Social class, ethnicity and sexuality

Social class Definition- people having the same social, economic, or educational statusStereotypes: upper class people are snobby and selfish-Working class people are ‘rough’ and criminal. Theory- the middle and upper classes (bourgeoisie) exploit the proletariat (working class)- make them work long hours for less money. Gramsci and MarxistTheories surrounding stereotyping- upper class people are stereotyped to be superior as they own production and have a lot of money, they are seen as more important in society. Working class people are stereotyped to be angry and aggressive which could occur from being mistreated through the class conflict. Examples from TV drama: Coronation street shows people of the North to be working class and the TV drama shows people in the south to be more affluent and superior. For example Coronation street = terraced houses and a close knit community whereas the south e.g. London = more drama and a more adventurous lifestyle.

Ethnicity

Definition-the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural traditionStereotypes-Afro- Caribbean: loving, trouble makers and commit crimeEast Asians: intelligent, determined and physically weakBritish: socially awkward, affluent and educated Theories surrounding stereotyping-Examples from TV drama: For example in Waterloo road the majority of teachers are British which suggests that they’re well educated and affluent. Christine the head teacher is also shown to be socially awkward as she is an alcoholic which makes her mood very temperamental resulting in her falling out with many people throughout her career.

SexualityDefinition- Sexuality is when someone has the preference of either male ore female or both. They can also be transgender

Stereotypes- Gay people are always very feminine and lesbians are normally very masculine. It is said that gay people like all the stuff which girls want do and they also behave like them. Lesbians are very masculine and normally look like boys. The stereotypically have short hair and like clothes which boys would wear.

Theory- Queer Theory – Judith Butler Emerging out of field of Gender studies (the study of males and female roles historically, politically, socially etc). Queer theory challenges the idea that gender – being male or female – is part of the essential self, that it is fixed, immovable – in other words Queer theory suggest that our male or female gender does not control all aspects of our identity or how we perceive other peoples identity. In other words gender, particularly as it is represented in performance – on TV, Film etc, is fluid, flexible depending on the context in which it is seen. For example an audience can see Tom Cruise playing a “straight” pilot in The Right Stuff and interpret his gender, although male, as having very “queer” or “gay” attributes. The theory developed as a way of combating negative representations of gay sexuality in the Media. It combats the idea that people should be divided and categorised, indeed marginalised, due to their sexual orientation or practice and that a persons identity should not be limited to their sexual preference.

Examples from TV Drama- One example for sexuality can be seen in the TV Drama Gossip as there is a Character called Eric who is gay. He is a countertype because he isn’t a person who likes all the stuff that girls like even if he is gay. Another example can be seen in the TV Drama EastEnders. There is also a gay character called Christian. He therefore is very stereotypically because he likes tight tops and has lots of girls as his friends. This is very stereotypically as it is said that gay people like to hang out with girls and behave like girls do.