Representation of London through 'Rising Child Obesity' (2014)

The telegraph reported in 2014 that there is a serious rise in childhood obesity with one in ten children being extremely over weight by the age of five years old. This epidemic is not just one that is isolated to London it is a world wide issue, London however has had a continuously increasing case of childhood obesity it has one of the highest percentages of childhood and adult obesity in Europe. This type of problem is causing the NHS Billions of pounds every year as people are submitted to hospital everyday with weight related issues. Most of the children that suffer from obesity come from the lower classes and this can have major consequences.

Many children act out when they don't feel as if they are being listened to and heard and obesity could possibly be one of the contributing factors that are causing youths to act out and this feeds into the discourse that long is a dangerous place due to the youth and gang cultures that have subsequently taken over the streets of London. This connotes that not only the children but their parents in the poorer areas of London are not being properly educated about their health and the results of such obesity problems.

News Report Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11271032/Warning-over-rising-child-obesity.html

Tylar Gilbert

Student Number: 1310195

Word Count:  212

Jean Baudrillard theory of Modern Myths, Reality and illusion

Baudrillard theory's about modern myths within society relates very well when it comes to they way in which an area is represented. This is because most of the time an area is represented though the people and the different societies within the area, but there can be a lot of myths as to how people are represented to be like in different places. 'These modern myths are dealt with in the terms in which they circulate within the culture - in the press, television, films, art. science fiction, literature, even sociology and philosophy - rather than in the singular language of science' Dants, T (2003) this is a quote from Critical Social Theory, which just highlights the point that the myths that we hear about modern society and mostly portrayed through media forms. 

This is shown in our blog when we looked at the TV programme 'Chelsea', and the people within this West London are represented as being posh, well spoken and rich, yet around the same area the film 'Kidulthood' was filmed which a completely different representation of people are shown. This just proves that within different TV programmes, films and news they try and create this myth of what kind of people occupy the area. Yet audiences are willing to buy into this myth for there own security to fit in to society, showing the modern myth will always be around because people like to think that categorising different people and area create some organisation in with world.

Dant, T (2003) Critical Social Theory, Culture, Society and Critique, London: Sage, page 38

Armani Moffatt

1203387

247 words

Stuart Hall 'Making Meaning, Representing Things' (1997)

   Stuart Hall talks about conceptual map - the relationship of the concepts. Each person has a different and unique understanding and interpretation of the things. On the other hand, if we share the same culture - we share the meanings and conceptual maps. That is why in many occasions when we watch a film, TV news or any TV show we make our own interpretation of it and our understanding might be different from others. However, as we share meanings, we see things in a very similar way.
   Representation is the production of meaning. Stuart Hall says visual images are used to express meanings. Images, sounds and words function as sings and sings which express the meaning is a language. He describes language as part of the system of representation. Different languages represents different concepts: 'Visual sings and images, even when they bear a close resemblance to the things to which they refer, are still sings; they carry meaning and thus have to be interpreted'. He says the meaning is not in the object, thing or word so we are the ones who fix it. However, if the meaning is the result of our social, cultural or linguistic conventions it can never be finally fixed.
   Overall, our representation and interpretations of films and other TV content can vary depending on our social or cultural background and it may effect the way we are used to see the things and decode its meanings.

Ieva Kaleininkaite

1307775

242 words.

Representations of South London through South Side Story On BBC3

South Side Story is a scripted reality series broadcast on BBC3. The series follows a group of young people living in South London Trying to make a career in the music and entertainment industries.

The Series is mainly based in the South London borough of Brixton; which became synonymous around the world as one of the main locations for the London riots. Through out the programs in the series there seems to be an Instagram–like filter added to cutaway shots of a bustling time-lapsed London this gives the shots used a almost Photoshoped like effect making London and in particular Brixton seem like a less threatening and intimidating place than that has been shown in the media previously.

