Representation of the White Working
Class in the Media
In the past few
centuries, the middle class has tried to demean the working class by any means
possible. 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. 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. They stole from the rich and often rioted.
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.
Middle class papers
often comment on how they view the working class. The Times said this “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.
The introduction of
reality TV has helped this stereotype by showing the public what the 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 who 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.
Another programme that shows a good 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 met for the first time and often had a full-blown argument resolving in
one member 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 their 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 controversial or confrontational subjects,
producers would ramp up the music, selecting heavy metal tracks to set the
tone.
Little Britain
Chavs nowadays
