Controversity in Representing Ethnic Diversity.

The producer of Midsummer Murders has said that the part of the show's appeal is the absence of ethnic minorities and that the series wouldn't work if there was any racial diversity in the village life. He has been suspended for the comments he made however it rises the question whether ethnic diversity should be represented or whether the creators should be allowed the choice to exclude ethnically diverse characters.

Since 9/11 political issues are frequently involved when we see certain ethnic groups represented. Religion is a key signifier here. Religious figures being negatively represented and secular (non-religious) figures are treated more positively. The most negative stereotype of Muslim, Asian/Middle Eastern characters is similar to the old stereotype of the Northern Irish. (violent/backwards/deeply religious/fanatical)

More sympathetic representations may focus on issues of social class and status however working class black youths are commonly stereotyped as criminal, a stereotype that is spreading to Asian youths too.

With black youths in particular there is often a representation of heavily Americanised characters through language, dress and musical tastes for example. There may also be white racist characters to deal with.

Are different ethnic groups represented as having more in common than they do differences?
Sometimes ethnic groups are grouped together to make it easier to identify as a larger group e.g. black/Asian/white groups may be grouped together when representing teenagers

However sometimes TV dramas will use the stereotypical differences between ethnic groups to help the audience identify the group/character and their part in the story in a short amount of time.

Representation of Ethnicity.

Extract from Misfits --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcngcqA6zHw&feature=channel

There are lots of different representations of ethnicity in this TV drama.

This is Curtis. He portrays the typical stereotype of black British teenagers because he is doing community service for being caught with drugs and he seems blase about getting a criminal record in this extract because his anwser to what he has learnt is "Don't get caught". However he is often seen wearing a Cross on a chain around his neck connotes that he consciously aware that it was wrong and he is feeling guilty about his actions. He is an ex-athlete which represents another typical stereotype.

Nathan is Irish. He is portrayed as quite a sarcastic, insensitive character. He doesn't get on with his Dad and his Mum has kicked him out of the house. He represents the typical Irish stereotype with his funny charm. He is quite confident and laid back which is a typical Irish quality and he is not afraid to speak his mind.

Kelly is labelled a "Chav" by the others, she is quite a gobby and aggressive character and will often jump into defensive mode if anyone crosses her. She doesn't use proper English and often talks quite loudly. She wears hair tied back tightly in a ponytail to the side of her head and often wears large gold hoop earrings and other gold jewellery. Her superpower is the ability to read minds which shows a different side to the character and challenges the stereotype of Chavs and that she does actually care what people think of her.

Alisha is represented as slightly more glamorous than Kelly as she wears more feminine clothes. She is very aware of her attraction and likes the male attention she gets. She is representaed as a street-wise confident character.