“Finally a programme that represents Asians properly.”[1]
How accurately are Asians represented in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee?’
Since the mass isolation of Asians in inner city urban areas in the 1970s, they have come a long way both on and off-screen. Asians as a social group now comprise ‘3.5% of the population’[2], however this is disproportionately represented on-screen with Asians and other ethnic minorities often playing the roles of ‘token’[3] characters and rarely those of protagonists. Nevertheless, newspapers such as the Guardians have produced a list called “The most powerful Asians in the media” with Meera Syal being at number two. Syal has been a figurehead in creating the now well established British Asian genre by for example scripting the coming of age film ‘Anita and Me’ (Metin Huseyin, 2002) and producing and starring in ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ (BBC, 1998) This was hugely successful appealing to a multicultural audience evident from its transfer from BBC2, mainly catering for niche needs, to BBC1, clearly for a mass mainstream audience. Although such success, economically and in terms of raising awareness has ensured the rise of the ‘brown pound,’[4] it has more often than not been based on cliché stereotypes and light-hearted humour as if ‘laughing was the best medicine’[5] which is epitomised from shows such as ‘Mind Your Language’ (ITV, 1977) and more contemporary shows such as ‘The Kumars at no.42’ (BBC, 2001). However, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee,’ (BBC, 2005) an adaptation of Meera Syal’s novel, in many respects offers a refreshing, cliché free and post modern twist on what it is really like growing up as a second generation British Asian. Perhaps this is an accurate representation of Asians in 21st century British society, as opposed to the farce of the Ferreiras on Eastenders (2003).
‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ in many respects is a post modern follw-up to films such as ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ (Gurinder Chadha, 1993) which marked the creation of a British Asian genre. As opposed to ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ and ‘Anita and Me’ (Metin Huseyin, 2002), ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is a three part drama series which reflects a world with more depth and sophistication compared to films. ‘Interest in British Asian culture has reached critical mass’[6] and this is reflected in the nature of the drama as a flagship programme, commissioned via BBC at 9pm. Thus proving that the British Asian genre is now firmly ingrained in mainstream British media, however this is not justifation of accurate representation or even that the rise of the ‘bown pound’ is being fully acknowledged and ‘targeted properly by British Advertising.’[7]
Meera Syal is a key protagonist in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ which is an adaptation of her best selling novel. Whilst it lightheartedly deals with the culture clash between Indian values and liberal British society, it was never intended by Syal to be targeted at the niche Asian audience but on the contrary, a mainstream audience with a ranging socio-econonmic profile. Although it can be argued that it caters for a more female audience by dealing with typical feminine issues such as friendship, marriage and betrayal. Nevertheless, Syal states that through the adaptation of her novel she was attempting to get away from the assumption that ‘anything featuring us Asians has to be issues based, which is why the focus is very much on universal emotional experiences.’[8] However, ultimately it is an all-Asian cast being shown on BBC1 which is a public service broadcaster with a remit to inform, educate and entertain and thus has an obligation to represent Asians fairly and accurately. Significantly the BBC has been under recent scruity for ‘still showing its hideously white face’[9] for a supposed instituiton which should be promoting a multicultural Britain and therefore has an even greater obligation to ensure ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ was received with a preferred reading.
Previous shows such as ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘Kumars at no.42’ also starred Meera Syal, however were riddled with ‘racial clowns’[10] and cliché humour. Whilst these shows were highly successful, it was stereotypically through lighthearted humour and outdated representaions of Asians. On the other hand, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is a stark contrast which deals with universal issues ‘regardless of race.’[11] The three female protagonists are questionning their identities, just like all women, and on their emotional journeys they are susceptible to the ‘male gaze’[12] proving they are not an alien section of British society. For instance the audience positioning at times is clearly from a male perspective. Not only do we sexually objectify Meera Syal with her new stylish hair-do and revealing clothes as a viewer, but on-screen males identify with her by whistling at her in the street. Furthermore, they show no anxiety as Meera holds an umbrella; an overt phallic object to substitute for her castration which at first is threatening for a male audience. By Asian women being shown as subjects of the male gaze, it successfully attempts to show this ethnic group as being equally integrated into western society as any other. They experience objectification and are therefore no different from other women. In this perspective, the ‘male gaze’ can be seen as positive psychoanalysis by giving an accurate representation of British Asians, which is why it appeals to a mainstream audience as a flagship programme.
