest)

Akademiks, DJ. (2016). Kodak Black gets banned from South Carolina and put on House Arrest. [Internet]. DJ Akademiks, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSVb6VmvDQ

• 'Kodak Black has been banned from South Carolina until his conviction is gone' 
• 'Accused of raping woman, but this has been a constant occurrence against black males'
• Links to wider context as we have heard of black people being falsely accused of rape and of recent it has been rappers 

The social significance of Rap and hip hop culture - 'Keep in mind when brothas start flexing the verbal skillz, it always what's going on politically, socially and economically'

Blanchard, B. (2016). The social significance of rap and hip hop culture: Keep in mind when brothas start flexing the verbal skillz, it always what's going on politically, socially and economically. [Internet]. Becky Blanchard, web.stanford.edu. https://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/socialsignificance.htm&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjg2P3r5u_QAhUnK8AKHVnQDfUQFggUMAA&sig2=WTbyU3wAp1k3jvhEwL0KFw&usg=AFQjCNGe4X30nUE_ngvMYLPvM6uqMMQHiw

• 'It seems that an increasing number of public figures have attempted to capitalise upon remaining cultural biases and fear of African American uprising to vilify rap music as the causative agent in a recent string of incidents of youth violence'
• 'Discussion about direct correlation between media messages and actual acts of violence distracts us from getting at the real causes of mediated violence...'
• '...The discussion distracts us from the real causes of crime: things like child abuse, poverty, parental neglect in care and time spent with their child'

Justin Timberlake 'uses black culture', says hip hop star Vic Mensa.

Guardian Music (2016). Justin Timberlake 'uses black culture', says hip hop star Vic Mensa. [Internet]. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/jul/01/justin-timberlake-uses-black-culture-says-hip-hop-star-vic-mensa

• 'We're not feeling him being down when it's beneficial to him and turning a blind eye when it could be dangerous'
• 'This invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil, black gold'
• 'Ghettoising and demanding our creations then stealing them; gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit'

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/21/asap-rocky-views-black-lives-matter-bill-cosby

'The Ballot or The Bullet' by Malcolm X.

• 'I'm speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don't aee any American dream; I see an American nightmare'

Introduction

Introduction

How does hip hop represent black people, with specific reference to the track 'Plug' by Rich the Kid?

This should clearly introduce your primary text, the media issue or debate you are addressing and what angle your essay will use to approach the question. It needs to engage the reader, pose some questions and give a clear indication of what direction the essay will take. The word count will vary but you want to aim for around 200-250 words.

Hip Hop’s popularity over the years has significantly been booming with a variety of audiences being incentivised to be a part of it. It is and has always been heavily affiliated with black culture which is why it’s important to identify how the genre represents the ethnic group and how/whether the media has decided to capitalise off of this confusion by attempting to demonise them. An artist like Rich the Kid has been on the rise in the American sub-genre of hip hop ‘trap’ which audiences would argue contains similar conventions of the main genre and this is where the representation of black people is constructed. When considering the track he produced called ‘Plug’ with two other artists (Playboi Carti and Kodak Black) we can see a negative portrayal of black people with the way they behave, their appearance and the lyrics used in the song. Perhaps an audience who has been influenced by large multinational news institutions (with hegemonic views) would perceive black people as ‘criminals’ through mediated news reports they consume of the ethnic minority which could potentially reinforce their views and ideologies of the ethnic group. Or maybe it’s the subject of the matter self-representing themselves through these types of songs which would make the news institutes exaggerations seem realistic. This could be the reason why some audiences (white folks especially) don’t take black people’s cries seriously when they are protesting something political like the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign.

Notes:

“They ain’t ‘bout it if they don’t listen to it”. These are the words of a female African American teenager who, some may argue, has no guidance in life. This is one of many responses Andreana Clay received in an observation she executed with black teenagers in an after school program called Brain Power in America. A music track like ‘Plug’ by Rich the Kid is the reason black people (especially young people) are influenced and encouraged to commit crimes. In the song, the artists show off their wealth and success through living the life of criminality. Now it is responses and behaviours like the one of the teenager displayed by black people because of hip hop that emit negative vibes towards middle and upper class folks especially white people. They aren’t able to establish the struggles black people have gone through or are going through as experiencing something first hand is completely different to reading/watching it. This is why some white people disagree with the ‘Black Lives Matter Campaign’ as they believe black people are disobedient; exaggerate these stories and that ‘All Live Matter’. Black people have turned towards hip hop to amplify their voice so society can hear their cries and struggles. But the genre has developed an image of racism and discrimination so people find it difficult to take the genre serious. 

