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.