Ben Hicks Youth Essay

Youth Essay

Theorists:

Stanley Hall – 1904

Osgerby – 1998

Medhurst  - 1998

Hebdige – 1988

Cohen – 1972

Gauntlet – 2002

Hall -  “ Adolescence is inherently a time of storm & stress when all young people go through some degree of emotional and behavioural upheaval, before establishing a more stable equilibrium at adulthood." Hall also argued that:

1. The common mood of teenagers is a state of depression.

2. Criminal activity increases between the ages of 12 & 24.

3. Young people are extreme and need excitement; “Youth must have excitement and if this is not at hand in the form of moral intellectual enthusiasms it is more prone to be sought in; sex, drink or drugs.”

Osgerby/Hebdige - “The portrayal of youth is not entirely pessimistic,” he argues that “Mixed metaphors” appear when analysing the representation of youth. He claims; “Dual stereotyping of youth,” creates these mixed metaphors that Dick Hebdige (1988) termed; “Youth as fun,” and “Youth as trouble maker.”

Cohen – “The media creates an idea of youth as a folk devil which fuels the negative representation of youth but also creates and attractive tribe for disaffected youth to join.”

Introduction:

·                                                           

1950’s

·      Word ‘teenager’ created

1960’s

·      MOD’s

·      Hippies

·      Rockers

1970’s

·      Disco

·      Punks

·      Hippies

1980’s

·      Skinhead

·      Raver

Contemporary Media

Over the past 100 years, the media have portrayed the youth in various different ways.

Firstly, it has been argued through the media that there is a sense of panic throughout different types of youth in which the media have exaggerating typical points to ultimately portray the youth negatively.

I will be discussing these issues further by looking through the history of youth starting from the heroic representations of young men and how representations and stereotypes have changed further up the years.   
I will also be discussing these issues with the supports of theorists Stanley Hall (1904), Bill Osgerby (1998) and Cohen (1972). 

The War Years

The British media during the ‘war years’ gave positive representations towards young men to boost the moral to other young men looking to enlist. Quotes from newspapers such as the Sunday Pictorial who say, “Our men do not slacken in their efforts” and a quote from the Daily Mail who say, “British troops taking a well earned rest from a gruelling mornings training.”

These quotes I believe elaborate my point that young men during the war were given high praise which ultimately boosted the propaganda for other young men.

The quote saying “our men” instantly gives the reader the impression that these young men are reliable and that they are patriotic towards their country. They are not shown to be rebellious which is what Stanley Hall’s theory in 1904 which was known as the ‘storm and stress model.’  This however is not necessarily true. The media portrayed these young men as patriotic heroes who will lead their country to victory.          

This is again shown with a quote from the Daily Mail saying, “British troops taking a well earned rest.” The words ‘well earned rest’ gives the public the impression that these young men are working hard towards the war effort which again amplifies my point that the media are portraying them as heroes because of the ‘gruelling’ efforts they are willing to do for their country.

In both films, The Way Ahead (1944) and In Witch We Serve (1942) there are similarities between both the films and the newspaper quotes. Both show young men are hard working war heroes who are determined to lead their country to victory.

                                                                                             

The 1950’s

*The word teenager is born

Quotes:

“Flick knives, dance music and Edwardian suits.” (Daily Mirror, 1953)

“War on teddy boys – Menace in the streets of Britain’s Cities.” (Sunday Dispatch, 1955)

“Teddy Boy Razor Gang Hunt Spreading.” (Harold Hill and Advertiser, 1954)

Film: The Blue Lamp, 1950

The 1950’s were very much stereotyped for the change in behaviour of young men in comparison to the war years. In the war years they were portrayed as patriotic heroes, whereas the ‘Teddy Boys’ in the 1950’s were portrayed more rebelliously.

A quote from the Daily Mirror (1953) backs this point up in saying the ‘Teddy Boys’ had “Flick knives”. Also, a clip from the 1950 film ‘The Blue Lamp’, shows a young man shooting a police officer, again portraying there rebellious behaviour. This links to Stanley Hall’s 1904 theory the “Storm and Stress Model”.

