“Neil
Sutherland: I stopped believing in god when I realised it was just dog spelt
backwards.”
How accurately is youth culture represented in
'The Inbetweeners'?
Youth culture engages with issues
concerning the wider world. It also points out that for young people to make
sense of their identity and develop a sense of belonging. The issues for youth
culture cultivate towards the issues of drinking, the seriousness towards
education and changing attitudes towards society norms. These issues are most
prominent in “The Inbetweeners” (2008) a sitcom which reflects youth culture
with comedy purpose. The Inbetweeners is a differentiated comedy were the
sexual jokes over-exaggerated for comedy purposes and comically hints at
current issues which should be made aware in today’s society in order to create
moral panic; this is evident through the themes of partying and drinking. It’s
strongly debatable whether youth culture is a time for teenagers to “understand
and navigate their way through the world”[1] and
The Inbetweeners present four independent male students through their school
journey facing a variety of situations which are not just humorous but has a
moral for the audience to learn from. The characters are seen to “occupy that
twilight zone between adolescence and maturity[2]”
whereby the two themes of “the innocence of childhood[3]”
and “the financial independence of adulthood[4]”
are made prominent. The Inbetweeners is the only franchise which accurately
presents how British teenagers are in terms of their attitudes towards studies,
work and taking on adult responsibilities and displays “the social awkwardness
of unreciprocated crushes and embarrassing drunken misdemeanours is something
which almost everyone can relate to.[5]”
The Inbetweeners is a British sitcom
that aired in 2008 and the episodes involved
situations of “school bullying, broken family life, indifferent school staff, male bonding, and largely failed
sexual encounters.[6]”
There are many accurate representations as the characters could relate a lot to
British school boys as elements of their lifestyle, such as going to parties,
pulling girls and drinking, are all stereotypical acts of an average college
boy, especially in Britain. This relates to the Uses and Gratifications theory
by Blumler and Katz, who created the idea of media texts helping the audience
to relate or form their personal identity. The Inbetweeners is the focal point
of comedy for British youth and this is demonstrated mainly through the sexual
jokes and awkward interventions.
Throughout the show, it’s notable “Situation Comedies are a sub-genre of
TV Comedy because their primary intention is to entertain the audience the
through humour but by utilising a set of recognisable codes and conventions that
are explored[7].”
This is evident through having a different representation of each character in
the friendship group, which is a typical convention, for instance: Neil is the gullible
one, Jay is the joker, Will is the nerd and Simon is the one who’s in love. The
Inbetweeners doesn’t use typical features of a sitcom, for example there is no
canned laughter which is usually the main trait of a sitcom, however the use of
not having it differentiates The Inbetweeners and is a serious aspect which
makes it more of a show were you can learn from the mistakes, such as what
happens when you drink too much, as well as laughing along with it. The characters
all have relatable traits which the audience admires, this links to Richard
Dyer’s theory of Hegemony. This is most prominent through the character of Jay,
who is the joker of the group, his qualities are admirable as he’s the popular
one and the youth audience could relate to this, especially the males who
aspire to be popular in school. In contrast, Neil is submissive and is usually
the centre of many jokes, this could relate to people who are bullied in school
whereas The Inbetweeners show bullying with a comedic effect. The characters are “all
are essentially fairly predictable ‘types,’[8]”
The Inbetweeners generates the idea of a patriarchal society as the cast
is mostly male-dominated. The theory for characterisation to be considered is
binary oppositions contrasting males and females. It is evident that “humour derives from
contrasting those values[9]”
and in
particular Carly, Simon’s crush, is “positioned so that they admire the male
lead for his actions, and adopt his romantic/erotic view of the women.[10]” Carly seems to make
Simon appear more passionate and infatuated with her. For instance, in the first
season, second episode, named “Bunk Off” Simon continuing obsession for Carly
is made noticeable and humorous as he comes over to her house to serenade her
with his love but instead ends up drinking too much and pukes on Carly’s little
brother, therefore this creates more humour because of the heightened
awkwardness. In general, the “adolescents and young adults, particularly
those of high school and college age, engage in social situations which
pressure participants to drink far more alcohol than they would ever choose
without that pressure.[11]” This is evident from the
scene as Simon drinks more than he can handle in order to impress Carly.
Furthermore, it’s clear that Carly, is displayed as
an object of his affection. The fact she is white, has blond hair makes it more
prominent that she has traits of a typical attractive woman. Theorist Laura
Mulvey created the idea of the ‘male gaze’ and how “females are subject of
their (males) desiring gaze[12]”.
Also, The
Inbetweeners uses a modern and social school environment mostly which makes it
suburban and more realistic. Throughout the show, lighting is always high key
which reflects the light heartedness and crude humour in the show. It also
promotes that the awkward events are something to be laughed at and anchors the
show in the comedy genre. This is appealing to the target audience, which
consists of young people aged 15-25, who use this show for entertainment and
escapism, which links to theorists Blumler and Katz who stated that audiences
reach out and enjoy certain texts to escape everyday routine. The Guardian
states that the comedy used is “undeniably rude, but often hilarious[13]”
as the comedy exaggerates the social and emotional situations the four boys
encounter. The Inbetweeners theme song “Gone Up In Flames” is an upbeat, urban
rock song which reflects how society is changing and the urban realism.
