youth culture

Ultra violent video clip set in the Parisian suburbs

Julien — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:03:01 +0200

A video clip released by the French electro group Justice has caused controversy in the country for its aesthetic depiction of street violence. Attacking women, beating up old ladies and glassing bar-owners is all part of the glamorous storyline. If they were looking for attention – they got it.

The video clip for "Stress" was directed by Romain Gavras, son of the famous director with the same name. Artistically speaking there’s no dispute – it’s a success. The brutal and realistic atmosphere of the clip however leaves the viewer feeling perturbed. Do these images offer a candid view of the troubled Parisian suburbs, or merely add fuel to an already raging fire in the name of selling albums? The group’s record label, Ed Bangers Records, says that the artists, who are not products of the suburbs themselves and certainly not socially sympathetic, don’t want to explain their reasons behind the choice and claim to have no “communication strategy”. So we showed the clip to young people from the suburbs themselves. Here are their reactions.

Grand Theft Auto: blood sex and drugs for the under-18s

Julien — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:17:37 +0200

GTA IV Trailer © Rockstar Games

A computer game that contains blood, violence, sex, drugs and alcohol has sold more copies in its first day than any other in history. But not everybody is a fan of Grand Theft Auto IV. Available for children of any age in the US, critics warn that the game could lead to youth violence.

Released at midnight on Tuesday, the fourth version of GTA is Rockstar Games' bestseller yet, shipping 9.5 million copies worldwide for the first week of sales. Despite a relaxed advertising campaign compared with other game launches, millions of people queued up all over the world to get a copy. Concern was heightened in the UK when in a "life-imitates-art" fluke, a man in a queue in South London stabbed a passer-by. But while the sale of the game is banned to under-18s in Europe, Americans are simply "advised" with a "mature" rating. The Parents Television Council says that is not enough, and is willing to go to court to stop the game being handed over to minors.

Iran bins "bad influence" Barbie

Julien — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:35:57 +0200

Photo: Joel Day

Iran's top prosecutor Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi called for a crackdown on imports of western toys Monday, in particular Barbie dolls, saying that her curvy figure, which continues to find its way into the country, is threatening the country's Islamic culture and revolutionary values.

In a letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi, Dori says that Iran is the third biggest importer of toys in the world and that American dolls such as Barbie, Harry Potter and Batman are encouraging the westernisation of the country. Previous attempts to replace the popular figures failed miserably with the modestly-dressed Sara and Dara, launched in 2002, barely selling in toyshops.

The Child Coal Hauler

Julien — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:43:16 +0100

Since blogger Xu Alun released this documentary on February 10, it's had over half a million hits. It tells the story of three homeless orphans working as coal-haulers in a southern city of China. According to our Observer in Hong Kong, a specialist in social problems in China, this is just one example of millions of "left-behind children" in the country.

The Child Coal Hauler by vlogger Xu Alun

Extreme drivers risk extreme deaths

Julien — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:30:55 +0100

There’s nothing new about "extreme driving" in Saudi Arabia. Only now, the whole world can admire Saudi drivers’ exploits on YouTube. Young people in the kingdom are literally bored to death.

Even school children support Medvedev

Julien — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:40:05 +0100

Russian tabloid Express Gazeta organized a drawing competition all across Russia to support President Valdimir Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev. These drawings, published three days before the presidential election, are strangely reminiscent of personality cults from the Soviet era.

About 1000 kids participated in the contest called "draw the president." Every single drawing was about Dmitry Medvedev. These drawings have been displayed in Moscow since Feb. 26. The first contest prize : laptop. The second : a Smartphone. the third : a teddybear.

If you can hear this you’re a public nuisance

Julien — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:11:11 +0100

The use of a high-pitched alarm to drive British teenagers away from public places is under dispute on the blogosphere after a campaign against the alarms was launched by the Children's Commissioner for England yesterday. The ‘mosquito' alarm which is so high-pitched that only young ears are able to pick it up has been installed by 3,500 shopkeepers and supermarkets in the UK since it was invented in 2005. Now, the ‘Buzz off' campaign says that the £500 product should be prohibited from use.