Is Britain losing its cultural sovereignty?
Isabelle Osborne looks at the entertainment industry’s current depiction of British culture, and the wider implications of TV stereotypes.
What does it mean to be British? Does it mean wearing ball gowns to affluent dinners with Edith Crawley at the Downton Residence? Does it mean drinking English Breakfast tea with a jam scone in front of The Great British Bake Off? Is this identity established by British symbols, such as the NHS, the London Eye or Rolls-Royce?
Cultural sovereignty is the idea that an individual or social group has the power to define the culture of a particular country. I would argue that we have established an idea of what being British means, and that this vision is reflected broadly throughout our national culture. In large part, this is influenced by our entertainment industry, especially through popular televised dramas, soap operas or reality shows.
As political and social uncertainty grows ever more dangerous in light of the UK leaving the European Union, however, we must consider whether Britain is losing its cultural sovereignty. I believe there is a sound basis to argue that this is the case, and that this can be attributed to how our entertainment providers present our way of life inaccurately.
“Much of the research we have conducted over the last twelve months suggests the further you travel away from Britain, the better Britain looks.” These are the words of a NewStatesman article that epitomises the consequences of Britain’s cultural digression from reality - the world has an inaccurate perception of what life in Britain is truly like as our entertainment industry is dominated by a Britain that mirrors how we want other countries to perceive it, rather than it echoing what being British actually means.
Take Downton Abbey, for instance. The Crawley family are a reflection of the very small minority of the post-Edwardian era that live in such wealth and luxury as those of the Downton Residence. In reality, there has been a 73% increase in homelessness in the last three years - where are the programmes that highlight that? Arguably, the show has achieved the opposite of what it originally intended in its attempt to crystallise British culture. By projecting a positive image of aristocratic Britain, it has concealed the unfortunate reality of the majority experience.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire is another example of how a televised representation of British culture shows only the experiences of a tiny, highly privileged social group. The reality television series is focalised on the lives of several extremely wealthy housewives who live in Cheshire, admittedly ranked as one of the most affluent areas of the country. Stepping outside of this county, the enormous mansions become one-bed council flats, yet British cultural TV has no space for the depiction of this kind of life.
This provokes the question: is TV only showcasing the reality of a select few whilst concealing the experiences of the majority? There is a fine line between generating entertainment value and promoting a false image of life in Britain. And so, whilst the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic Games characterised British culture to be one of national pride, unparalleled talent and monarchical superiority, programs like The Real Housewives of Cheshire are destroying this progression. This culture of glorifying the lives of a select few in Britain has deeply influenced our national identity. In reality, the vast majority of the population will never achieve this so-called typical British lifestyle.
If we can agree that shows portraying a certain career in a glorified way - such as the life of a corporate lawyer in Suits - are detrimental to that particular industry in providing false hope of what can be expected, how should we evaluate the extent of the damage of this practice to national culture as a whole? The answer: as our culture is whitewashed with falsehoods, British people will lose contact with what it means to be British, and the answer to the question at the start of this article will remain unclear. The tragedy of this phenomenon lies in the gradual disappearance of the meaning of ‘Britishness’.
Is there a solution to this problem? One way of regaining control of our culture would be to promote those programmes that project the raw reality of life in the UK. Call the Midwife’s exploration of the history of medical treatment in the UK and A Very English Scandal’s consideration of a politician’s disgrace did not attempt to hide the truth of our country’s history, but sought to focus on the ugliness of our past in a way that draws respect to Britain’s progression in the modern day. And so, a remedy for rejuvenating British culture so that it accurately reflects what being British means can be achieved by turning the attention onto unvarnished issues within Britain. This will promote a clearer view of the country, for the benefit of both our cultural integrity, and the image of our nation across the world.
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