Ace Venture, Hebdige

As we have been talking about the idea of hegemony as dominant ideas created by a ruling class that are accepted by the majority either, forcefully or naturally, it raises the question; if society is aware that the ruling class creates and forces these dominant ideas, why do we accept them? Hebdige touches on this idea saying, "Gramsci adds the important proviso that hegemonic power, precisely because it requires the consent of the dominated majority, can never be permanently exercised by the same alliance of 'class fractions'" (p.151). He adds that these dominant ideologies can be fractured, challenged and overruled. Such are the examples that we have seen in history with the overthrowing of dominant powers such as Hitler or the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. to challenge the ideas that were in place about race and equality. The idea of challenging, fracturing or overruling these ideologies often comes along with a strong movement like we see in these historical examples. This relates to Barthes idea of tmesis or the act of inserting something violently and changing history. Just as the ruling class may have to use force to get the majority to accept their ideology, the majority may have to use force to get the ruling class to accept their change. By inserting these new ideas that are in opposition to the current ideologies into the minds of the public, people like Martin Luther King Jr. change history. And these changes often demand the use of force because the public is currently stuck in the state of the Repressive or Ideological Apparatus (or both)that instills the ruling class ideology.