·         Semiotics – non-verbal codes, denotation/connotation

·         Generic conventions – iconography, style, setting, narrative, characters, themes

·         Documentary elements – observational documentary, actuality

·         Mediation – constructed, mis-representation

·         Liberal values – progressive values, anti-racism, multi-culturalism

·         Patriarchy – system of society which men hold power

·         Matriarchy – system of society which women hold power

·         Narrative elements, sequences – strands, multi stranded narrative

·         American dream – cultural myth based on the belief that the USA is a land of promise and opportunity where anyone who works hard can achieve all the good things in life (love, esteem, wealth)

·         American nightmare – Malcolm X used this term to express the inequalities particularly with race and opportunity experienced by black people

·         Audience theory – hypodermic needle model, cultivation theory, effects theory, reception theory, two step flow model and uses and gratification

·         Cultivation theory – examines the long term effects of television, the longer people send ‘living’ in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality

·         Barthes and Roland – action codes and enigma codes

·         Binary opposition – Levis strauss, narratives are structured around oppositional elements in human culture

·         Blaxploitation film – films of the 60s and 70s had black actors featured in principal roles usually with whites

·         Bootleg – illegal copies of CD or film

·         Bricolage – French term for the random assembly by culture groups of various cultural signifiers to form new and often unintended meanings (skinheads with shaved heads)

·         Copy-cat crimes – crimes committed by individuals who appear to have imitated crimes either reported in the media or fictional crimes represented in film or television programs

·         Cultural competence – describes the advantage given to middle class children in the education system as a result of their parental and cultural background

·         Cultural imperialism – the dominance of Western, particularly US, cultural values and ideology across the world

·         Demonisation – media portrays groups of people as evil and makes them a focus of moral panic

BFI library notes and quotes

Books

Youth, popular culture and moral panics - John Springhall 

'Prime Minister John Major told the Conservative Central Council on 1993 that those who made and distributed films and videos should "think whether a relentless diet of violence won't have a serious effect on the young". He was responding to the abduction and murder a week before in Merseyside of two year old James Bulger.'  Page 1 introduction.

'Did "Penny Dreadfuls" by glamourising criminals, make crime attractive to youthful audiences? Miss Martineau's thesis, shared by many in authority, that cheap fiction for working class juveniles encouraged and even instigated delinquency'. Page 71 and 72 Chapter 3

"No one has the right to be upset at a brutal sex crime or a sadistic attack on a child or mindless thuggery on a pensioner if he is not prepared to drive sadistic videos out of our high streets", cried David Mellor, Minister of state of the Home Office (debate in November 1983). Page 148 Chapter 6

'You can't listen to all that language and film without it affecting you' Page 150 Chapter 6

'...his rise and fall says much about the millions of white American kids who brought his music as the black brothers he rapped about. For Shakur was one of the few gangsta-rap artists who achieved mainstream success, selling to affluent white mall youth who would never step  Page
This reference of a rapper who has passed away is Tupac an iconic African American. He gained a wide audience even influencing and connecting with different ethnic groups. This would have certainly impacted the dominant ideologies in society as their logic was/is 'if you listen to rap music, you can be influenced'. This can then be applied to white teenagers who were beginning to introduce themselves into the hip hop industry/culture.

'Can Hip Hop make Jesus Cool?' - Article. 38-39 pages. 2004.

'Hip Hop clearly shows that disguising rap music as gospel music is not a positive career move.' Page 38.

'Celebrity endorsement is not to be underestimated, especially when it comes to hip hop as any pop scarlet or multi national co operations seeking to make themselves or product cool would argue'. Page 39.

'There is no better way of marketing something to youth than to link it with hip hop culture' Page 39.

Article

Focus on hip hop

'In "50" 50 cent talks about his life on the streets before he got involved in the hip hop industry'. Page 40

'His story takes us through the struggle to get signed and a few weeks before his big break into the industry lucky to survive to tell the tale'.

