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Benefits Street: C4 6th Jan 9pm

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    TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    No he's not, that's a huge exaggeration.

    Is it, well he is using this show to get people behind his "reforms" which is going to affect genuinely hard up people, getting rid of the tax credits etc
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    tghe-retfordtghe-retford Posts: 26,449
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    barrcode88 wrote: »
    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/benefits-street-residents-rehoused-channel-3056095#.UuH9BmTFIug

    Channel 4 have had to rehouse some of the residents due to threats made against them.
    For the producers and Police to go so far as to rehouse people, it must be a credible threat to their lives. I did worry that it would take just one idiot to follow through their threat.
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    tghe-retfordtghe-retford Posts: 26,449
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    No he's not, that's a huge exaggeration.
    I'd suggest you read Iain Duncan Smith's speech yesterday. He says several things. He compares welfare reform to the struggle against the abolition of slavery, assumes people (in work) are spending tax credits on "drink & drugs while their children go unfed" and in my view, seems to want to time limit benefits in future and wants to think of benefits not just in terms of money - welfare by voucher/EBT?

    Seriously, go read his speech from yesterday.

    Ironically the aggrieved "hard working taxpayer" will be the main focus of IDS's cuts and abolitions! A massive own goal for the critics of welfare.
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    TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    For the producers and Police to go so far as to rehouse people, it must be a credible threat to their lives. I did worry that it would take just one idiot to follow through their threat.

    I have seen some of the comments, I go on twitter during the program and some of the comments are terrible, some guys said he wanted to kill everyone on the street
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    Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    I'd suggest you read Iain Duncan Smith's speech yesterday. He says several things. He compares welfare reform to the struggle against the abolition of slavery, assumes people (in work) are spending tax credits on "drink & drugs while their children go unfed" and in my view, seems to want to time limit benefits in future and wants to think of benefits not just in terms of money - welfare by voucher/EBT?

    Seriously, go read his speech from yesterday.

    Ironically the aggrieved "hard working taxpayer" will be the main focus of IDS's cuts and abolitions! A massive own goal for the critics of welfare.

    I don't think that equates to attacking all that claim benefits though.
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    TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
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    CH4 are basically cheerleaders for social abuse, so many of their programmes are like that not just this one.
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    tghe-retfordtghe-retford Posts: 26,449
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    I don't think that equates to attacking all that claim benefits though.
    Seems strange then that the hint he gave for his first round of "reform" happens to be payments made to "hard working taxpayers" - ie. working age and in work tax credits.
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    TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    Tassium wrote: »
    CH4 are basically cheerleaders for social abuse, so many of their programmes are like that not just this one.

    Agreed
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    NirvanaGirlNirvanaGirl Posts: 2,511
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    Am I being naive in thinking that C4 wouldn't be able to make the families on James Turner Street that do care for their children, clean their houses & spend their benefits on food rather than alcohol & cigarettes (and I'm 100% sure there are some living there) look bad?

    If I'm correct then that will be why they aren't showing them on the programme.

    I know it just shows the worst of the families who live there, but C4 didn't make these people up. They really exist & just maybe by seeing themselves as they are, it'll give them a much needed wake up call & they'll start taking steps to improve their situations both for themselves & their children.

    It can be done, it just means them actually trying instead of sitting around and finding excuses not to even bother in the first place like Mark was this week.

    I'll never understand why people are so outrageously vile about other people on social media.
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    JeffersonJefferson Posts: 3,736
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    Tassium wrote: »
    CH4 are basically cheerleaders for social abuse, so many of their programmes are like that not just this one.

    They are just giving an insight into the lives of some benefit dependent members of the underclass.

    Much to the chagrin of Left-wingers.
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    koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Jefferson wrote: »
    They are just giving an insight into the lives of some benefit dependent members of the underclass.

    Much to the chagrin of Left-wingers.

    No they are showing 5 of the worst people on a street. When there are loads of decent people on the street who claim benefits and who work.

    So far they have just shown 1 relatively decent person (flower show organiser) and a quick scene with the woman who had flowers in her garden.

    It is a biased bit of propaganda.
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    Alan1981Alan1981 Posts: 5,416
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    Am I being naive in thinking that C4 wouldn't be able to make the families on James Turner Street that do care for their children, clean their houses & spend their benefits on food rather than alcohol & cigarettes (and I'm 100% sure there are some living there) look bad?

    If I'm correct then that will be why they aren't showing them on the programme.


    I know it just shows the worst of the families who live there, but C4 didn't make these people up. They really exist & just maybe by seeing themselves as they are, it'll give them a much needed wake up call & they'll start taking steps to improve their situations both for themselves & their children.

    It can be done, it just means them actually trying instead of sitting around and finding excuses not to even bother in the first place like Mark was this week.

