Top Boy Opening

The opening of Top Boy presented many negative and positive points, focusing on the representation of the youth in this opening I identified a range of both through the clip we watched in class. An example of negative representation was the swearing, the image they had shown with their uniform being untidy even if they were at home. Some people see the untidy way they wore their uniform as being relaxed at home, however they walked into the home looking like that therefore indicating they walked home like they, we do not know if they looked untidy in or outside school. Furthermore they swore in the opening clip indicating they say rude things regularly as it seemed like they were speaking normally to each other, they may swore often at school or with more of their friends which is unknown to us but overall swearing gives an impression that a youth may be aggressive or rude and could speak directly at anyone using that language.

Some positive representation included how the young boy cared and worried for his mother as it was the first thing he thought of when he walked in, searching and checking in each room for her or signs of her. Once the boy told his friend he wanted to wait for his mother, he offered to accompany him like a good caring friend which shows how strong and friendly their relationship is. Showing these positive characteristics through the way he stayed with his friend as he waited for her to come home indicates there is good behind a sterotype that has been shown and assumed about the youth.

Top Boy the program itself involves swearing, reference to drugs and therefore create a bad image to the audience. The audience would assume the TV program is a normal TV show about the youth and to each individual normal is different. Normal is when they see the same thing again and again that it becomes expected and 'normal' and when something out of the blue occurs it throws people off. The audience for Top Boy would automatically assume characters they normally see through stereotypes. Medhurst would use stereotypes for a identification, to get a character type across quickly the audience however Alvarado's four stereo types of people from the black community being either Pity, Humorous, Dangerous or Exotic. Being in and urban area in England the audience would see them as dangerous which is giving them a false view upon people and could affect their attitude towards people they see everyday or in situations where they encounter an innocent black person but assume they are one of the four stereotypes in the theory. Perkins theory of how there is some truth behind a stereotype in many situation prove to be true however not every time which is negative as it may influence their view and opinions the entire black community to only fit into one or more of those four stereotype placing them into a box like figment of their mind and become 'normal' to viewers opposed to bringing equality and the idea of everyone being different.