Questions to be answered about Pressure

WHAT EVENT OCCURRED IN THE 1970s AND 1980s THAT REPRESENT THE PRESENCE OF RACIAL TENSION?
Between these years were the beginnings of what turned out to be the Race Riots in 1981. These were caused by the distrust in the police and authority. In 1979 the Conservative Party were elected and gave the Police new powers (under the Vagrancy Act of 1824) in which they could stop and search people based only suspicion that an offence had been committed.

WHY DO YOU THINK PRESSURE WHAT MADE?
I think Pressure was made to change up the way black people were represented in films. Tony is a very interesting character in that he isn't your typical Black teenager. It shows the influence your surroundings have upon you and how he is so far from his roots.

WHAT EXAMPLES OF RACISM ARE REPRESENTED IN PRESSURE?
The main example I remember from watching the film was where there was a black man in a car who was being attacked by a group of white men. This was physical and emotional as they were beating the car and hurling verbal abuse at him.

HOW DOES THE THEME OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY COME ACROSS IN PRESSURE?
There isn't a complete collective identity in this film, as Tony doesn't fit the stereotype. Black people are still bundled together and not seen as individuals, however. Black people are portrayed to be very segregated from the white community, by showing that they have different norms, beliefs and a different lifestyle. For example, the food differences, the clothing differences, the difference in accents.

HOW DO YOU THINK PRESSURE DIFFERS FROM MAINSTREAM REPRESENTATIONS OF BLACK BRITONS?
In this film, white people aren't all seen as racist as Tony has many white friends and the girl he likes is white. Also, Tony engages in which could be suggested to be 'white' behaviour, which goes against the norm. The rest of his family are portrayed as typical black people who eat rice with vegetables

FOOD

• Avocado - Used to pick them off the tree in Trinidad.
• Avocat (how they used to say it in Trinidad)
• "Black man gotta eat black food or else you'll end up looking like them"
• "Don't forget he born here, he not like us" "So what, that make him a white man?"

Tony's character was very much that of a typical white boy, although he was black. This seemed to show that there wasn't always a stereotypical black person image of eating rice all the time like the rest of his family. He preferred chips which showed that he was brought up into the British culture and even though his parents encouraged him to eat the same food as him, he wouldn't give up the chips.

WINDRUSH VS POST-WINDRUSH

• Native roots are shown/Boy is more 'white English'
• "Dat aint working, dat is slaving"
• Tony going to buy fish and chips
• Tony is friends with both black and white people

In this film it seems that there is conflict between Tony and the rest of his family. Their generation respects their culture and it holds an importance to them, whereas Tony seems to be less interested in his roots, which causes tension between them. Tony's relationship is a lot better with his white friends as he acts like they do.

RACIAL TENSIONS

• Boss seems to expect to be interviewing a white guy.
• "How long have you been in this country?" "I was born here."
• Uninterested in church - Yawning/falling asleep.

In Tony's interview there was definitely racial tensions. The whole of the office when he first entered was full of white people, which showed that he was the minority. When he entered the Boss' room you could tell that he wasn't expecting a black boy. The above quote shows how ignorant the boss was in that he seemed to think that all black people were immigrants. 

INVESTIGATE WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN BRITAIN BETWEEN 1948 - 1962

Between 1948 and 1962 workers from the colonies could migrate to Britain without restriction. Until 1962 every Commonwealth citizen was entitled to enter the United Kingdom at will.

This right had been freely exercised for many years but it was only in the 10 years from 1952 onwards that substantial numbers of people from the Commonwealth began to think of settling in Britain.

Under the British Nationality Act 1948, citizens of British colonies could simply apply to the Home Office for registration of British nationality and were issued with certificates.

The South Asian citizens who could obtain certificates included many who came to Britain from other colonies, such as indentured labourers from the West Indies and families who had settled in East Africa.

HOW WAS THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE CHANGING?