On the other hand, Chila exemplifies a typical representation of Asians and more so of a woman. She is a sweet fantasist who has dreamed about nothing but happy family life and is what she expects when she gets married to prince charming. There are continious medium shots of Chila in the kitchen cooking and cleaning and even once she was shown wearing a white suit connoting innocence and purity as if this ‘madonna’ representation was holy to her. Whilst the drama is absent from overt racial clowns, Chila is the only protagonist who has an Indian accent despite growing up in Britain like Sunita and Tania. Thus proving that the drama still relies on cliché humour to satisfy the dominant white audiences who are more than familiar with this non-threatening representation of a modern day ‘racial clown.’ Instead of promoting and celebrating multicultruaism, the BBC has once again ‘played to people’s prejudices’ rather than ‘sitting on the fence.’[13] In this perspective, the BBC have not rectified the farce of the Ferrerias who were branded ‘unbelievale and unrealistic’[14] as a poorly researched portrayal of Asians on a mainstream soap.
Furthermore, Chila is the only woman who uses patois namely being ‘innit’[15] as the infamous London/Southall tag. Hence conforming to a typical representation of Asians whose language and style is noticeably different and often inferior to that of ‘white’ hegemonic culture. Yet, by episode three the emotional journey of Chila has proved to be a life-changing experience for her. The media language of a particular scene subverts general assumptions of a woman and more specifically of Asian women. As her voiceover says " I learnt more in those 3 months than i did at 10 years of school." The voiceover is accompanied with Chila on a stool with a torch fixing the fuse. Women are not typically associated to DIY and is definetly not typical of Chila who has only ever dreamt of happy family life. Moreover, we see Chila from a low angle inclining the audience to extol her as a reformed well-rounded person by rejecting patriachal values and comes across in a more feminist light. Throughout this scene we see many subversions of the characters where we may have assumed their personalities at the outset of the drama series. We are able to empathise with them and therefore this scene can be seen as part of the pluralist model; satisfying us with many representations of the characters therefore painting a realistic picture of British Asian life as rejecting some of the rigid cultural values which exist in Indian culture today.
The rejection of patriarchal values is perhaps an accurate representation of British Asians as the notion of a ‘new man’[16] has infiltrated Indian culture as much as any other. Deepak expresses his deep paternal instincts as he kidnaps his own baby from Chila, whilst Akaash looks after the children so Sunita can go out with her friends. In this perspective ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is a portrayal of the ‘Third Space of Enunciation'[17] whereby second generation Asians both ‘reaffirm and challenge parental traditions’ by immersing themselves into western culture. This cultural hybridity and fusion of two cultures is celebrated in this text thus proving the non-existence of post-colonialism.
Nonetheless, it is neither plausible to say it is an accurate representation as Asians have been the victim of lazy stereotyping since their mass immigration in the 1970s. ‘Mind Your Language’ (ITV,1977) is a prime example which although may have been a ‘light-hearted take on multiculturalism,’ in fact tapped into real social, political and economical anxieties which were fuelled by the rise of the National Front. ‘This led to the setting up of Southall Youth Movement (SYM), whose members broke with what they saw as their parents’ pacifism and reluctance to cause trouble.’[18] Such a social revolution of attitudes amongst Asian youth of the 1970s has indeed resulted in more awareness of Asian culture with the emergence of various figureheads such as Meera Syal, Gurinder Chadha, Talvin Singh and many more. ‘The emergence and vibrancy of new forms of social, cultural and political strategies enshrines a transnational focus and open attitude towards difference and diversity’[19] hence mainstream British culture is no longer synonymous with ‘white’.
Yet such stereotypes did not stop there. ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ although successfully attempts making the white viewer ‘The Other;’ it is reminiscent of humour at their own expense as if only through humour do they get on-screen representation. Immediately after the 7/7 bombings there was a ‘600% increase in racist attacks. Every Muslim, and person who might be 'seen as Muslim', must now fear that the latest alleged plot will lead to another rise in racism.,’[20] yet stereotypical representations continue to be rife in a time when clarity and understanding should be most prominent. However, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is therefore a refreshing text which concentrates on relative issues rather than those which are topical.
