MIGRAIN: Ideology

 Part 1: BBC Question Time analysis

1) What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching this clip?

 Pro-immigrant vs Anti-immigrant. Conservative and Liberal, support and neglect, agree and disagree. 

2) What ideologies are on display in this clip?

Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, Immigration restriction, Social welfare

Part 2: Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine issue 52 has two good articles on Ideology. You need to read those articles (our Media Magazine archive is here) and complete a few short tasks linked to them. 

Page 34: The World Of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia And Propaganda

1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence.

Mockingjay can be enjoyed as a ‘just a film’ in its own right or a satirical comment on our own capitalist society, projected into the future in the classic dystopian tradition. But the latest film in the series takes this to a new level, with its satirical comment on media power, subversion and resistance.

2) What view of capitalist ideology is presented in the Hunger Games films?

Panem is run; those in power control ideas, as well as resources. The world is caught under the dictatorship of President Snow, a man who believes more in his own supreme leadership than the people of his country. He invests his creativity into The Games, he smells of blood and roses, and he purposefully aims to obliterate any hopes of rebellion.

3) What do the Hunger Games films suggest about the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs?

The hunger games films show how much media can be used to shape and influence the ideological beliefs of people as the hunger games is a massively televised event in the world of Panem in order to control the populace using fear tactics by displaying the deaths of the children sent to the hunger games every year and by showing videos of people who tried to resist being brutally tortured or killed.

Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology

1) What are the four accepted ideological beliefs in western societies highlighted by the article?

• People should put their families first.

• People should work hard for their money.

• Women should behave in feminine ways, and look after their appearance.

2) What does Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggest about power and ideology in society?

The big idea The notion of trust in capitalism, banking, and trust in the economic institutions of this country.

Gransci defined hegemony as an important way in which those in power maintain their control through consent, rather than the use of force. He argued that the power of ideology derives primarily from ideas and structures which support, and thus serve the purpose of, an elite social group which is able to dominate through ideas, rather than militaristic strength or fear.

3) What does French theorist Louis Althusser suggest about ideology and consumerism?

The big idea We should buy more goods and consume as much as we can. Material wealth will make us happy.

‘Realise your true potential,’ ‘Be yourself,’ ‘Lead a satisfying life.’ These values, suggesting the importance of the individual, and self-fulfilment, are dominant in the West, and closely linked with the ideology of consumerism, which arguably dominates and drives society.

‘Ideological State Apparatuses’ (ISAs), such as the Church, the media, educational institutions, the family unit etc. These looser institutions control and dominate implicitly through ‘common sense’ acceptance and social norms, rather than through fear. This echoes Gramsci’s concept of hegemony, by which ideology’s power derives primarily from consent as opposed to the use of force.

4) Do YOU agree with the idea behind They Live - that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media which is run in the interests of the economic elite? These are the big questions of A Level Media!

I agree that ideology and hegemony play a significant role in our daily lives and i can see that some things are just accepted by everyone  it as ‘common sense’ and ‘natural’. i also agree with both of the theorists that the elite class, which controls the economy and major institutions. However i do think that in the modern society not everyone especially the new generation do not accept everything all the time and go along with it.