In the whole it shows the youths in a negative light. Some of the images it uses make it impossible for others to see the people in these communities as anything other than trouble. It shows them looting flat screen TVs, beating up and filming other youths and intimidating old women, these are definitely negative things to show these people doing. It doesn't really try to change the views of the youths, as there isn't any footage in it to say that they are actually doing something positive. For example, it could of showed the youths who were helping to clean up the streets after the riots, but instead it showed angry clashes with the police force and them fire-bombing cars, whilst talking about shanking, slang term for slashing someones throat, and mugging.
What textual examples are there in the video to show the collective identity of youths?
In the video you can see many things that could show the ideas that people would have about young people. These can be:
- Hanging around on council estates in gangs, intimidating people who aren't associated and in one scene beating up someone who gets too close to him.
- In the scene where it is building towards the chorus and the young people look bored, and end up throwing a petrol bomb at an empty car, even though there doesn't seem to have been any sort of provocation.
- At the beginning of the video it shows a group of young men, walking down what we assume was a London street, with their hoods up and face covered, fuelling the idea that these people don't want to be recognised by the other public.
- It also shows the young people from the council estate clashing with riot police, throwing glass bottles, petrol bombs and anything else they can find, in an attempt to drive the authorities away.
- It shows again the gang culture when they were in what looked like a multi-storey car park, beating up two young people, with dogs, whilst videoing it on their mobile phones.
Are there any instances in the video where those in authority are abusing their power?
In the video it shows a Police Officer pushing over a man, even though the provocation, if any, is minimal and there is no proper reason for doing it. This shows that even the Police, the people who run our country's streets, have given in to the idea that the all youths should be tarred with the same brush, thinking that because they are in the area of trouble, they must be involved. This is similar to the historical issue we looked at, in Quadrophenia. After Jimmy and Steph sneak off, and then come back into a street, the police grab them and throw Jimmy in the back of a van, because he was wearing a Parka and was with the other 'Mods'.
What was Plan B trying to challenge through his video?
Plan B seemed to be trying to challenge the idea that the youths involved in the riots didn't do it because they were hardened criminals who wanted to steal as much as possible, it was because they had nothing to do, and felt that they were being preyed on by the police and government. As fore mentioned the police seemed to just want to 'get' some of the young people in these areas, so it looked as though their presence at these riots had been a success. It did show them stealing TVs and getting into fights, bu this again was because they were driven to it. It is like when Drew says that the young people in these areas are like animals, they are backed into a corner and they lash out, it is a primal instinct, he says.
What does Plan B try to achieve through both his song and his film?
He said that he doesn't agree with the riots, but that he feels that the people who were involved in them should be highlighted, so that they can be helped, and shown that there is a better way to live than this. This could be what he is trying to get across in the video, and film he is making to highlight these things in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment