YEAR 13 COLLECTIVE IDENTITY ASSESSMENT 1LO: To prepare for the written assessment) based on the representation of youth.

1950sBirth of teenage culture - following world war II, there was a baby boom which brought about some strong youth cultures in Britain. Young people were beginning to turn away from their parents and create new cultural expressions. Among these cultural phenomenon's were the 'Teddy Boys' also known as 'Ted'. They formed gangs and became high profile rebels in the media. This young group of delinquent young men dressed in 'Edwardian' clothing who introduced anarchy into British society and used early rock and roll as their battle call.

'Teddy girls' also known as 'judies' would dress up in their own drape jackets, rolled-up jeans, flat shoes, tailored jackets with velvet collars , straw boater hats, brooches, espadrilles and elegant clutch bags. They would go to the cinema in groups and attend dances and concerts with the boys, collect rock’n'roll records and magazines. Together, they essentially cultivated the first market for teenage leisure in Britain. Despite this the media was less interested in Teddy girls since a young working class women's role was still at the time focused around the house.

1960sThe mods and rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the early to mid 1960s. Media coverage of mods and rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a moral panic about British youths and the two groups became labelled as folk devils.

Mod is a youth culture of the early to mid-1960s. Focused on fashion and music, the subculture has its roots in a small group of London-based stylish young men in the late 1950s who were termed modernists because they listened to modern jazz. Significant elements of the mod subculture include fashion (often tailor-made suits); music (including Soul, SKA , and R&B); and motor scooters (usually Lambretta or Vespa). The original mod scene was associated with amphetamine -fuelled all-night dancing at clubs

Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are members of a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centred around British café racer, motorcycles and rock and roll music. The Teddy boys were considered their "spiritual ancestors". The rockers or ton-up boys took what was essentially a sport and turned it into a lifestyle, dropping out of mainstream society and "rebelling at the points where their will crossed society's". This damaged the public image of motorcycling in the UK and led to the politicisation of the motorcycling community

Deviance Amplification

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r61ks18Bd7I

The best way to explain deviance amplification is through the mods and rockers in the 1960s. Mods and Rockers were the two youth subcultures that existed in Britain at the time. You could easily tell who they were by their attire and the types of bikes they rode. But first, a video to explain the history of the people…

Cohen highlighted how the media was able to label the Mods & Rockers as folk devils (bad people) and created a moral panic in Britain – people genuinely feared the two subcultures. This led to a sharp increase in the level of social control. Arrests were common and judges were harsher. As with the Brixton Riots, an increase in social control can make things worse not better. People may act out and fulfill their label (self-fulfilling prophecy) which creates more deviance. This leads to more control, which leads to more deviance and the cycle continues… Deviance is amplified.

Example of Deviance Amplification• The title immediately labels the group of offenders as 'youths', which whilst in itself

could be seen as true the fact there were over two hundred offenders, suggesting every single one of them was a 'youth' is both over generalising and quite incredulous.

• The report begins by asserting the crimes committed (which included 'officers (being) pelted with bricks and other missiles'. It then goes on to assert that there were over two hundred of the offenders and the mere siting of them caused 'nearby businesses to shut down'. However the article later contradicts itself as a 'thirty five year old man' was arrested, so obviously not all of the culprits were 'youths'. This contradiction shows that the person who wrote the article was aware that it was not an act entirely committed by 'youths', however there were some involved, meaning he/she could include the tag line 'youth' and it would be both factually correct, and a 'buzzword' to catch the audience's attention (as of course it's purpose is to be read).

• Again the fact a reporter would use 'youth' as a buzzword suggests that it is a 'hot topic' and that any reporting of it would get a great amount of attention, showing how deviance amplification can self replicate. By this I mean that if something is catching on, people will 'jump on the band wagon' in order to gain success/attention.

• The report then follows on by introducing a little bit of the context of the situation, and the consequences; as well as similar stories. On an interesting side note the EDL is mentioned, perhaps as an attempt to scapegoat a little more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-17149799

THE SUBJECT MATTERThe comparison of the representation of youths between two time periods:• The 1960’s (consider focusing on ‘If’ or media representations of the Mods and Rockers in ‘Quadrophenia’)

• Contemporary society (focus on a print article)Consider the possibility of drawing in a counter argument into your writing so consider a possible case study that does this well.

THE THEORIES

The theories you must relate to are:• Cohen- Moral Panic• Hebdidge- Subcultures• One other theorist of your choice- Consider a theory that links in and supports the angle of your writing.

See youth theory overview.

THE STRUCTURE

PLANNINGIn order to write a successful essay planning is crucial and an organised approach will help to write an effective piece that answers the question well. As part of the planning stage you now need to research the exact texts you will use in your response to the essay question.Texts have been selected but feel free to choose others that enable you to make your point best.Remember to comment on your thoughts for the future of the representation area being discussed and even attempt bring in some counter-arguments too.

PLANNINGSource 1: A case study (Popular Music) from the 1950s/1960s that

can be referred to in suggesting how youths are represented.

Source 3: A contemporary case study (of your choice) that can be referred to in suggesting how youths are represented today.

Source 2: A case study (British National Cinema) from the 1950s/1960s that can be referred to in suggesting how youths are

represented. .

Refer to a contemporary case study (of your choice) that can be referred to as a counter-argument.

Research ‘Cultural Imperialism’ and consider if you can bring that into your writing (especially when discussing Source1)

STRETCH AND CHALLENGE

IntroductionYour introduction will discuss the birth of youth culture (with particular reference to British youth culture).Therefore you must research how youth culture was born and how this opening paragraph will link to the discussion based on your first source (a Popular Music case study). http://britishrock.weebly.com/1-birth-of-teenage-culture-1950s-britian.html