Furthermore,
the idea of the superiority theory, laughing at the misfortunes of
others, is the most notable theory used throughout the show. Many British
comedies embed this theory, such as The Office, Peep Show and The Inbetweeners.
The characters majorly embarrass themselves throughout and this is most
prominently presented in Series 3, where there’s a school fashion show taking
place and Simon yet again tries to impress Carly; during the finale Simon
suffers a major wardrobe malefaction exposing more than his confidence. The
audience tends to laugh at Simon’s mistake because of his self-ignorance and
the fact his genitals are shown heightens the comedy. It’s possible that “the "average" group of friends find
themselves in all sorts of awkward, embarrassing and often hilarious moments which
all of us would have probably encountered some time or another in our teen
years.[14]”
However, it could be
argued that the witty crude humour in The Inbetweeners gives a negative representation
of youth culture in the UK. It is evident that loads of foul language and
sexual jokes are made throughout, for instance in season one, episode four: the
boys are all bunking from school and decide to get drunk at Neil’s house; the
boys are always mocking Neil’s dad’s sexuality as they assume he is homosexual.
As Neil’s dad arrives home Will, the nerd of the group, who is intoxicated,
randomly yells out “bumbder” a mix of the words “bummer and bender” which are
part of British slang. The disrespect factor depicts how the youth are out of
control as typically it’s seen as wrong to disrespect somebody else’s parents.
The word “bumbder” is memorable and is hilarious in some aspects, but it makes
it seem as if British teenagers have no respect and it could be interpreted
that the “sexist jokes are damaging to society.[15]”
because they are overly explicit.
Also, it’s been considered that The Inbetweeners
doesn’t “represent young men in this country.[16]”
This is because the show is described as a “British rip-off of The Hangover 2[17]”
where the boys swear and get drunk as well as being able to “unaccountably
attract a quartet of physically attractive young women by doing so[18].”
It could be argued that the typical lad culture presented in The Inbetweeners,
which is done through the use of British accents and British slang, doesn’t
entirely represent the youth in this country. Critic, James Buckely from The
Telegraph stated how “most young
men, or the ones I know, are quite nice and normal and good people.[19]”
The area for debate also remains whether or not The
Inbetweeners presents the social realism of British society. In the secondary
text, ‘Top Boy’ which is British
television crime drama displays the more surreal wider issues and concerns
about the youth: such as gangs, gun crime and selling drugs. This show
demonstrates the struggles of single-parent families and neglected children and
gives a more realistic view on what British youth is about due to the exploitations
of crime and the gritty truth of poverty in the UK. At this very moment, youth
unemployment is at 1.2 million and Top Boy demonstrates how “selling drugs is seen as a reliable income
to many youth[20].”
In addition, The Inbetweeners could be seen to create moral panics. This
is because the show could influence teenagers to be focussed on
partying, rather than studying. The hyperreality of society generates an image
of a generation which is fragmented as priorities lie high with alcohol and
having a fun time, rather than preparing teenagers for their future. Also, The
Inbetweeners is “based around theme of sex” which ultimately breaks “social
taboos[21].”
In comparison, my historical text, American sitcom ‘Saved by the Bell’ helps
to highlight the differences in American culture vs British culture. Saved by the Bell is an American
television sitcom that aired on NBC from 1989 to 1993. The show is full of light-hearted comedic situations which sometimes
touches on social issues, i.e. drug use. The
Inbetweeners cast are all white, British males. In Saved by the Bell, there is
a variety of ethnicities and both male and female characters in the group. This
could demonstrate how the British culture are more of a patriarchal society,
whereas the American society are more relaxed and open-minded to both
genders. Saved by the Bell has a group of friends who are like a "family"
and this depicts how British comedy is more explicit and this is evident in The
Inbetweeners through the consistent swearing and the use of sexual innuendos.
American programmes are very traditional is terms of embracing family values,
British comedy is more scatological as people in Britain are more unprejudiced and
liberal.
Furthermore, in
today’s society the youth are not as restricted and this is most evident as the
boys have no boundaries. This shows hardly presents the
lives of the boys’ parents and this reflects how the youth of today are more
independent. Also, in today’s society is it noticed that slang is used more
broadly, compared to twenty years ago. This generation of teenagers described
as “having more freedom” and “appeared to have more money to spend[22]” and
this is evident as the boys have no restrictions and proves how youth culture
in a modern day society allows teens to have more freedom.
To conclude, The
Inbetweeners accurately presents what teenagers of today’s society are like. The
idea of living in a “culture of exploitation[23]”
where the youth exposed for their misdemeanours, such as underage drinking.