The BBC’s tackle with racial diversity formalised with the Cultural Diversity Network (CDN) 2000 is although theoretically attainable is as inneffective off-screen than it is on-screen. As an ethnic minority attempting to immerse yourself into a corporation like the BBC which is dominnated by male Oxbridge-culture means you ‘must act, think and speak the same which is then promoted as diversity.’[21] The characters in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ particularly Tania has no affiliation with her culture to the extent of having rare contact with her family. Perhaps by reducing the ‘cultural’ aspect of the drama was it able to be shown on a mainstream channel at prime time; had it been any more ‘ethnic’ it would have been more likely to be shown on Channel 4. Thus advertising and marketing of the programme stressed it appealing to ‘universal emotions.’ In retalliation some Asians have shown discontent in that it was ‘void of any moral message, had no class or taste and gave the impression that Indian lives are based on immorality, broken relationships, and sex.’[22]
Moreover, potential ethnic minority audiences are being won over by cable and satellite television such as Zee TV inadvertently expressing deep feeling of under-representation on terrestrial channels. Perhaps ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee hee’ was an adequate counteract to gaining lost audiences and so catering for the ‘brown pound.’ After all, ‘the media must stop seeing themselves as mainstream and others as 'niche' if they want a bigger ethnic minority audience[23]"
When discussing the accuracy of any social group being portrayed in the media, it must be remembered that the media is unfortunately not driven by moral concern but profit and economics. Noam Chomsky, a neo-Marxist, sees the relationship between profit-seeking media organisations and governments as one of ‘mutual interest in supporting the status quo and this acts as a form of social control’[24] Whilst the BBC has a purposeful remit, they still ultimately comprise part of the elite Furthermore, this confirms that the representation of Asians in the drama series are limited and confirms mass opinion of Asian culture as rigid and wary of the ‘other’ via the humour used merely enhancing existing stereotypes to ensure they remain pigeonholed and dont break out of their 'false class consciousness.' Issues portrayed such as friendship and betrayal diverts attention from the fact that they are part of the aspiring 'proletariat.' However, it should not be assumed that Asians are pumped with dominant ideologies unknowingly since the hypodermic needle model theory, founded by the Frankfurt School in the 1930s, is losing its’ potency with an increasing media literate second and third generation Asian audience. Therefore, the representation of Asians in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is open to interpretation and does not necessarily conform to one stereotype and defy the other; in fact it is a typical post modern text offering a range of representations which cannot be neatly cateogorised.
Asian culture contributes fashion, food and entertainment to Britain on a whole new level; promoting a strong sense of unity and multiculturism as opposed to the days of the National Front. With better education and jobs ‘many are moving to the suburbs, country towns and villages, a reversal of the 1980s trends.’[25] Thus proving full integration in a successful melting pot society, despite the increase in fundamentalism and the sensationalist media coverage it recieves. ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ in this respect is an accurate reflection of such a social, political and economical situation; although these aspects are fickle. Nevertheless, it should not be assumed ‘that if there is an Asian story it is meant to represent Asians on a whole. Surely not all white people are like the Millers from EastEnders.’[26] It is impossible for only a few voices to reflect that of two million Asians and have only a few gatekeepers who pretend to represent all Asians. Not even documentaries can reflect reality after the process of mediation and so a drama series should not bear such a burden to do so. Yet if the public pay for a license, there is no reason why they should not expect reasonable representation of their community. After all, the media is a fourth estate from a pluralist perspective and so should fulfil its’ obligation to society.
To conclude, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ challenges many dominant ideologies and expectations that every text in the media including Asians must be issue based. The adaptation of Meera Syal’s novel although uses humour echoing that of shows such as ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘Kumars at no.42’ it is not so excessively used as they are clearly tried and tested formulas. Instead, the characters debunk myths and poke fun at Indian traditions which is entertaining both for Asian and non-Asian audiences. Whilst no representation of any ethnic/social group in the media can be expected to be ‘accurate,’ ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is perhaps the closest thing to it promoting multiculturalism and celebrating cultural hybridity.
