Media products often challenge the social and cultural contexts in which they are created.

To what extent does an analysis of the close study products Ghost town and Letter to the Free support this view.

Within the media, there are multiple and various attempts to challenge social normalities and provide a message or statement to the receivers of the product. Clear examples of these efforts can be seen in the music videos for ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Letter to the Free’. Post Colonialism plays a large role in the way that these two music videos have challenged social expectations and have spoken up about issues surrounding racism in those times. 

Antonio Gramsci came up with the theory suggesting that hegemony can help us illustrate the ways in which some cultures tend to dominate over others. A good example of this in relation to ‘Letter to the Free’ can be seen in the main message aiming to be put across from both the lyrics of the song and the video, as Common pushes to stand up to the problems surrounding racial injustice that still occur to this day. For hundreds of years, people of colour have been facing systemic racism and discrimination. The treatment of black people was normalised and became an ideology and white people were given authority simply due to their skin colour. Currently in the USA, studies have shown that black people are five times more likely to be pulled over or stopped by the police without a justified cause than a white person. Another study has shown that black drivers are 20% more likely to get pulled over while driving than white people. Lyrics in Common’s ‘Letter to the Free’ reinforce Gramsci’s theory about dominance of one culture over another. The line ‘Black bodies being lost in the American dream’ has been cleverly incorporated by Common to demonstrate the injustices that black people face in America. By referring to the idea of the American dream, he is making it clear that black people are oppressed by whites and are unable to live the ‘American dream’. This idealist way of life is one created by Americans to make their country seem perfect and was derived from a patriarchal society who a large proportion of, to this day, still believe in this racially injustice dream and live by the slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’. When looking at the Close Study Product ‘Ghost Town’ Gramsci’s dominance theory is also clear. The song describes a time in Britain when cultures were divided, and whites dominated over blacks. 

‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials was released in June 1981, following the introduction of a new law called The Criminal Attempts Act. This law stated that police officers had the power to search anyone they believed may be either committing or planning any crime. Uproar was ensued and riots began following this new law as it was made clear that police officers were abusing this right, and statistics showed that black people were being stopped and searched much more than white people. The Specials were what was known as a ‘Two-Tone’ band, as some members were black and some white. The band challenged societies opinions and were expressive with their view on the political climate at the time. To link this Close Study Product to post colonialism, we can look at Jacques Lacan. Jacques Lacan came up with the theory of ‘The Other’. This theory states that when we are young, we have no concept of ourselves until we discover a mirror. When discovering our reflection, we begin to understand who we are and who we aren’t. He says that this could be a reason that we as a society are so obsessed with the media and what is going on around us, as we are determined to get a wider understanding of ourselves and to develop. In relation to ‘Ghost Town’, this theory can link as the song can be understood as a hybridisation of two genres, reggae and ska. This sort of music was new and did not conform to societies regular taste. Because people were beginning to explore music and bands, this band were prominent because of their multi-racial members. The band were influential in changing societies views on music and race in the 1980’s. Jacques Lacan’s theory of ‘The Other’ can also be made apparent in Common’s ‘Letter to the Free’, as the music video is filmed in a prison. This choice of location for the video is impactful as Common sings about ‘Sweet land of liberty, incarcerated country’. This juxtaposing lyric and setting are showing the difference between white Americans and black Americans and how as a society we are only shown the good things like liberty, when in fact thousands of black people are being incarcerated. Lacan’s theory can be seen here as Common is trying to make people understand the issues surrounding the prison system and make them see not just what they want to see but to understand and develop their knowledge to change their understanding for the better. 