The series seems to be mainly targeted toward a younger audience of similar ages as the featured characters. South Side Story, unlike other scripted reality television series, has a strong musical element to it. Within the series the characters burst into song at crucial moments in the story expressing their feelings over the situation they are experiencing.  It is very hard not to compare this element of the series to the American television series Glee, where the characters are of similar ages, with similar aspirations and deal with their emotional situations through song in the same way as the characters in South Side Story. These strong similarities between the two series give the characters in South Side Story a more clean cut and less threatening image than what is normally shown else where in the media of young people in urban London.  The fact that all the characters in the series seem to have high aspirations and dreams for them selves and are working hard to reach those goals gives them a almost role model like representation to the audience with a hope of showing them that no matter where they come from they can achieve their dream too.

Over all the representations of the chancers and the area of Brixton in the series seem to be a counter argument to the general moral panics and prejudices in society towards South London youth.  Where as a general representations of South London youth from more working class areas such as Brixton have more negatives connotations towards them with the majority of mainstream news and media coverage being for negative incidents, South Side Story provides the audience with a representation of South London youth that challenges the dominant ideologies among society.

Alice Davies

1304964

408 Words

Representations of West London through 'Ladies of London' (2014-Present)

Ladies of London is a television series that follows the lives of six women who live, work and socialise around England's capital city. Out of the six women only two are from England the other four women are American and have moved to London for a matter of all different reasons from work to wanting to live in London purely from the reputation that London upholds. The American women are trying to be accepted in London's higher-class society where apparently it is very selective in who it allows in.

This particular show takes you away from the discourses that many people have of London, it being a youth and gang control area with a lot of crime and violence. Ladies of London gives you a sense at times that London is still a very racial ignorant place as even though all of the people in the show are white middle to higher-class females, it shows that the British women are not so accepting of the American women. They often pigeon hole them and stereotype them calling them loud, obnoxious and suggesting that this is only because they are American and don't yet know the English way of behaviour, at points even some of the American girls who have been accepted turn on the others as they become more quintessentially British.

Tylar Gilbert

Student Number: 1310195

Word Count: 220

Represntation of West London though 'Heathrow's Flight Boost' (2015)

There is latest news that Heathrow airport is beginning to boost flights to and from Scotland. This then encourages people to travel to London, as well as Scotland, which then generate more tourism within London. Then with the increase of tourism it will the help generate more income within the city of London. This hasn’t come into action yet but it just a trail, so audiences know what is coming up.

Within the article I looked at where a business editor called Douglas Fraser talks about his view on the boosting of flight to and from Scotland to London. ‘they look to London as a key business centre and world wide connecting hub’ this just outlines the fact that London is known as being a great place to connect business and generate money, giving London a great representation when it comes to it business.

This is a great representation of London because it shows that not only does look out for other counties and help build them opportunities they are also the place that business can go to help broaden their business. Therefore the boosting of flight from Scotland to London will be very beneficial on the behalf of both areas. But not London will it extend these flights at Heathrow but they are looking to also extend the flight runway at Gatwick airport.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-32000618

Armani Moffatt

1203387

225 Words

Representations of London through 'Harry Brown' (2009)

Harry Brown is a 2009 film directed by Daniel Barber, it follows Harry Brown (Michael Caine) an old man that served as a marine. He lives on a council estate in London that has seen a rise in gang and youth crime, after one of her close friends is murdered Harry Brown decides to take matters into his own hands as he feels that the police are doing very little about it.

This film touches on the discourse that the youths and gangs have taken over London and that its a scary place to be out especially of a night time and to be on your own. This film was released two years before the London riots and it depicted such scene in parts of the movie suggesting that the way

youths and people in gangs are heading for is only going to turn out one way and thats uncontrollable and unruly crimes such as the riots. As for the character for Harry Brown who is an extremely elderly man taking a stance for his community is something that can be said to be something that society is taken a much harder look out now. There are many different types of support groups and community works working towards changing the way that youths behave on the streets of not only London but the whole of the United Kingdom (not to the extremes that Harry Brown does).

Tylar Gilbert

Student Number: 1310195

Word Count: 236