Works cited
Moving Image Texts
“Mind Your Language” dir. Stuart Allen (1977)
“Bhaji on the Beach” dir Gurinder Chadha (1993)
“Goodness Gracious Me” starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Syal (1998)
“Anita and Me” dir. Metin Huseyin (2002)
“Bend it like Beckham” dir Gurinder Chadha (2002)
“Kumars at no.42” starring Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal(2002)
“Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee” starring Meera Syal, Laila Rouass and Ayesha Dharkar (2005)
Newspapers/Magazines
“The Guardian” - “Minorities up 40%, census reveals”, Thursday September 4 2003
“The Guardian” – “BBC still showing ‘hideously white’ face,” Monday May 13, 2002
Websites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1859506,00.html
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2006/452/index.html?id=mp4.htm.
http://parisjolie.com/has-the-new-man-a5.html
http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/3560
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1467
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,738309,00.html?
http://www.redhotcurry.com/views/asians1.htm
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/818
http://www.bl.uk/collections/business/asiandemographics.html
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1135
Books
Chomsky, Noam (1999): Profit over People, London: Turnaround
Gillespie, Marie (1995): Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change. London: Routledge.
South Asian Popular Culture (2005). London: Routeledge, 2005
Bhaba, Homi (2004): The Location of Culture. New York: Routledge Classics.
Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ London.
Hall, Stuart (1997) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications
Malik, Sarita (2002): Representing Black Britain. London: Sage Publications.
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
[2]http://www.bl.uk/collections/business/asiandemographics.html
[3]http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1135
[4] http://www.redhotcurry.com/views/asians1.htm
[5] ‘Representing Black Britain’, Sarita Malik, 2002
[6] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,738309,00.html?
[7] http://www.redhotcurry.com/views/asians1.htm
[8]http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/818
[9] ‘The Guardian,’ Monday May 13, 2002
[10] ‘Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse,’ Stuart Hall, 1973
[11] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
[12] ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,’ Laura Mulvey, 1975
[13]http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1467
[14] http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/3560
[15] ‘Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change’, Marie Gillespie, 1995
[16] http://parisjolie.com/has-the-new-man-a5.html
[17] ‘The Location of Culture,’ Homi Bhabha, 2004
[18] ‘Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change’, Marie Gillespie, 1995
[19] ‘South Asian Popular Culture,’ Routeledge, 2005
[20] http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2006/452/index.html?id=mp4.htm.
[21] ‘The Guardian,’ Monday May 13, 2002
[22] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
[23] http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1859506,00.html
[24] Profit over People, Noam Chomsky, 1999
[25] The Guardian, Thursday September 4 2003
[26] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
How accurately are Asians represented in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee?’
Since the mass isolation of Asians in inner city urban areas in the 1970s, they have come a long way both on and off-screen. Asians as a social group now comprise ‘3.5% of the population’[2], however this is disproportionately represented on-screen with Asians and other ethnic minorities often playing the roles of ‘token’[3] characters and rarely those of protagonists. Nevertheless, newspapers such as the Guardians have produced a list called “The most powerful Asians in the media” with Meera Syal being at number two. Syal has been a figurehead in creating the now well established British Asian genre by for example scripting the coming of age film ‘Anita and Me’ (Metin Huseyin, 2002) and producing and starring in ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ (BBC, 1998) This was hugely successful appealing to a multicultural audience evident from its transfer from BBC2, mainly catering for niche needs, to BBC1, clearly for a mass mainstream audience. Although such success, economically and in terms of raising awareness has ensured the rise of the ‘brown pound,’[4] it has more often than not been based on cliché stereotypes and light-hearted humour as if ‘laughing was the best medicine’[5] which is epitomised from shows such as ‘Mind Your Language’ (ITV, 1977) and more contemporary shows such as ‘The Kumars at no.42’ (BBC, 2001). However, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee,’ (BBC, 2005) an adaptation of Meera Syal’s novel, in many respects offers a refreshing, cliché free and post modern twist on what it is really like growing up as a second generation British Asian. Perhaps this is an accurate representation of Asians in 21st century British society, as opposed to the farce of the Ferreiras on Eastenders (2003).
‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ in many respects is a post modern follw-up to films such as ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ (Gurinder Chadha, 1993) which marked the creation of a British Asian genre. As opposed to ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ and ‘Anita and Me’ (Metin Huseyin, 2002), ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is a three part drama series which reflects a world with more depth and sophistication compared to films. ‘Interest in British Asian culture has reached critical mass’[6] and this is reflected in the nature of the drama as a flagship programme, commissioned via BBC at 9pm. Thus proving that the British Asian genre is now firmly ingrained in mainstream British media, however this is not justifation of accurate representation or even that the rise of the ‘bown pound’ is being fully acknowledged and ‘targeted properly by British Advertising.’[7]
Meera Syal is a key protagonist in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ which is an adaptation of her best selling novel. Whilst it lightheartedly deals with the culture clash between Indian values and liberal British society, it was never intended by Syal to be targeted at the niche Asian audience but on the contrary, a mainstream audience with a ranging socio-econonmic profile. Although it can be argued that it caters for a more female audience by dealing with typical feminine issues such as friendship, marriage and betrayal. Nevertheless, Syal states that through the adaptation of her novel she was attempting to get away from the assumption that ‘anything featuring us Asians has to be issues based, which is why the focus is very much on universal emotional experiences.’[8] However, ultimately it is an all-Asian cast being shown on BBC1 which is a public service broadcaster with a remit to inform, educate and entertain and thus has an obligation to represent Asians fairly and accurately. Significantly the BBC has been under recent scruity for ‘still showing its hideously white face’[9] for a supposed instituiton which should be promoting a multicultural Britain and therefore has an even greater obligation to ensure ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ was received with a preferred reading.
Previous shows such as ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘Kumars at no.42’ also starred Meera Syal, however were riddled with ‘racial clowns’[10] and cliché humour. Whilst these shows were highly successful, it was stereotypically through lighthearted humour and outdated representaions of Asians. On the other hand, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is a stark contrast which deals with universal issues ‘regardless of race.’[11] The three female protagonists are questionning their identities, just like all women, and on their emotional journeys they are susceptible to the ‘male gaze’[12] proving they are not an alien section of British society. For instance the audience positioning at times is clearly from a male perspective. Not only do we sexually objectify Meera Syal with her new stylish hair-do and revealing clothes as a viewer, but on-screen males identify with her by whistling at her in the street. Furthermore, they show no anxiety as Meera holds an umbrella; an overt phallic object to substitute for her castration which at first is threatening for a male audience. By Asian women being shown as subjects of the male gaze, it successfully attempts to show this ethnic group as being equally integrated into western society as any other. They experience objectification and are therefore no different from other women. In this perspective, the ‘male gaze’ can be seen as positive psychoanalysis by giving an accurate representation of British Asians, which is why it appeals to a mainstream audience as a flagship programme.
On the other hand, Chila exemplifies a typical representation of Asians and more so of a woman. She is a sweet fantasist who has dreamed about nothing but happy family life and is what she expects when she gets married to prince charming. There are continious medium shots of Chila in the kitchen cooking and cleaning and even once she was shown wearing a white suit connoting innocence and purity as if this ‘madonna’ representation was holy to her. Whilst the drama is absent from overt racial clowns, Chila is the only protagonist who has an Indian accent despite growing up in Britain like Sunita and Tania. Thus proving that the drama still relies on cliché humour to satisfy the dominant white audiences who are more than familiar with this non-threatening representation of a modern day ‘racial clown.’ Instead of promoting and celebrating multicultruaism, the BBC has once again ‘played to people’s prejudices’ rather than ‘sitting on the fence.’[13] In this perspective, the BBC have not rectified the farce of the Ferrerias who were branded ‘unbelievale and unrealistic’[14] as a poorly researched portrayal of Asians on a mainstream soap.
Furthermore, Chila is the only woman who uses patois namely being ‘innit’[15] as the infamous London/Southall tag. Hence conforming to a typical representation of Asians whose language and style is noticeably different and often inferior to that of ‘white’ hegemonic culture. Yet, by episode three the emotional journey of Chila has proved to be a life-changing experience for her. The media language of a particular scene subverts general assumptions of a woman and more specifically of Asian women. As her voiceover says " I learnt more in those 3 months than i did at 10 years of school." The voiceover is accompanied with Chila on a stool with a torch fixing the fuse. Women are not typically associated to DIY and is definetly not typical of Chila who has only ever dreamt of happy family life. Moreover, we see Chila from a low angle inclining the audience to extol her as a reformed well-rounded person by rejecting patriachal values and comes across in a more feminist light. Throughout this scene we see many subversions of the characters where we may have assumed their personalities at the outset of the drama series. We are able to empathise with them and therefore this scene can be seen as part of the pluralist model; satisfying us with many representations of the characters therefore painting a realistic picture of British Asian life as rejecting some of the rigid cultural values which exist in Indian culture today.