W.E.B. Dubois introduced an idea of ‘The Veil’. This theory stated that whites were unable to see blacks as true Americans, and subsequently, black people saw themselves in the way that white people portrayed them. Because of this theory of the Veil, Dubois introduced the idea of Double Consciousness, which states that black people are unable to embrace their cultural heritage because they are so caught up in the American idealism. They feel a split in their identity as they attempt to be both American and African. This is particularly difficult for them as living in America, white society dominates the black. ‘Ghost Town’ can link to this theory as the song and music video were created in a time where Britain was split by a racial divide. All aspects of the song can demonstrate the message that the band were putting across of the need to put an end to the racial divide. From the fact that the band were multi-cultural, to the lyrics of the song ‘too much fighting on the dance floor’. The band wanted to demolish the ideology that blacks and whites can’t be equal. Common’s ‘Letter to the Free’ can also link to Dubois’ theory. Common makes it clear in his song that black and white aren’t treated equally, ‘They stop, search and arrest our souls’. Dubois claimed that the veil that black people experience due to the treatment from whites, can make them feel as though their souls are being taken. He says that because of this, often, black people are unable to fulfil their potential due to the way that they see themselves because of white societies portrayal of blacks. This way of seeing themselves was described as “always looking at one’s self through the eyes”, in Dubois’ book ‘The Souls of Black Folk’. Nowadays the theory of double consciousness has been developed and can now also relate to the way that women are oppressed living in largely patriarchal societies.

It is clear that music videos can definitely have the power to influence and show cultural struggles. A theorist who mentions this is Louis Althusser who came up with the theory of ISA’s (Ideological State Apparatus), which explains how structures of society are used to structure the ideological perspectives of society, which then form our own personal identity. He claims that we are all socially constructed, and he claims that that which constructs us is ‘the ruling ideology’. He states that we tend to believe we are above societal normalities and that we are not conforming. We believe we are interpellated. This idea of interpellation can however still be corresponding to the dominant ideology due to the way that society addresses you. 

In relation to the Close Study Products, Althusser’s theory can link to ideas in both Letter to the Free and Ghost Town. Both videos are aiming to influence viewers to open their eyes to the cultural struggles surrounding society (which can also link back to Gramsci’s idea of hegemony, mentioned earlier). Both music videos are trying to make people aware of the negative way in which our societies have been constructed. Although we may believe that we are above the dominant ideology and we do not consider ourselves racist, we still live in a society that has been constructed so black people are oppressed due to their race whether we are aware of it or not.

To conclude, it can be said that media products often challenge social and cultural contexts in which they are created. Producers of media use their platforms to get across messages of social injustice and the concept of post-colonialism is made very apparent in both of the Close Study Products. Societies concepts of dominance and racial injustice are challenged in both music videos and these arguments can be clearly backed up by multiple theorists who unveil the problems surrounding race and treatment of other cultures. The media can be influential as it can have an impact on the way a person sees the world that they live in and how they see themselves. We can learn from the media and aim towards a better more racially fair world.

Judith Butler describes gender as “an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts”. In other words it is something learnt through repeated performance.

How useful is this idea in understanding how gender is represented? Compare and contrast your idea in terms of both print media and music videos

Rafer in detail to you chosen music video Style models, Men’s health and Oh..

Judith Butler is an American philosopher, and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminist, queer, and literary theory. Butler questions and explores ideas of how gender is socially constructed and states that through the media and repeated traditions and actions society has created its own rules of right and wrong or stereotypes for each gender. And from the repetition of the actions it becomes the “normal”, for example the stereotyping and or social norm, of boys liking the colour blue, and girls liking the colour pink. By looking at her work we can use theorist like; Jacques Lacan, Mulvey, Althusser, and Noam Chomsky, to further explain her points. As it is clear to see she was influenced by, Lacan’s mirror theory, and Chomsky’s theory on manufacturing consent, Mulvey Male gaze, and Althusser ISA, interpellation. We can use their theories to further link our case studies of men’s health and Oh along with our three style model music videos.

Starting with one of the style models “Little Uneasy” by Fazer daze. The music video starts with an open road and then slowly pans backwards, to see a girl skating. She’s wearing shorts, a plaid shirt over an orange t-shirt, with a pair of converses. She’s skating on a longboard, and just from these first few shots we can gather that she is the protagonist, and that the people who made the music video, have a more radical view on stereotypical girl protagonists. Just by her wearing more comfortable clothes, or what could be seen as more boyish clothing. We can see that the music video is going against Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. And is using its resources to have an empowering women for their main character, to show diversity from the typical “pretty” girl lead, by her not wearing a skirt or provocative clothing which would support the male gaze theory, and can be seen in a lot of pop music videos.