Partners in porn - Janice Spence

'The days of making powerful, thought provoking and entertaining music videos are now a thing of the past'

'I can still remember my sense of pride when I first watched the premiere of Public Enemy's promo, for their classic single "Fight the Power" directed by Spike Lee. The powerful images of an intense but excited African American inner city neighbourhood, shouting the words "fight the power" at the request of flamboyant group member Flavor Flav, demonstrated unity and empowerment within a community and Public Enemy were the orchestrators'.

'Those videos didn't need to depend on the now obligatory scantily clad females that dominate recent crop of rap promos currently being rotated on numerous music channels'.

'Public Enemy and their peers from the golden era of hip hop, simply held the viewers' attention with a strong, demanding visual presence'. 

Useful resources:
http://www.slideshare.net/MissOzzy/theory-theorists (Theories)

http://mediamacguffin12.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/12a-representation-theories.html

Film Review - Gone Too Far

Review

'Gone too far' is a British comedy that first made its way onto screens in 2013 and has been labelled as a 'fish out of water'. It was produced by Bola Agbaje who is an African British citizen who grew up in Peckham which is where the film was set. Some would argue that this is the ideal of way portraying values and representations just like we witnessed in the debate. The film has a 5.5 rating on IMDB which is decent and reasonable seen as this was Bola's first film production which would have a low budget we would assume. The narrative is of a young British male of African origin having to deal with living with his older brother whom has got a visa and is moving from Nigeria to the UK. Instantly, any audience would assume that the older brother (Iku) would look different from your typical mid twenties person which he did and both of the boys were being bullied about this. This perfectly demonstrates identity in the film because when people witness something odd or different from the rest of society (mainstream) they look down upon it. This is the reason why Iku's younger brother, yemi, tried to avoid him throughout the film. Bola Agbaje has said that the purpose of producing this film and writing the narrative the way it was written was because black representation needed to be portrayed from a realistic perspective and because she wanted to show a similar lifestyle to the one she had through the character Yemi.

This house believes that films featuring ethnic minorities should only be produced by those who have the ethnic identity being represented

In the BFI cinema we were asked whether we were for or against the statement. At first I thought this was a straightforward answer but as I was fully understanding what had been said we had to give our answer so I had to proceed with the original decision to choose 'against'. I chose this at first because in today's society we are taught not to judge or be discriminative and allow people to be who they want to be. So when considering film industry, film makers should be allowed to produce a film based on anyone they like. My minute of thinking was basic compared to the debaters as I wasn't able to further my conclusion with reasons like 'there aren't enough ethnic minority film makers in the industry'.  This was a point risen from the side 'against' who believes audiences wouldn't be attracted to watching a film produced by an unknown producer compared to a Hollywood Blockbuster producer. So revenues for film could plummet if this were to occur which is a risk banks wouldn't be willing to take as they would be the ones investing in these films. The side 'against' gave some really strong points which made me believe that realistically it would difficult for film producers of an ethnic minority with minimal experience will be able to produce films. The side 'for' made me realise that a person producing a film about something that is close to them is ideal as they have the experience of a particular situation. If we consider Bola Agbaje, producer of 'Gone Too Far, she made the film in relation with her upbringing. This allowed her to implement the obvious stereotypes of African people and British culture like most people in the UK could. However, its the experience of actually living the life with an African parent that will allow a film producer to make a film emitting realistic representations of African families. So this could be different from a white film producer asking African people in Britain about their upbringing and trying to condense into a film because they may view the responses in an alternative way. Therefore, producing the film with representations that inaccurate or false which would not be good for people's views and values of the ethnic minority as audiences are suggested to be gullible believing everything the media feeds them (effect theory, hypodermic needle model). This is the reason why I changed my decision from siding with 'against' to 'for'. As I believe a more accurate representation would be made of ethnic minorities when the film producer is of the same background compared to someone who tires to understand the group of people.

Essay Plan

Essay Plan

Introduction (100 – 150 words)

·         Quote used to introduce the topic: ‘16 year old African American female “they ain’t ‘bout it if they don’t listen to it”’. (Possibly need to a more significant quote – statement)

·         This will introduce the topic and the media text ‘how does hip hop represent black people, with specific reference to the track ‘Plug’ by Rich the Kid?’

