MEST4 Coursework Blog.: January 2016

Words: 2003

“You’ve had an eventful day - bunking off school, buying alcohol illegally, defacing Carli's drive and insulting Neil's dad - have I missed anything?”

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

Works cited

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.

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

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

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220617/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Pierce, C. (2014, August 22). How the Inbetweeners came of age and conquered culture. Retrieved December 4, 2015, from http://yearofthewolf.com/2014/08/22/how-the-inbetweeners-came-of-age-and-conquered-culture/

Situation Comedy Genre. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2015, from http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/situation-comedy-genre/

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/

The Guardian (2009).The Inbetweeners is more realistic than Skins: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/apr/03/inbetweeners-skins-teen-realism

Wikipedia. (n.d.). The Inbetweeners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners

Works consulted:

Academic Books:

Bignell, J. (2002). Media semiotics: An introduction (2nd ed.). Manchester: Manchester University Press :.

Mallan, K. (2003). Youth cultures: Texts, images, and identities. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.

Provenzo, E. (2009). Encyclopedia of the social and cultural foundations of education. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Weight, R. (2013). Mod! From bebop to Britpop, Britain's biggest youth movement: Bodley Head

Warikoo, N. (2011). Balancing acts youth culture in the global city. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Vorhaus, J. (2012). The little book of sitcom: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Websites:

Alice Vincent: The Inbetweeners: 'Lad culture doesn’t represent young men in this country' (2014,). Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11253840/The-Inbetweeners-Lad-culture-doesnt-represent-young-men-in-this-country.html

Flanagan, K. (2013). Top Boy, Season 1. Retrieved from http://www.literarylondon.org/london-journal/spring2014/flanagan2.pdf

Haurdhan, M. (2011, November 26). Top Boy - the gritty truth of London gang culture - South West Londoner. Retrieved December 4, 2015, from http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/top-boy-the-gritty-truth-of-london-gang-culture/

Lucas, J. (2013). Channel 4's Top Boy slammed for reinforcing hood stereotypes. Retrieved from http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/channel-4’s-top-boy-slammed-reinforcing-hood-stereotypes

Porter, K. (2008). Underage drinking in Britain 'among worst in the world' Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/2140278/Underage-drinking-in-Britain-among-worst-in-the-world.html

Shelly. (2013, August 20). Gangs, guns and drug dealers: Was Top Boy's portrayal of life in Hackney too hackneyed and American? Or a harrowing insight into the youth of today ? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2398443/Gangs-guns-drug-dealer-Top-Boys-portrayal-life-Hackney-hackneyed-American-harrowing-insight-youth-today.html#ixzz3oXxgH17d

The Guardian (2011). Top Boy gets a mixed reception from Hackney's youth - http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/30/top-boy-reviewed-by-hackney-residents-panel

Tim Oglethorpe. (2011). It's Britain's biggest grossing out comedy -and it's REALLY gross. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2030234/The-Inbetweeners-movie-Britains-biggest-grossing-comedy-REALLY-gross.html

Wikipedia. (2009). The Inbetweeners. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners#Critical_reception

Filmography/ moving image:

The Inbetweeners (TV series), E4, 1 May 2008 – 18 October 2010, UK

“Bunk Off” – season 1, episode 2,

“The Fashion Show” – season 3, episode 1

Secondary text: Top Boy, Channel 4, 31 October to 3 November 2011

Historical text: Saved By The Bell, NBC, 1989 – 1993, U.S.

[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/

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