Olympics Opening Ceremony/Multiculturalism

It can be argued that Britain’s 2012 Olympic ceremony establishes the modern progressive view of society in the 21^st century. Initially, a contemporary representation of a diverse nuclear family is presented to the viewers, which could reflect Britain’s value of being a multi-cultural country. For instance, the house scene positively represents the mixed race household as a middle class and harmonious family that lives in a suburban-style house. This is shown by the black male cooking dinner, whilst the rest of the white family members gather together on the sofa. It can be suggested that this positive representation highlights a celebration of diversity and therefore the traditional ideologies of families are no longer relevant in society, as people’s attitudes and values are changing over the years. Arguably, the portrayal of the black male carrying out domestic task of cooking is highlights countertype for this ethnic group. Thus, this challenges Alvarado’s key racial representation of black ethnic groups being dangerous, as the black male is positively represented by being a helpful family man. This specific scene could be a reflection of society challenging the stereotypes of black individuals, especially males, being socially dysfunctional. As the director of this ceremony, Danny Bole takes a left-wing perspective on societal issues; this family scene could mirror the celebration of multiculturalism and a growth in diverse families.

Moreover, the changes in music throughout the years highlights the success of British music. For example, British musician Dizzee Rascal appears and raps his song ‘Bonkers’ which portrays black ethnic minorities positively and successful. Referring to Frantz Fanon black stereotypes, it can be suggested that showing a black British musician stereotypes black minorities as primitive, who have a ‘natural sense rhythm’ and therefore they are perceived in being naturally talented in music. Notably, throughout the ceremony there is a larger proportion of white and black race compared to brown skin individuals (Asians). Arguably, this could suggest an unfair representation of different ethnic groups as there is a higher proportion of white and black dancers. However, during the ceremony the music changes to Indian songs which highlights that Britain values different ethnic cultures. Furthermore, the NHS scene positively represents the staff in caring for their patients and keeping children safe.

However, in relation to his point, some critics have perceived the ceremony negatively.  Daily Mail’s journalist Rick Dewsbury, stated in his article that the family scene was unrealistic and the “multicultural equality agenda was so staged, it was painful to watch”. As Daily Mail takes a right wing perspective on social issues, they would clearly not be pleased with families becoming diverse as it goes against the traditional values. Additionally, Dewsbury argues that the NHS should not be valued and to be celebrated by the British public. This is because, the NHS staff the cause of Kane Gorny death for refusing to give the sick patient a glass of water, which shows that they should not be respected at all. The fact that the Daily Mail take a right wing approach it is more likely that they would not favour the NHS after all, as it causes a dependency culture in society. As a result, the NHS should be abolished as it would force people become independent and make people working hard to earn.

Nevertheless, Guardian journalist Ellie Mae O’Hagan challenged Daily Mail’s ideologies by expressing her views on this newspaper. She argues that the Daily Mail’s articles are offensive and unacceptable, which should be changed immediately. Notably, Ellie describers the Daily Mail as a “amoral cash cow” that knows it readers very well and therefore they make money by producing controversial articles. As a result, diversity should be celebrated and therefore people should be taking a liberal perspective of different ethnic groups interacting with one another.