The rejection of patriarchal values is perhaps an accurate representation of British Asians as the notion of a ‘new man’[16] has infiltrated Indian culture as much as any other. Deepak expresses his deep paternal instincts as he kidnaps his own baby from Chila, whilst Akaash looks after the children so Sunita can go out with her friends. In this perspective ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is a portrayal of the ‘Third Space of Enunciation'[17] whereby second generation Asians both ‘reaffirm and challenge parental traditions’ by immersing themselves into western culture. This cultural hybridity and fusion of two cultures is celebrated in this text thus proving the non-existence of post-colonialism.
Nonetheless, it is neither plausible to say it is an accurate representation as Asians have been the victim of lazy stereotyping since their mass immigration in the 1970s. ‘Mind Your Language’ (ITV,1977) is a prime example which although may have been a ‘light-hearted take on multiculturalism,’ in fact tapped into real social, political and economical anxieties which were fuelled by the rise of the National Front. ‘This led to the setting up of Southall Youth Movement (SYM), whose members broke with what they saw as their parents’ pacifism and reluctance to cause trouble.’[18] Such a social revolution of attitudes amongst Asian youth of the 1970s has indeed resulted in more awareness of Asian culture with the emergence of various figureheads such as Meera Syal, Gurinder Chadha, Talvin Singh and many more. ‘The emergence and vibrancy of new forms of social, cultural and political strategies enshrines a transnational focus and open attitude towards difference and diversity’[19] hence mainstream British culture is no longer synonymous with ‘white’.
Yet such stereotypes did not stop there. ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ although successfully attempts making the white viewer ‘The Other;’ it is reminiscent of humour at their own expense as if only through humour do they get on-screen representation. Immediately after the 7/7 bombings there was a ‘600% increase in racist attacks. Every Muslim, and person who might be 'seen as Muslim', must now fear that the latest alleged plot will lead to another rise in racism.,’[20] yet stereotypical representations continue to be rife in a time when clarity and understanding should be most prominent. However, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is therefore a refreshing text which concentrates on relative issues rather than those which are topical.
The BBC’s tackle with racial diversity formalised with the Cultural Diversity Network (CDN) 2000 is although theoretically attainable is as inneffective off-screen than it is on-screen. As an ethnic minority attempting to immerse yourself into a corporation like the BBC which is dominnated by male Oxbridge-culture means you ‘must act, think and speak the same which is then promoted as diversity.’[21] The characters in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ particularly Tania has no affiliation with her culture to the extent of having rare contact with her family. Perhaps by reducing the ‘cultural’ aspect of the drama was it able to be shown on a mainstream channel at prime time; had it been any more ‘ethnic’ it would have been more likely to be shown on Channel 4. Thus advertising and marketing of the programme stressed it appealing to ‘universal emotions.’ In retalliation some Asians have shown discontent in that it was ‘void of any moral message, had no class or taste and gave the impression that Indian lives are based on immorality, broken relationships, and sex.’[22]
Moreover, potential ethnic minority audiences are being won over by cable and satellite television such as Zee TV inadvertently expressing deep feeling of under-representation on terrestrial channels. Perhaps ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee hee’ was an adequate counteract to gaining lost audiences and so catering for the ‘brown pound.’ After all, ‘the media must stop seeing themselves as mainstream and others as 'niche' if they want a bigger ethnic minority audience[23]"
When discussing the accuracy of any social group being portrayed in the media, it must be remembered that the media is unfortunately not driven by moral concern but profit and economics. Noam Chomsky, a neo-Marxist, sees the relationship between profit-seeking media organisations and governments as one of ‘mutual interest in supporting the status quo and this acts as a form of social control’[24] Whilst the BBC has a purposeful remit, they still ultimately comprise part of the elite Furthermore, this confirms that the representation of Asians in the drama series are limited and confirms mass opinion of Asian culture as rigid and wary of the ‘other’ via the humour used merely enhancing existing stereotypes to ensure they remain pigeonholed and dont break out of their 'false class consciousness.' Issues portrayed such as friendship and betrayal diverts attention from the fact that they are part of the aspiring 'proletariat.' However, it should not be assumed that Asians are pumped with dominant ideologies unknowingly since the hypodermic needle model theory, founded by the Frankfurt School in the 1930s, is losing its’ potency with an increasing media literate second and third generation Asian audience. Therefore, the representation of Asians in ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is open to interpretation and does not necessarily conform to one stereotype and defy the other; in fact it is a typical post modern text offering a range of representations which cannot be neatly cateogorised.