The social landscape was changing quite drastically as many ethnic minorities were coming to Britain. Any Commonwealth citizen who wanted to work and settle in the United Kingdom had to obtain Ministry of Labour Vouchers. These were issued under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 and 1969. The vouchers were issued in three categories:

• Category A: For applications by employers in this country who had a specific job to offer to a particular Commonwealth citizen.
• Category B: For applications by Commonwealth citizens without a specific job to come to but with certain special qualifications (such as nurses, teachers, medical doctors)
• Category C: For all others

HOW DID THE CHANGING SOCIAL LANDSCAPE LEAD TO A ‘RACIALISATION’ OF BRITISH POLITICS?

There were fears that the influx of immigrants could have negative impacts upon the amount of jobs available for British citizens. Between 1962 and 1971, the British government tightened reigns regarding immigration. They introduced a law which meant that only British subjects who had strong links with the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, had the right of abode, the right to live and work in here.

REPRESENTATION WORKS THROUGH CONSTRUCTION – HOW WERE BLACK PEOPLE REPRESENTED IN THE FILM?

Whilst watching both the films Flame in the Streets and Sapphire, the overall theme was that Black people were represented in a negative way. In Flame in the Streets, there were both white people against black people, but also a white character who was in love with a black man. This showed that stigmas were changing and the daughter who was in love with a black man didn’t care what other people thought of her. In the factory scenes, it was shown that Black people were able to get good jobs, as there was a black man with a high-ranking position. Also, most of the workers were white, which showed that whites aren’t always best at everything.

 Also, the father was only against the daughter’s relationship because of the negative impacts it might have upon her life, not because he had a problem with her being with a black man.

CONSIDERING YOUR RESEARCH AND FILM ANALYSIS – HOW DOES THE FILM PUT ACROSS A SENSE OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF BLACK BRITISH PEOPLE?


The overall theme from both research and the film suggests that there was generally a negative stereotype surrounding black people. This puts across a sense of collective identity of black British people as it puts every single black person into 'the same boat.' It scoops Black Africans and Black Carribeans all together and ignores that they both have different cultures and aren't just the same. It's like suggesting that I am the same as a white American teenager purely because we're both white; It may be that we have similar values as we are both Westernised cultures, but we may have completely separate interests so therefore cannot be grouped together.

Prezi

Black Britain on Prezi

To expand...


1.    What links all the media texts together?
2. How are the media texts representative of the changing landscape of black Britain? (past, present and future)


All of the images on this prezi are linked together as they are all things that would 'come to mind' when asked your opinion on 'BLACK BRITAIN.' They are all stereotypes and associations that we, as individuals make.


The type of music artists shown on this prezi (rappers, grime artists, reggae artists etc.) are all types that we would associate with the Black British.

Radio one xtra clip

• Music - hip hop, reggae
• Food - chicken, rice and peas
• 'FAR FROM BEING WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS'
• Language/way of speaking - 'You get me.'

This clip has enlightened me into the many things that black immigrants have brought to Britain with them as part of their culture. With them they brought interesting food, amazing music and several varieties of entertainment.




Is black style now just style? Has it crossed race boundaries?
What does acting black mean?

Write at least 450 - 600 words on what you have learnt from the radio programme, include what you think is Black British culture.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/black_british.shtml

Task 5 - radio extract

In this extract, both white and black people are represented. The whole radio extract is presented by a white man, which gives him all of the power. It may also give the radio clip a bias viewpoint, as it's from a white person's view. Also, he is very well-spoken which suggests to the audience that he is of a high class, and has had a good upbringing.


The man that speaks only briefly towards the end, we can tell is Caribbean by the way he talks and his accent. This may to suggest to the audience that he holds little importance, as his voice is only heard for a limited time.


The radio presenter talks about how there were differing opinions about the racial problems in Britain. This could show how although the white indigenous people of Britain may hold a stigma against the Black immigrants, not everyone holds a racist view. Also, where this radio show is most likely to be predominately aired to a large White, British audience, it shows how everyone is entitled to their own views, and certain companies views aren't injected into everyone's minds.