This relates to the majority of the target audience as they’d be faced with the
same social issues. The Inbetweeners sitcom was a success, gaining an 8.4/10
rating from IMDB and Bwark productions made two movies out of the show. This is
because “people truly connect with it[24]”
and the obstacles the characters faced.
Bibliography
Websites:
Amy Croffey
for Daily Mail Australia. (2014, August 14). 'I won't let them watch it!'
Inbetweeners star James Buckley thinks it'll be too embarrassing for his boys
and dreads to think about them ever turning out like Jay. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2724516/Inbetweeners-star-James-Buckley-thinks-itll-embarrassing-boys-dreads-think-turning-like-Jay.html
Top Boy - the
gritty truth of London gang culture - South West Londoner. (2011, November 26).
Retrieved from http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/top-boy-the-gritty-truth-of-london-gang-culture/
Chris Tookey.
(2011). A triumph for Britain's yob culture. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-2030224/The-Inbetweeners-Movie-A-triumph-Britains-yob-culture.html
IMDB. (2009).
The Inbetweeners Reviews. Retrieved from
Situation
Comedy Genre. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2015, from http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/situation-comedy-genre/
The Guardian
(2009).The Inbetweeners is more realistic than Skins: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/apr/03/inbetweeners-skins-teen-realism
Year of The Wolf. (2014). How the
Inbetweeners came of age and conquered culture: http://yearofthewolf.com/2014/08/22/how-the-inbetweeners-came-of-age-and-conquered-culture/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). The Inbetweeners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners
Books:
Falk, G.,
& Falk, U. (2005). Youth culture and the generation gap. New York, N.Y.:
Algora.
Gauntlett, D.
(2002). Media, gender, and identity: An introduction. London: Routledge.
Royle, E.,
& Ebrary, I. (2012). Modern Britain: A Social History, 1750-2010. (3rd
ed.). New York: Bloomsbury Publishing;.
S, J. (1995). Youth culture in
late modernity. London: Sage Publications.
Steinberg, S.
(2005). Contemporary Youth Culture [2 volumes]: An International Encyclopedia.
[1]
Steinberg, S. (2005). Contemporary Youth Culture [2 volumes]: An International
Encyclopedia. pg.25
[2] How the
Inbetweeners came of age and conquered culture. (2014, August 22). Retrieved
from
http://yearofthewolf.com/2014/08/22/how-the-inbetweeners-came-of-age-and-conquered-culture/
[3] ibid
[4] Ibid
[5]
Ibid
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners
[7]
Situation Comedy Genre. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2015, from
http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/situation-comedy-genre/
[8]
How
the Inbetweeners came of age and conquered culture. (2014, August 22).
Retrieved from
http://yearofthewolf.com/2014/08/22/how-the-inbetweeners-came-of-age-and-conquered-culture/
[9]
Bignell, J. (2002). Media semiotics: An introduction (2nd ed.). Manchester:
Manchester University Press
[10]
Gauntlett, D. (2002). Media, gender, and identity: An introduction. London:
Routledge. Pg. 39
[11]
Falk, G., & Falk, U. (2005). Youth culture and the generation gap. New
York, N.Y.: Algora. Pg. 42
[12]
Gauntlett, D. (2002). Media, gender, and identity: An introduction. London:
Routledge. Pg. 38
[13]
The Guardian (2009).The Inbetweeners is more realistic than Skins http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/apr/03/inbetweeners-skins-teen-realism
[14]
IMDB. (2009). The Inbetweeners Reviews. Retrieved from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220617/?ref_=nv_sr_2
[15]
Media Magazine – April 2010 – MM32
[16]
Chris Tookey. (2011). A triumph for Britain's yob culture. Retrieved from
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-2030224/The-Inbetweeners-Movie-A-triumph-Britains-yob-culture.html
[17]
Ibid
[18]
Ibid
[19]
Amy Croffey for Daily Mail Australia. (2014, August 14). 'I won't let them
watch it!' Inbetweeners star James Buckley thinks it'll be too embarrassing for
his boys and dreads to think about them ever turning out like Jay.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2724516/Inbetweeners-star-James-Buckley-thinks-itll-embarrassing-boys-dreads-think-turning-like-Jay.html
[20]
Top Boy - the gritty truth of London gang culture - South West Londoner. (2011,
November 26). Retrieved from
http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/top-boy-the-gritty-truth-of-london-gang-culture/
[21]
Media Magazine – April 2010 – MM32
[22]
Royle, E., & Ebrary, I. (2012). Modern Britain:
A Social History, 1750-2010. (3rd ed.). New York: Bloomsbury Publishing;. Pg. 334
[23]
S, J. (1995). Youth culture in late modernity. London: Sage Publications.
Pg. 42
[24]
How
the Inbetweeners came of age and conquered culture. (2014, August 22).
Retrieved from http://yearofthewolf.com/2014/08/22/how-the-inbetweeners-came-of-age-and-conquered-culture/