    I'll never understand why people are so outrageously vile about other people on social media.

    There probably are. Im my experience of working on these so called "rough estates" it only takes 1 or 2 problem families to drag the entire estate down.
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    NirvanaGirlNirvanaGirl Posts: 2,511
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    Alan1981 wrote: »
    There probably are. Im my experience of working on these so called "rough estates" it only takes 1 or 2 problem families to drag the entire estate down.

    Agreed & I'd far rather see the programme show both kinds of people than just the problem families as that would paint a far more accurate view whilst still retaining the viewability.

    I'd guess that the other families didn't want to be part of the show though which might explain why it looks so biased. I'd like to know if they were asked though.
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    koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Am I being naive in thinking that C4 wouldn't be able to make the families on James Turner Street that do care for their children, clean their houses & spend their benefits on food rather than alcohol & cigarettes (and I'm 100% sure there are some living there) look bad?

    They could call it 'Ordinary Street'.

    The street where nothing much happens.
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    Rossby41Rossby41 Posts: 955
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    No they are showing 5 of the worst people on a street. When there are loads of decent people on the street who claim benefits and who work.

    So far they have just shown 1 relatively decent person (flower show organiser) and a quick scene with the woman who had flowers in her garden.

    It is a biased bit of propaganda.

    What about that 50p man?
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    koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Rossby41 wrote: »
    What about that 50p man?

    Good point. There was a question about whether he was declaring his earning though. But I gather he got a job later anyway.

    He has only been shown once though, while the 5 main people have been shown every episode.
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    NirvanaGirlNirvanaGirl Posts: 2,511
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    They could call it 'Ordinary Street'.

    The street where nothing much happens.

    But it wouldn't necessarily be that would it.

    I admit I watch this programme & it's uncomfortable viewing a lot of the time, but what's the point in pretending that these people don't exist? They're a minority certainly but this IS their day to day lives.

    I would love to see a fair balance shown that highlights the different ways that the people live & cope.
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    koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    But it wouldn't necessarily be that would it.

    I admit I watch this programme & it's uncomfortable viewing a lot of the time, but what's the point in pretending that these people don't exist? They're a minority certainly but this IS their day to day lives.

    They can show their lives if they want but no need to connect it to benefits.

    Everything they do is done by working people too.

    Working people take days off work to skive off.
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    koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    If you watch a programme like 'The Sheriffs Are Coming' you would believe that most business owners are debt dodgers for the amount of them who try their best not to pay off a debt.
    They rename their companies so that the debt isn't owed by them, or put the company assets in their own name to avoid paying.
    This show is on daily.
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    TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    No they are showing 5 of the worst people on a street. When there are loads of decent people on the street who claim benefits and who work.

    So far they have just shown 1 relatively decent person (flower show organiser) and a quick scene with the woman who had flowers in her garden.

    It is a biased bit of propaganda.

    exactly
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    TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    Agreed & I'd far rather see the programme show both kinds of people than just the problem families as that would paint a far more accurate view whilst still retaining the viewability.

    i doubt they will ever show the genuine cases on these programmes
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    SandgrownunSandgrownun Posts: 5,024
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    Alan1981 wrote: »
    There probably are. Im my experience of working on these so called "rough estates" it only takes 1 or 2 problem families to drag the entire estate down.
    I agree. Where my grandparents lived was a nice neighbourhood until a couple of rough families moved in. But when my grandad was taken ill a few years ago, their kids threw stones and eggs at the police who came to break his door down and at the ambulance that was there to treat him. He told us later that they were always causing problems, that he and his neighbour didn't go out if they were about - he'd lived there for over 40 years with no problems. Fortunately, the house was a 3 bed and as he was on his own the council were happy to rehouse him in a one bed bungalow 10 minutes away.
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    TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    They could call it 'Ordinary Street'.

    The street where nothing much happens.

    too boring and no outrage so i doubt it will be a ratings winner, that's all they care about in the end
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    TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
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    I'm not sure if CH4 executives are simply amoral money grabbers or tools of the establishment.

    I'm leaning towards amoral money grabbers.

    Either way they have gone too far, this technique they are using against real people is simply unethical.

    Maybe it was acceptable with a show like Big Brother when those taking part know the game.

    But the people in this show were lied to to gain their participation. That should be a crime.
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    zx50zx50 Posts: 91,306
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    Tassium wrote: »
    I'm not sure if CH4 executives are simply amoral money grabbers or tools of the establishment.

    I'm leaning towards amoral money grabbers.

    Either way they have gone too far, this technique they are using against real people is simply unethical.

    Maybe it was acceptable with a show like Big Brother when those taking part know the game.

    But the people in this show were lied to to gain their participation. That should be a crime.

    I'll go for that one. Channel 4 probably want a Conservative government in 2015.
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