This gives us the message that the British media presented the ‘Teddy Boys’ as rebellious criminals, which created a change in attitude towards the youth. The word ‘teenager’ was also created in which connotations such as rebels and ‘mischief’ were connected with it. This also links to Bill Osgerby’s 1998 theory in which he states the youth are “trouble and fun.”

The 1960's

The Beatles: "A Hard Days Night" (Comedy/Film) Quotes
Ringo Starr is asked by a journalist, "Are you a 'mod' or a 'rocker'?
Ringo Starr: "I'm a mocker."

Train Scene Quote:
"For once, lets all try to behave like ordinary, respectable citizens." 

This quote goes against media representations of the youth who were categorised into two groups, 'mods' and 'rockers'. 
By Ringo Starr answering the journalist by saying he's a 'mocker', it ultimately goes against the media's stereotypes of the youths and it also relates Ringo Starr back the youths stereotyped rebellious behaviour because he goes against the medias representations of youth. 

The 1960’s for the youth were mainly split into two groups: mods and rockers. The Beatles during the 1960’s were a massive influence on young age groups, but also opposed by British media. An example of this is from the film ‘A Hard Days Night’ in which The Beatles featured. A woman in a scene comes up to Beatles member Ringo Starr and asks him, “Are you a mod or a rocker?” Ringo Starr replies by saying that he’s a ‘mocker’. This quote from ‘A Hard Days Night’ evidently goes against media representations of the youth who, in the 1960’s were categorized into two group, mods and rockers. By Ringo Starr stating to the press that he’s a ‘mocker’, it ultimately goes against the media strereotypes of what mods and rockers are and it also relates Ringo Starr back to the youths stereotyped, rebellious behavior because he goes against the medias initial representations of youth.  

Another quote from ‘A Hard Days Night’ is one said by a middle-aged man to The Beatles in which he says, “For once, lets all try to behave like ordinary, respectable citizens.” This quote shows how the youth were seen as rebellious ‘criminals’ who cant be trusted. The media played a huge part in the negative representations people of the youth received. The fact that this older gentleman is questioning The Beatle’s behaviour shows the mistrust the youth received by older generations. This again links with what Ringo Starr said to the journalist because he wanted to go against the media’s stereotypes of the youth and to say he’s a ‘mocker’ goes against media representations. 

1970's

“The filth and the Fury” – Daily Mirror, 1976

“Drugs kill punk star Sid Vicious” – Daily Mail

“TV Fury at Rock Cult Filth” – Daily Mirror

The youth in the 1970’s were portrayed yet again negatively. These quotes from newspaper articles in the 1970’s show how aggressive the British media was towards youth groups such as punks. Also, the contraceptive pill which was released in the 1970’s had a negative impact on young females. For young women, the pill mainly had an impact on their lifestyle. However, women who have taken the pill for 10 to 15 years are less likely to get cancer of the womb or the ovaries. 

A criticism of the pill in the 1970’s was that people who only use it as contraception can be at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Women who relied on the pill in the 1970’s were therefore not reliant on condoms and are now becoming increasingly at risk of STIs. 

Punks during the 1970’s also gave the youth bad representations from the media. The quote from the Daily Mail saying, “Drugs kill punk star Sid Vicious”, shows the rebellious behaviour of the youth and how drugs were a major factor during the 1970’s. Riots were also a major part of the punk youth groups. There appearance didn't improve matters either. The punks gothic makeup and wacky hair made them seem rebellious and instantly were stereotyped as ‘criminals’ on their appearance alone. 

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is a 1972, dystopian-crime film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The film is based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel 'A Clockwork Orange'. The main character of this film, Alex DeLarge, played 

The highly successful 1972 film ‘A Clockwork Orange’ directed by Stanley Kubrick. This film linked to the punks’ rebellious and criminal behaviour and in 1974, the film was ultimately banned in UK cinemas because a ‘copycat crime’ was recreated in real life from the film. The fact a ludicrous and vicious death scene from A Clockwork Orange was recreated shows the rebellious and criminal behaviour in the 1970’s and how people, especially youth groups such as punks couldn't be trusted. 

