I find this topic very interesting for many reasons. As a black female I have found in my lifetime that, not only has black history been smoke screened & forgotten, and black people were still lower classed in every way until the late 1980's & 1990's. Being portrayed as short of half descent folk. In the following essay I will discuss past issues and how they have been resolved and re-resolved today. I will discuss the following issues; segregation from fashion and beauty, the representation of black people on television in the 1980's and the result of misrepresentation in youth today and economical crisis of Africa.
From what I have witnessed for the past twenty years on British television has changed since I was a child, but not all seems positive. As a child I noticed around the late 1980's early 1990's that there were fewer people, who looked like me on TV. I can recall wanting blond, long hair and becoming slightly withdrawn, but as the times changed a burst of black characters, extras appear on British television. This was a response to a complain regarding the lack of variety on TV programmes, and adverts for example Cross Roads, Coronation Street. Unfortunately this didn't appear to be a positive portrayal and many time entertained with racist jokes for example Rainbow, The Black & White Minstrel Show & The Rising Damp. British television is much to sensitive now to revert to such ways as before but on occasions will open small wounds. This now days comes in the form of humour. I believe from what history I have research that this national opinion isn't necessarily the opinion of the entire nation, rather the upper class or anyone with power in this country. I say this because I didn't see welcoming from the media in the recent years, 2005 was went it all changed. Before people with dark skin were made a joke of, insulted by strangers and treated like less a person. This was just like before, but when riots such as the Broad Water Farm Riots and Brixton Riot occurred in the early 1980's government and public opinion changed for the worst and this was express through poor examples of dark skinned people, repeated negative reports about coloured individuals on regional news as regards to criminal convictions. I do believe some may have been necessary but the news and TV shows influence the public opinion, and thus creating another reason not to be humble, fair or polite. In the recent past the government has tried to correct mistakes to later generations by nationally launching Trident, a programme developed by the police to lower 'black on black' crime. From this teenage communities in many areas have rebelled and taken it upon their selves to take apart in the action. This I believe has happened because the glamorisation of youth crime, designing adverts to attract teenage attention also open the young to the whole idea of being 'bad'. This is considered as respectful in local areas among the youth.
From what I have witnessed for the past twenty years on British television has changed since I was a child, but not all seems positive. As a child I noticed around the late 1980's early 1990's that there were fewer people, who looked like me on TV. I can recall wanting blond, long hair and becoming slightly withdrawn, but as the times changed a burst of black characters, extras appear on British television. This was a response to a complain regarding the lack of variety on TV programmes, and adverts for example Cross Roads, Coronation Street. Unfortunately this didn't appear to be a positive portrayal and many time entertained with racist jokes for example Rainbow, The Black & White Minstrel Show & The Rising Damp. British television is much to sensitive now to revert to such ways as before but on occasions will open small wounds. This now days comes in the form of humour. I believe from what history I have research that this national opinion isn't necessarily the opinion of the entire nation, rather the upper class or anyone with power in this country. I say this because I didn't see welcoming from the media in the recent years, 2005 was went it all changed. Before people with dark skin were made a joke of, insulted by strangers and treated like less a person. This was just like before, but when riots such as the Broad Water Farm Riots and Brixton Riot occurred in the early 1980's government and public opinion changed for the worst and this was express through poor examples of dark skinned people, repeated negative reports about coloured individuals on regional news as regards to criminal convictions. I do believe some may have been necessary but the news and TV shows influence the public opinion, and thus creating another reason not to be humble, fair or polite. In the recent past the government has tried to correct mistakes to later generations by nationally launching Trident, a programme developed by the police to lower 'black on black' crime. From this teenage communities in many areas have rebelled and taken it upon their selves to take apart in the action. This I believe has happened because the glamorisation of youth crime, designing adverts to attract teenage attention also open the young to the whole idea of being 'bad'. This is considered as respectful in local areas among the youth.
