Ideology

 

Part 1: BBC Question Time analysis

Watch this clip from BBC Question Time with Russell Brand and Nigel Farage. The BBC deliberately placed the two against each other and the episode resulted in far more people than usual watching and reacting on social media.

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

Russell Brand is arguing that immigration isn't the problem but corruption is while Nigel argues that immigrants are the problem

2) What ideologies are on display in this clip?

Positive view on immigration and a negative view on it.

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.

Analyse the dystopian representation of capitalist society in the latest Hunger Games film and the series as whole, drawing attention to elements where media theory can be most usefully applied.

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

Marxism 

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

Propaganda with the "Games" is extremely powerful as it distracts the deprived and starved population from staging a rebellion.

Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology

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

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

It is dominated by the ruling class and presented in a way to benefit the rich the most.

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

Repressive State Apparatuses(Government, Army, Police, Courts, etc.). He says that these state agencies regulate social behaviour and repress the masses through violence, punitive law, and fear which are dominated by the ruling elite.

Ideological State Apparatuses(Church, the media, educational institutions, the family unit etc.) He says that these looser institutions control and dominate implicitly through ‘common sense’ acceptance and social norms, rather than through fear.

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!

It does logically make sense. People always strive for more power. Imagine this, your born into a banking such as the Rothschilds, money has no meaning. You never thing of what you will eat or if you will have a place to sleep. A new super car comes out and you buy three just to have them. You have more money then you can spend. The only thing you can't buy is quite literally the whole world. There is nothing that excites you but the idea of loosing all of that. What else would you do but try to control everybody and everything to benefit you. Money is king. Without it suffering follows. People are very selfish so of course the elite will do anything in their power to stay at the top. The smartest things the rich have come up with is that money doesn't buy you happiness.