Representation of the White Working Class in the Media

Representation of the White Working Class in the Media

In the past few centuries, the middle class has created a negative representation of the white working class. In Victorian times the working class were given the most unpleasant jobs by the middle class such as cleaning the streets, being in the work houses and earning very little money so they often rioted (Peterloo) or stole from the rich. The working class were the group of people who would go to music halls to watch comedy or listen to music, they would also live in bad areas and have large families. They were also blamed for the problems in society such as disease and reproducing too much often resolving in over population in cities. Scapegoats – folk devils But throughout time, the middle class has tried to keep this stereotype up to create an idea, which will make them feel happier and better off.

Today there is a common chav stereotype that is known by many people. The “Chavs” (council house and violence) live on council estates, wear cheap jewellery, and have genuinely poor hygiene. In other words not much change from nearly 200 years ago.

Middle class papers often comment on how they view the working class. The middle class attitude to chavs has been summouned up by The Times had this to say, “They are ugly, ignorant, violent, thieving scum. Their “culture” is alien to civilisation. Keep them away from decent people. They should be neutered.” This shows a typical conservative paper showing that the stereotype of the white working class hasn’t changed from the Victorian period. Other papers have also suggested that the working class are crude, violent and how the term chav has become a word we are using on a daily bases.

1The introduction of reality TV has helped this stereotype by showing the public what the misrepresent working class are really like. Big Brother is a key example of this. The programme follows a group of working class people living in a house together, taking part in various tasks, trying to not get voted out and winning a large amount of money. This programme is full of nobodies who believe that appearing on this programme will give them instant access into the celebrity world. However this isn’t the case as many of the people who come out are only in the spotlight for a couple of months that have nothing going for them and are useless. While in the house they are made to look like idiots to show that people will do anything to get publicity. The producers of this show often bring in z-list celebrities such as Jodie Marsh, Jade Goody and Preston to show that “normal” celebrities can handle this format of programme but often make a fool of themselves to get noticed and earn a bit of money.

WS is popular unscripted reality TV

Another programme that shows a negative representation of the working class is a reality programme called Wife Swap, which shows a family of white working class swapping mothers and wives with a middle class family often creating binary opposites and an intense reaction between the families. A key example of this is Lizzie and Mark Bardsley. The programme showed the Bardsley family as lazy, dirty and dysfunctional. At the end of each programme the two families meet for the first time and often had a full-blown argument resolving in one or more members storming out. After the programme Lizzie became an ironic celebrity but then was prosecuted for benefit fraud. She is an example of how Victorian snobbishness towards the poor has made a comeback today.

“The Jeremy Kyle show” is a chat show which showcases a dysfunctional representation of the white working class. At the beginning of every show the guests are wound up like a coiled spring to make them more aggressive when confronted with one another. They are also kept apart by staying in different hotels and green rooms to heighten there nervous confusion. The whole show is designed to produce a gladiatorial-style exchange. Guests walk out of opposite entrances in the same way that Roman fighters would enter the ring in the Colosseum. For particularly notorious or antagonistic subjects, producers would ramp up the music, selecting heavy metal tracks to set the tone. This programme gives a bad representation of the white working class by showing them as having a limited temper, uncontrollable behaviour and people who will go to any length to be on TV.

Little Britain includes characters that are a middle class representation of the white working class. Vicki Pollard is shown to be the ultimate parody of a chav. She is fat, has a poor sense of hygiene, wears kappa clothing, lives on a council estate and has nothing going for her in life so has to work for a sex line which she abuses by using it for personal reasons. But Vicki’s binary opposites are well bred, have a good education and have a respect for authority.Wallams and Lucas These types of people are more likely to laugh at characters such as Vicki Pollard because they know that she represents everything that they are not.

But there are programmes that show a positive representation of the white working class. A good example of this is a comedy programme called “Shameless” which follows a single parent family trying to live in a council estate by scrounging off of benefits and taking part in petty crimes. The father is a lazy, alcoholic who can’t look after his children, so they have to fend for themselves. But on the programme there are characters that are intelligent and have dignity despite their circumstances. The programme does tend to fetishise poverty by looking at it from a distance.

Although the media has created a negative representation of the working class there have also been positive outcomes from the chav culture that want to bring something to society that will help. But the media has also shown that even after 200 years the stereotype for the working class hasn’t changed and that positive things can come out a bad stereotype.