What the Black man said, I found very important. He said 'And I was determined that the town would never be kept white, but we are here now.' This shows that he has a more relaxed view, and it makes it seem like he is not at all threatened by the white population of Britain. It makes it seem that the fact they are already there, is such a huge step, that it is hard for society to go back, and undo it. He seems confident that there is a way forward for Black British people.


Within the clip it talks about Black people as though they are a problem themselves. And quite shockingly, it said blind violence was the best way to deal with mass immigration.




Something else I find interesting is the way that image has been used to create it's own story about the Noting Hill Race Riots. At the beginning, there are bars going up and down. I think this represents the uproar of all the white British people. I think it shows how they're getting angry.
Following this, there is a flash of Black and White on the screen. I think this represents the outbreak of fights between the Black and White British people.

Windrush years

 What have I learnt and what have I got from it?

PART ONE   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh8SeGmzai4

Lennie Henry spoke about how Britain has changed. How Trevor McDonald is not seen as a BLACK newsreader, but THE newsreader. It shows how Britain has developed over the years and has came to accept the Black population as British individuals. 

I found it interesting just how many people it said were to come from the West Indies after the 2nd World War. Half a million people is a huge amount, and to be completely honest, I wouldn't of expected such a huge amount of people to immigrate to one place. 

One man said about how there was a sign saying 'Rooms for rent, no niggers need apply.' This shocked me, as I didn't realise how racist it used to be back then. I know that racism still exists now, but you hardly hear of it these days.

A bit that saddened me was when a man said 'You felt like you were an intruder, and truely, you were a foreigner.' I found this sad because people shouldn't be made to feel like that. Everyone should be welcomed, and given a fair chance. It seems as though Blacks and Whites were completely seperated with the Whites dominating, and the Blacks being segregated and forced into subdueing the Whites of society.

I was surprised to see that even though many people fought against change, and allowing Blacks into a 'white' country, there were many in favour of change. In the video it showed even white people taking the side of the Black immigrants. This shows that not everyone was as racist back then, as I may have first thought.

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

PART SEVEN

PART EIGHT

PART NINE

PART TEN

PART ELEVEN

PART TWELVE

PART THIRTEEN

PART FOURTEEN

PART FIFTEEN

Literal notes that I wrote whilst watching THE WINDRUSH YEARS

• Jamaicans
• England transformed by immigrants and their children.
• 50 years ago - 500 West Indians.
• 21st June 1948 - Colonial Caribbean came here.
• William Nalty - Church of England School.
• Connie Mark ---> Brought up to respect the Royal family.
• WW2 .. 1959 - West Indians joined in. -----> 'Come and fight for your mother land, come and fight for England.'
• 'Everyone and everything was equal in this country.'
• 250 from Trinidad
• West Indians became popular as musicians.
• A Woman Cashier - 'Isn't it about time they went back home.'
• 250 went home to Caribbean after war.
• EMPIRE WINDRUSH - normally to Mexico.
• Immigration closed doors to America.
• 24th May 1948 - Set sail from Kingston, Jamaica. SS Empire Windrush.
• KBW - Keep Britain White
• 'Darkie' 'Don't trust those Darkies'
• Old woman - 'These n*****s are everywhere, you can't get rid of them.'
• OBJECTIONS - NOT BECAUSE OF COLOUR. ---> Some of them wash with oil.
• 'You felt like you were an intruder. You were an outsider; you did not belong.'
• Black households were targetted.
• Mosely 'Do you want the blacks to take your jobs?'
• May 1925 - Nelson Cochrane noted 'here's another blackie, let's get him' ---> Didn't die because he did something wrong, but because of his skin colour.
• 'Blues Party.'
• 60s SKA ----> London West-end clubs.
• Island records ---> Sold more in Britain than Jamaica ---> 'My Boy Lollipop.'
• Jamacanisation
• A white girl with a black guy was considered 'cool'