Role of Media in Challenging Images of Blackness or Asians in Britain - Case Study Example

role of media in challenging images of "Blackness" or "Asianess" in Britain by [name of the organization] [author’s name] [date of fulfillment] INTRODUCTION The roles played by media regarding the discriminations with the black people and the Asians in Britain has always been very strong. The roles of newspapers, books and the films are always noteworthy. As a mater of fact there is a continuous uproar made regarding these kinds of racial discriminations and it is due to the conscious media many things are under absolute control. There are strict laws and legal proceedings for sure. But the social setup is still following the age old means of considering the discrimination all around. The application of laws is strong but that is not all there are all kinds of social humiliation that people faces due to the blackness of their skin or due to their Asian originality. This is very much in practice in Britain and is followed by the citizens themselves. The applicator of terms like “Blackness” and “Asianess” are very common in Britain and people still feel the difference. These types of ideas are legally called Racism. This is a very strong term that means the discrimination based on the racial groups from which that actually originate from. People who are into these beliefs, in general hate certain groups of people according to their racial groups and follows discriminating attitudes. There is no solution to the pursuing attitude and thus there is no law for it. Legally and superficially everything seems to be very strong but is never like that under social gatherings. As followed by United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the term "racial discrimination" shall mean all those practised distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference that are based on race, colour, religion, descent, or national or ethnic origin. This term also mean all those offences which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life1. That is to say, the regulation set by UNO is very clear and very strict however; the twist lies in following them. Most of the time the followers of law turns up to be very humiliating and then there remains no other way then to display the frustration through mass media like print and film. Through these two means the matters get well elaborated and are the best comprehensive means for public awareness and sensational consciousness. ROLE PLAYED BY PRINT MEDIA The very new edition of ‘Race and Racism in Britain’ is out in the market and is receiving tremendous response. It is equally strong like that of the previous editions. This is a wonderful write up that has touched many important aspect regarding race relations and forms of racism in British society. It is all about the latest things that are making society of Britain more into the speculative eye of being a racist country. The book is concentrates over all those conceptual frameworks that seek to locate the British experience within a broader context. As a matter of fact it is an in-depth study on the same idea that prevails in the social structure of today’s Britain in particular. As we proceed further with this book we find that John Solomos is very keen in his elaborations and makes a very systematic way of interpreting the theme. He had made all possible assessments regarding the prevailing trends and developments in the country regarding the racial discrimination2. He is also an active participant in making clear assessments of political aspects and policy debates since the 1950s to down the latest date. Same kind of uproar came in with the heading ‘Revealed: How UK media fuelled race prejudice’ in The Chronicle. This particular news was about the mass media like the TV, the radio, the newspapers, the magazines and the most popular in latest trend the Internet. This news declared that these media should be absolutely free of these kinds of discrimination, but it is not actually happening. The ‘blackness’ of skin is the matter of conflict here. It peruses trouble in the social intermingleness within a community and also creates tremendous discrimination. In Britain there is a clear prejudice in these media practices in covering news related to the Black communities. The re are regular controversies regarding this. These mass media are free to maintain closed doors to Black and minority ethnic journalists, especially those from Asia3. The news also declares that these kinds of failings of the British media are not new in Britain. These are age old practices and are hardly ever opposed by the law. The discrimination is also very strong when it comes up to the ‘Asianess’. In The Fair UK it has been a major issue related to the ‘The Rise of Islamophobia in Europe’. This was a great matter of concern in the Institute of Race Relations' European Race Bulletin Winter 2008 No 62. As has been said here there are huge campaigns against Muslim places of worship and religious symbols across Europe. This is a step towards the racial discrimination. No community can ever be discarded on the basis of the deed done by few of the people. This is a simple way of showing how strongly the existences of Muslim communities, from Asia are disregarded to be in the country. INFLUENCE OF FILMS This idea of Islamophobia in Europe has got many strong representations through films. As per the press release made on Monday 31st March, 2008; it has been declared that ‘Fair strongly condemns to Greet Wilder’s film “FITNA”’. As per this news, the display of as Greet Wilder is making this film he was out and out with the motive of self-publicising opportunism. The film has been considered as outrageous and has been said to be a part of’ the mental gutter’. These are strong words used against Wilder and much opposition came in4. There are the comments that state that this particular film is also very strong in the display of Wilder’s intellectual discourse. The oppositions are of the view that this intellectual discourse is indeed a very sad reflection of the state into which Islamophobes have sunk into from a very long time. These types of ideas are never allowed to prevail in Britain. The oppositions are not only strong but are as outrageous as they