Asian culture contributes fashion, food and entertainment to Britain on a whole new level; promoting a strong sense of unity and multiculturism as opposed to the days of the National Front. With better education and jobs ‘many are moving to the suburbs, country towns and villages, a reversal of the 1980s trends.’[25] Thus proving full integration in a successful melting pot society, despite the increase in fundamentalism and the sensationalist media coverage it recieves. ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ in this respect is an accurate reflection of such a social, political and economical situation; although these aspects are fickle. Nevertheless, it should not be assumed ‘that if there is an Asian story it is meant to represent Asians on a whole. Surely not all white people are like the Millers from EastEnders.’[26] It is impossible for only a few voices to reflect that of two million Asians and have only a few gatekeepers who pretend to represent all Asians. Not even documentaries can reflect reality after the process of mediation and so a drama series should not bear such a burden to do so. Yet if the public pay for a license, there is no reason why they should not expect reasonable representation of their community. After all, the media is a fourth estate from a pluralist perspective and so should fulfil its’ obligation to society.
To conclude, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ challenges many dominant ideologies and expectations that every text in the media including Asians must be issue based. The adaptation of Meera Syal’s novel although uses humour echoing that of shows such as ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘Kumars at no.42’ it is not so excessively used as they are clearly tried and tested formulas. Instead, the characters debunk myths and poke fun at Indian traditions which is entertaining both for Asian and non-Asian audiences. Whilst no representation of any ethnic/social group in the media can be expected to be ‘accurate,’ ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ is perhaps the closest thing to it promoting multiculturalism and celebrating cultural hybridity.
Works cited
Moving Image Texts
“Mind Your Language” dir. Stuart Allen (1977)
“Bhaji on the Beach” dir Gurinder Chadha (1993)
“Goodness Gracious Me” starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Syal (1998)
“Anita and Me” dir. Metin Huseyin (2002)
“Bend it like Beckham” dir Gurinder Chadha (2002)
“Kumars at no.42” starring Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal(2002)
“Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee” starring Meera Syal, Laila Rouass and Ayesha Dharkar (2005)
Newspapers/Magazines
“The Guardian” - “Minorities up 40%, census reveals”, Thursday September 4 2003
“The Guardian” – “BBC still showing ‘hideously white’ face,” Monday May 13, 2002
Websites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1859506,00.html
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2006/452/index.html?id=mp4.htm.
http://parisjolie.com/has-the-new-man-a5.html
http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/3560
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1467
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,738309,00.html?
http://www.redhotcurry.com/views/asians1.htm
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/818
http://www.bl.uk/collections/business/asiandemographics.html
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1135
Books
Chomsky, Noam (1999): Profit over People, London: Turnaround
Gillespie, Marie (1995): Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change. London: Routledge.
South Asian Popular Culture (2005). London: Routeledge, 2005
Bhaba, Homi (2004): The Location of Culture. New York: Routledge Classics.
Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ London.
Hall, Stuart (1997) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications
Malik, Sarita (2002): Representing Black Britain. London: Sage Publications.
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
[2]http://www.bl.uk/collections/business/asiandemographics.html
[3]http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1135
[4] http://www.redhotcurry.com/views/asians1.htm
[5] ‘Representing Black Britain’, Sarita Malik, 2002
[6] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,738309,00.html?
[7] http://www.redhotcurry.com/views/asians1.htm
[8]http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/818
[9] ‘The Guardian,’ Monday May 13, 2002
[10] ‘Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse,’ Stuart Hall, 1973
[11] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
[12] ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,’ Laura Mulvey, 1975
[13]http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/1467
[14] http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/3560
[15] ‘Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change’, Marie Gillespie, 1995
[16] http://parisjolie.com/has-the-new-man-a5.html
[17] ‘The Location of Culture,’ Homi Bhabha, 2004
[18] ‘Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change’, Marie Gillespie, 1995
[19] ‘South Asian Popular Culture,’ Routeledge, 2005
[20] http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2006/452/index.html?id=mp4.htm.
[21] ‘The Guardian,’ Monday May 13, 2002
[22] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
[23] http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1859506,00.html
[24] Profit over People, Noam Chomsky, 1999
[25] The Guardian, Thursday September 4 2003
[26] http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hahaheehee/episode3_yourreviews.shtml
posted by Pip at 1:40 PM
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