Throughout the rest of the music video the girl skates along the road until the end where it pans out above her and the road, to get a wide shot view of where she was skating. commenting on here clothing again we can see that the way she’s represented can involve Lacan’s mirror theory, as from the more radical choice of clothing can give the audience a deeper connection to the protagonist and make them feel represented in the media in a positive lighting for how they choose to dress, and can give them a sense of identity and representation to feel more include in society.

Following Lacan’s theory we can see the negative connections when we relate it to “Men’s health” and their 2017 edition for the months of January and February. As in this chosen magazine the representation is more stereotypical, of how men “should” look. and with this, as Lacan describes it: “give a loss of identity to an individual”. From the way men are represented to be muscular, when realistically it can be quite unattainable for the average man to get to that level of fitness. And more often than not photos for magazines are altered to what we all see as better or more acceptable by society’s standards. so i would classify that as negative representation, as it isn’t representing the average man in a positive lighting but highlighting the one percent of men who are more muscular. So creating more of a loss of identity, for the majority of the audience. With an unattainable goal of how they should look instead of positive representation, showing what most men actually look like.

This also ties in with Noam Chomsky’s work, of manufacturing consent as from the mass evidence, of men’s magazines showing strong men on their covers. It can manipulate the audience to change their thinking, about how they “should” look, and what they “should” expect men to look like. Overall, it became the stereotype for men. Another point is Louis Althusser theory of the Ideological State Apparatus. The media is the apparatus transferring their dominant ideology and forming our ideologies in the process. Furthermore, how they use the colour for the background of their front cover is an indicator of a subliminal message for their target audience. Using the colour blue as the background shows one of their connections for the target audience which is men. Which again can also be seen as something that was a factor of manufactured consent, over the decades. That became the dominant ideology that men associate with the colour blue more than other colours, because of the media. This also further proves Judith Butler’s quote on gender being constructed by repeated action, from the points that I have made with “Men’s health” magazine.

Moving on to the other style model, I’m examining “ego” by Scruffpuppie. This music video is definitely on the more radical side of ideology just from the singer’s look. It opens with the protagonist leaning out a car window with the title of the song appearing. Just from this first scene we can see that he doesn’t dress like the typical dominant ideology of what a man should dress like. The first main point that suggests a radical look on gender, is that he has bright, long pink hair. This goes against my point of boys associating with the colour blue rather than other colours like pink, which is considered a softer, and more dainty colour in comparison which subconsciously was seen as a sign of weakness, liking the colour pink as it was a sign of girliness and a lack of toughness that men that was typically asked from men. In correlation of Butler’s statement this challenges it as it is the opposite of gender normality’s and stereotypes that the media constantly represented. It’s a more radical view that goes against the repetition and it’s a showing of diversity and thinking differently on how gender can be represented.  

This sort of diversity in representation fits more with the profile of our other case study “Oh”. Oh is an independent media company owned by “Iceberg Press” it is a lifestyle and environmental movement magazine. This magazine has more radical views on the dominant ideologies of gender from the lack of men on their covers to show that women can stand strong without them and can lead. Not only do they show women on their covers they go against Mulvey’s theory on the male gaze, and represents all types of women. A clear example of this would be in their spring addition of 2019 the women on the front cover wasn’t the conventional type of pretty. With one of her key features being her eyebrows. Which in typical media products are shown as small and neat. Oh’s front cover model has bushy eyebrows which shows a radical view on female beauty. This can also tie in with Lacan’s mirror theory in a positive way by giving more women representation so they can feel valid in their looks and identity

In conclusion I think Judith Butler’s statement of gender being learnt by repetition is a true claim in parts of the media. I think her statement was commenting on the negative sides of tradition, conforming people’s identity. But with new media products, and generations we are slowly showing more positive acts of representation, by filtering these more radical views, and representation of diversity throughout the media, to become the dominant ideology.