How the UK riots portrayed youths

When the UK riots started everybody had their own opinion on them, it seemed like people weren't sticking together as a collective community but instead were rebelling against the dominant capitalism. Many of the newspapers such as the 'Guardian' and 'Daily Mail' were sterotyping these scandelous looters to be 'Youths'. They were identifying these 'youths' to be young people/teenagers who were 'unemployed' and just out to 'follow the crowd'. Surprisingly only certain subcultures such as people who are labelled to be a 'chav' were described to be found rioting which again is sterotyping young people to be portrayed as uncontrollable and showing resentment to the police.

 After i had read a few articles and watched the news and actually seen clips of the riots it was apparent to me that it wasnt just 'youths' rioting it was clear from the videos that it was people of all ages who were rioting, men, women and even children! But information such as this wasnt broadcasted to the public. By portraying young people in this way it gives an overall outcome that all young people are out to cause trouble, admittidley a lot of youths joined in on the rioting but is that to say that all youths are like this? Young people rarely get congratulated on the good things they do in their community as it is never broadcasted people are unaware and are forced to form this hegemony that young people are always up to no good.

 Much like Sam Cohen's theory mass media is labelling young people and telling them how to behave therefor young people respond to this label they are being given. With no help from the media and role models that we are all told to look up to, the identity of youths is going to stay the same preventing young people to ever reach the stage of bourgeois constantly worrying about being a consumerist.