All entries for Monday 11 July 2005
July 11, 2005
Channel 4 Documentary
Writing about web page http://www.channel4.com/history/
Last night I watched an excellent documentary on The History of the Working Class (Channel 4). Written and presented by Michael Collins (who grew up in inner-city London), the documentary tried to work out why the general consensus on the British working classes has sunk so low. Collins asked, 'Why have the salt of the earth become the scum of the earth?' The conclusions were interesting and seemed to based around a number of factors:
1. Inner city planners.
2. The portrayal of working class aspirations during the Thatcher government e.g. Harry Enfield – 'Loadsa Money'
3. Newspapers putting an entire class on trial for the sins of a minority within.
It was very interesting to see some kind of analysis of class-based prejudice as this is often ignored. I feel that a certain prejudice manifests itself through the use of terms like 'chav', which are demeaning to working class people.