·         Background story of the song

·         Background story of the artists

·         The self-representation this ethnic group has portrayed using generic conventions and the issues this leads to (moral panics)

Section 1: this will be used to analyse the primary text (400-500 words)

·         Mini intro to the section with key information about the primary text like institution

·         Generic conventions of hip hop music videos and the correlation with the primary text

·         Using migrain to identity the key conventions – language and forms

·         Self-representation these rappers have constructed of themselves and the similarities with other rappers of this generation

·         The issues these self-representations have had on society in general – reinforce ideologies

Quotes:

1. ·         Keepin’ it real journal by Andreana Clay: ‘Exactly how hip hop culture maps out these real and imagined relations between people and the tools used to bring people together is an important question to explore in the discussion of black youth identity, cultural capital and hip hop culture’
2. ·         Keepin’ it real journal by Andreana Clay: ‘There also was constant pressure to perform: to have the right clothes, listen to the right music and speak the right language – all of which were based on hip hop’
3. ·         Can Hip Hop make Jesus cool? Article Luan Goldie: ‘There is no better way of marketing something to youth than to link it with hip hop’

·          Other quotes 

      Keepin' it real journal by Andreana Clay: 'Hip Hop music exploded onto the music scene in the late 70's which marked a time when both the black middle and working classes had been moving out of poor, segregated black communities for two decades. As blacks moved out of the inner city, drugs such as heroin and crack moved in'

      

      Keepin it real journal Andreana Clay: 'Rap music's evolution in cities such New York spoke to black and Latino youth who were being channelled into vocationally trained and subsequently obsolete jobs, giving them both hope and recognition by telling their stories'

      

      DJ Akademiks YouTube video of rap artists ASAP Rocky: 'We need to stop black on black crime before we consider the black lives matter campaign'

  

      Hip Hop honey or video ho journal  Dionne P: 'Among males aged 12-18 the rates of sexual activity and sexuality transmitted diseases are highest among African American, followed by Latinos and Euro-Americans'.

   

   The global hip hop Diaspora journal Carol M: 'hip hop culture influences styles of behaviour and dress: from sagging pants to oversized tees, hip hop style is important business venture for not only the recording industry but also clothing fashion accessories and beauty industries worldwide. For example, the fashion of droopy oversized pants, baseball caps and Nike sneakers are leading style for teenage boys in the United States Tokyo. 

• 
  
• 
  

Theories:

·         Uses and Gratification

·         Two step flow model

·         Hypodermic needle model

·         Representation theory

Key words (all link wider context):

·         American dream vs American nightmare – inequality (Malcolm X) amongst race and the opportunity for black people. These terms act as binary oppositions

·         Documentary elements – rappers use hip hop to tell their story

·         Liberal values – how will people’s ideologies of black people be subverted with these hip hop videos?

·         Binary oppositions

·         Cultural competence – the education system could be the reason behind why ethnic minorities  

Wider context:

·         Black Lives Matter

·         Education system – discrimination (Cultural competence)

Section 2: historical text (350 – 400 words)

·         Background of historical text (Mobb Deep)

·         Hip Hop in the 90s in contrast with hip hop of this generation

·         Compare key conventions

·         Representations are similar – depending on the perspective an audience views this. Hip Hop audiences would argue that hip hop has slightly changed with artists becoming  less masculine but middle class white and some black people would counter argue that and say rappers are still criminals and menaces to society

·         Documentary elements – artists of the past were telling stories about their upbringing with better English that most audiences would be able to understand. But rap now in the UK and US has changed where mainly hip hop audiences (dominant reader) whom understand the slang would have the ability to make sense of the lyrics

Quotes:

1. ·         Youth, Popular culture and Moral panics book by John Springhall: ‘Prime Minister John Major told the Conservative Central Council on 1993 that those who made and distributed films and videos should “think whether a relentless diet of violence won’t have serious effect on the young”. He was responding to the abduction and murder a week before in Mereyside of two year old James Bulger’.  Copy Cat crimes.
2. ·         Youth, Popular culture and Moral panics books by John Springhall: ‘You can’t listen to all that language and film without it affecting you’

• The global hip hop Diaspora journal Carol M: 'In addition to serving as a form of entertainment, some musicians used hip hop to channel the anger of young people in the South Bronx away from gang fighting'.
• The Guardian reporting on female rappers in Mexico: 'We are using rap to fight for equality' 
• How poetry feeds on urban life

Theories:

·         Laura Mulvey  - Male Gaze. Rappers in past were either focused on gangster lifestyle of women. So male audiences would be forced to view these women in an objectified way. Rosalind Gill female gaze can be applied to rappers now as they can view some of them for their pleasure.

