This document discusses the representation of ethnicity in television dramas. It notes that ethnicity is often portrayed through stereotypes, such as associating black people with crime or white people as greedy. However, the document analyzes a clip from the TV show Skins where a Muslim father accepts his son's gay friend without judgment, challenging the stereotype of Muslim communities opposing homosexuality. This subverts expectations by not depicting the typical stereotypical views that may be associated with Muslims.
2. ETHNICITY
- the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common
national or cultural tradition.
- Unity is often an element of the representation of ethnicity, this hits
a stereotype of ethnicity, that of close families and tight communities.
- Usually in TV dramas ethnicity is represented as very stereotypical.
For example; black people are thought to be linked to crime, living in
slums and less intelligent. White people are related to; dumb blondes,
materialistic and greedy.
Tessa Perkins said that all stereotypes have abit of truth about them
which makes them plausible, for example she said that most
terrorists are Muslim but not all Muslims are terrorists.
Groups of people that are stereotyped:
Black people
White people
Asian people
Polish people
Travellers/Gypsies
3. SKINS
The clip in skins that I have chosen involves a Muslim father, having
to accept that his son is friends with Maxxie, who is gay.
It is typical for people in the Muslim community to be against
homosexuality, therefore in this clip it is expected that the family
would not take well to the news of his sons choice of friendship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zda8Mt0Gls
I think that within this clip the Muslim stereotype. This is because
Anwars dad accepts Maxxie without any concern. Although he does
not understand gay people, he accepts Maxxie as a person without
judging him. This clip shows the subversive side of ethnicity as the
programme does not stage the stereotypical views of a Muslim
follower.
4. WHO ARE DOMINANT IN THIS CLIP?
Usually in the UK, where this TV drama is filmed, British people tend
to be the dominant group in society. I do not think this is the case for
this clip as the white British person is feeling apprehensive of
displaying his true self to another ethnic group due to the fear of
being rejected. This means that in this clip the white British male
(Maxxie) is part of the subordinate character group and the Muslim
family is the dominant group as they have the power in this clip.
I think hegemony is challenged in this clip regarding ethnicity as it
challenged what a Muslim person would usually think about
homosexuality.