1980's

The 1980's were a sign of political unrest. John Lennon's death started off the decade ending The Beatles. This decade had much controversy, with then leader Margaret Thatcher in the midst of it. 

1990's

One of the most famous story's from 1990's was the Leah Betts story which dominated the front pages. She was famous for taking and dying from an ecstasy tablet on her 18th Birthday. She apparently drank seven litres of water in 90 minutes. This ultimately caused water intoxication which led to the swelling and permanent damage of her brain. 
At this time during the 1990's, the internet was creating more media speculation and controversy, so this was a bad time for this story to come out because of the viral exploitation it received. 
One quote from this story is from Det Constable, Ian Shead, "There's a dealer out there selling poison." 

Another quote about youth from the 1990's is 

1990's

The 1990's was seen as a revolution for technology, with the factor of the internet and computer games such as game boys coming of age. The youth during the 1990's were now being influenced by stars such as Kurt Cobain who was known to the youth as 'The King of Grunge'. Drugs such as ecstasy was becoming another major influence to the youth which caused major problems and ultimately led to the death of a young girl. 

One of the most famous story's from 1990's was the Leah Betts story which dominated the front pages. She was famous for taking and dying from an ecstasy tablet on her 18th Birthday. She apparently drank seven litres of water in 90 minutes. This ultimately caused water intoxication which led to the swelling and permanent damage of her brain. 

At this time during the 1990's, the internet was creating more media speculation and controversy, so this was a bad time for this story to come out because of the viral exploitation it received. 

One quote from this story is from Det Constable, Ian Shead, "There's a dealer out there selling poison." 

"Ecstasy puts party girl in coma" (13th November 1995)

The youth culture during the 90's were influenced by bands such as Nirvana which influenced the 'grunge' faze. Nirvana member Kurt Cobain influenced the grunge faze with Nirvana's new age of rock music and his inspired style of fashion aspects to the youth. Kurt Cobain was considered the 'King of Grunge' for this era. 

The style included typical chequered shirts, in contrast with a ripped t-shirt (most likely a Nirvana t-shirt), ripped jeans and a Kurt Cobain inspired hairstyle. Basically, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain owned the grunge faze which was circulating throughout the youth. 

Nirvana's music was very popular with the youth. Popular songs such as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and "Come As You Are' from their last and most popular album 'Nevermind' were extremely popular, which also was another major influence for the 'grunge' style influencing youths. 

Another popular music group during the 1990's were girl bands, mainly the Spice Girls who were becoming increasing popular with the youth during this time period. In 1996, they signed with Virgin Records, where they went on to release their first single, 'Wannabe'. Their first single ultimately hit number one in 37 different countries. Their album 'Spice' which sold more than 31 million records worldwide, becoming the best-selling female group in history. They were extremely popular with the youth of this era. Members of the group such as Mel B, Victoria Beckham and Emma Bunton were idolised by teens from both genders. 

2000's

The naughties was another revelation for the youth in terms of their media stereotypes. Chavs and Emo's were becoming increasing popular for many youth groups during the 2000's. The 'chav' stereotype during the 2000's was vastly becoming the face of the white, British working class. The name 'chav' name is an acronym for 'council house and violent'.  

The chav culture was beginning to be made fun of to amuse the public through sources of media. TV show, Little Britain, to the chav stereotyped and stereotyped one of their characters for the amusement of vast audiences. 

The stereotypical appearance of Emo's is that, in some relation to goths, they typically have spiky, coloured hair and studded clothing which relates to the punk influences. Emo's tend to feel sidelined by mainstream society, and their 'emo' appearance allows them to express their individual identity's. 

Sources of social-media were becoming increasingly popular. MySpace, Facebook and Twitter were allowing sub-cultures to share their identity's with the rest of social-media. Media theorist, Gauntlet, said in 2008, "Technological advances meant anyone could become the producer or a media text, this could have meant youths had the chance to represent themselves positively. But this did not happen."