·         Tesa Perkins – stereotypes of black people being reinforced from 90’s up to now

Section 3: issues/debates (relative to black representations and wider context; 500–400 words)

·         Black lives matter campaign

·         Police brutality amongst black people

·         Hip Hop only reinforcing the ideologies of opinion leaders/middle and upper class people

·         Cultural imperialism leading to ethnic minority being targeted by racists

Quotes:

1. ·         Youth, Popular culture and moral panics by John Springhall: ‘Did “Penny Dreadfuls” by glamourising criminals, make crime attractive to youthful audiences? Miss Martineau’s thesis, shared by many in authority, that cheap fiction for working class juveniles encouraged and even instigated delinquency’.
2. ·         The Global hip hop Diaspora understanding the culture By Carol Motley: ‘In addition to serving as a form of entertainment, some musicians used hip hop to “channel the anger of young people in the south Bronx away from gang fighting”’.

Theories:

·         Tricia Rose – hip hop gives black female rappers a voice introducing female empowerment

·         Michael Eric Dyson – Political rap didn’t get the support that it deserved when it was prominent in the 80’s or 90’s so it reverted to the flashy, sexualised, criminal rap which we know today, as through displaying this it became more prominent and more mainstream

·         Jacques Lacan – infants see reflections in the mirror and see it as a superior reflection of themselves that they must aspire to. Seeing iconic rappers who are successful young black males may see them as a superior reflection of themselves.

·         Tesa Perkins – some of these stereotypes could be true

·         Andy Medhurst – shorthand stereotypes

Section 4: media technology and the opportunities it provides (350 – 400 words)

·         The way digital media has allowed hip hop and any music fans to publish their own work with beats or songs

·         Gives ethnic minority struggling in deprived areas  a chance

Conclusion (150 words)

·         Bring the main argument back into the conclusion, it will have my opinions of the topic question.
      Consider the wider context and how the influence of this can impact on particular representations.
      Possible quote with significance to reinforce my opinion.
      Manipulation of media content diversifying people's ideologies

d 

Key words:

·         Semiotics – non-verbal codes, denotation/connotation

·         Generic conventions – iconography, style, setting, narrative, characters, themes

·         Documentary elements – observational documentary, actuality

·         Mediation – constructed, mis-representation

·         Liberal values – progressive values, anti-racism, multi-culturalism

·         Patriarchy – system of society which men hold power

·         Matriarchy – system of society which women hold power

·         Narrative elements, sequences – strands, multi stranded narrative

·         American dream – cultural myth based on the belief that the USA is a land of promise and opportunity where anyone who works hard can achieve all the good things in life (love, esteem, wealth)

·         American nightmare – Malcolm X used this term to express the inequalities particularly with race and opportunity experienced by black people

·         Audience theory – hypodermic needle model, cultivation theory, effects theory, reception theory, two step flow model and uses and gratification

·         Cultivation theory – examines the long term effects of television, the longer people send ‘living’ in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality

·         Barthes and Roland – action codes and enigma codes

·         Binary opposition – Levis strauss, narratives are structured around oppositional elements in human culture

·         Blaxploitation film – films of the 60s and 70s had black actors featured in principal roles usually with whites

·         Bootleg – illegal copies of CD or film

·         Bricolage – French term for the random assembly by culture groups of various cultural signifiers to form new and often unintended meanings (skinheads with shaved heads)

·         Copy-cat crimes – crimes committed by individuals who appear to have imitated crimes either reported in the media or fictional crimes represented in film or television programs

·         Cultural competence – describes the advantage given to middle class children in the education system as a result of their parental and cultural background

·         Cultural imperialism – the dominance of Western, particularly US, cultural values and ideology across the world

·         Demonisation – media portrays groups of people as evil and makes them a focus of moral panic