can be. The opposition towards Muslim community is a random matter of concern in Britain and films like this are the added factor to the application of discrimination towards those who are a part of the state. The film is a very strong step projecting the upright, respectable citizen. The whole plot is in regards to Wilder perception of his crusade as a noble cause. The actual theme in all over the matter of exposition related to the follow up of Islam religion and the Qur’an. The idea is simple but in Britain these types of ideas are still not appreciated mush. Not because they are against any kind of native beliefs but because they are believes in most of the Islamic countries in Asia. Sensitive in a way but that is how it goes in Britain. This is not a new thing it is rather an age old practice that is there underneath always. The film is said to be an attempt to divide communities ‘through heavily playing on people’s deepest fears and emotions’. These are the comments that any racists and extremists idea usually faces. In this case the whole concept ad been taken upside down and Wilder has been blamed threatening the safety and security of vulnerable groups. It has been said that it was a threat to the community and was against national security. Films are always the great contributor in the field of public motivation and thud it is in fact a matter of great responsibility too. There is this film that deals with this matter by portraying a racist murder. The plot is about a racist murder that gets initiated by four teenagers. These are the three protagonists who reside in Welsh community. This is a directorial debut film by Amma Asante, called ‘A Way of Life’. This is a simple story that talks about an incident where a Turkish man is beaten to death in the street. As this get carried on the baby of one of the killer’s watches from her pushchair. Asante, herself being a person facing the racist culture in Britain understand the mental torture in the country and is a great narrator indeed. In her own words, "The only point of doing A Way of Life was that I could write about another experience other than that of a black female…I know myself how hard it was for me when I was growing up in London - I thought I was Ghanaian for years - and it wasn't until in got to 19 or 20 that I really began to find who I really was" she said5. The story has got a nice twist. In the middle part of the movie there is a terrible racist killing. This scene in particular is a means for Asante to explore gang crime led by girls in a multicultural Britain. Added to this scene was shot to make the Londoner take her young niece and nephew. These young kids are partially Ghanaian and partially English. This plot is a fusion of various concepts that prevail in Welsh. The predominant of all the concepts are the matters related to Black and White that is very common for a Ghanaian identity as it grows up in Wales. It is all about the amount of crisis that tortures these communities. These types of work are though simple yet get universally acclaimed and are very much appreciated. These are some facts that none can deny. The acceptance is always there. As it is her own story described by herself there is no point in making any kind of negation. The acceptability won her many awards, but at home she faced lots of sceptical eyes that were pretty obvious for her. She was prepared for all kinds of consequences and never repented for her bold step. Though there is much opposition in Britain itself yet none can deny over the fact that it is indeed a fact. CONCLUSION Eventually the roles played by print media and the moving screens are vital in making public opinions and making all kinds of possibilities come true. These are the real challenges that these sectors meet almost every day. The role played by these two mass media is genuine for sure and are never impractical. As they have got high risk of being nullified they are always backed by enough evidence and support. Just writing news or a book; or just making a film is not an easy task. Under these types of practice in a particular state some groups of people are legally kept aside in many cases. These people are denied of basic human rights or benefits. It is indeed something very shameful and created lots of confusions and conflicts between the citizens. The follow up of institutional racism among certain racial group are more likely to get preferential treatment in the communal matter. The term is usually applied in the cases of discriminations that are based on taxonomic differences between different groups of people. As per the terms set by United Nations, there is no space for any kind of distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination. They are all same and legally punishable. These are serious offences for sure and the declarations are well made through print media and the motion pictures. The print media like newspapers and the books are very much strong in making severe participation to the same. The roles played by strong movies are also equally worth these oppositions. In this paper I am trying to highlight how the print media and the films are all contributing a lot in challenging these social practices. REFERENCES Clare Gabriel, New approach in racism film, 13 November, 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4007349.stm [retrieved on 23.07.08] Institute of Race Relations' European Race Bulletin Winter 2008 No 62, http://www.fairuk.org/intro.htm [retrieved on 23.07.08] John Solomos, Race and Racism in Britain (Paperback), Palgrave Macmillan; 3Rev Ed edition (21 Mar 2003) ISBN-10: 0333764099, ISBN-13: 978-0333764091 Revealed: How UK media fuelled race prejudice, n.d., http://www.thechronicle.demon.co.uk/tomsite/8_6_1rev.htm [retrieved on 23.07.08] UN International Convention on the Elimination of All of Racial Discrimination, 7 March 1966 http://www.hri.org/docs/ICERD66.html NEW YORK, [retrieved on 23.07.08] RECOMMENDATION H. M. Jones, Elizabeth Monroe, History of Abyssinia, Kessinger Publishing: 2003 David C. Rowe in Heredity 87 (2001) 254-255 : Book review on The Emperor's New Clothes: biological theories of race at the new millennium. Joseph L. Graves Jr. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey. 2001, ISBN 0-8135-2847-X) Read More