ESPN, 10/21/09

In this week’s discussion I really understand, enjoyed and agree with both of the readings. When we look at Jenkin, I am able to see how far the world has come as there are now many conversations between people who don’t even know each other nor can see each other. The topics of conversation are attributed to things that are seen in the media. This can be seen in blogs and such as people discus any number of topics without ever seeing each other. With the increase of non face to face communication there comes an increase in, if you will, amateur videos and such online. With the increase of sites like youtube, it allows amateur works to arise and express themselves, even if it something as weird as a video about a kitty. Such sites can make money from nothing else but the advertisers. Furthermore, with these increases, it takes being a fan to a new level. For Instance, I have noticed, it is no longer enough to only be a fan of a sports team or movie. They must also have such things as non mainstream merchandise, unpublished videos, blogs, and information that the general public has not seen on TV or the regular movie. When we look at Marx, I like his quote, “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being which determines their consciousness.” I have always agreed with the fact that society constructs the way that we think. I believe, while individuals have their own thoughts, it is society that constructs more of who we are. Thus, that is why are why there are so many differences in people from country to country. Furthermore, we are constructed by the ruling class which, in our society is the class with the most money and material things. It is the ideologies that contrast who we are which we get from the ruling class, and like Althusser says there are two kinds, the RSA and the ISA, both which contribute to our being in society. I just wonder if there is a way for us to break out of letting society and the ruling class control are thoughts and actions, or will even trying not to have them effect us, still effect us in some way, even if it is are subconscious?

Graham, 10/21

We discussed media convergence, and the ways that advertising corporations use many means of media in order to sell products. I never really thought about how many different ways there were to advertise, until multiple individuals in the class began expressing ways that they would advertise. Billboards, toys, food and beverages, posters, internet, commercials…etc. Also, advertising has changed a lot, because companies used to get mad when other companies would sell products that others have created the idea for (for example, if Disney made a movie, and my company started selling Mickey Mouse dolls, then they would probably not be extremely upset, because it is making their movies more popular and could ultimately increase the amount of people who buy the movies). This is because of participatory culture, and now corporations feel like if other people are advertising their products, then in the end the gains will beat out the losses.

I also thought the discussion about the fan sites was interesting. The videos that we watched were really funny, and it was hard for me to understand how anyone would actually have the time to make things like that, but there are some hard core fans out there...obviously. It is no longer enough to say that you are a fan. You have to join the blogs, discuss the interest on a regular basis, join the fan sites and watch the videos that other fans have made. This gives individuals a sense of connection to others in society, even if they have never had a face to face interaction. They feel like they know one another because they are so involved in the same things, such as star wars. Now, people are even taking this “fannism” to a whole new level, because they are taking all of their favorite television shows and movies (for example, South Park and Star Wars) and they are putting them together in order to attract viewers. We saw a few examples of this in class, and I especially enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean video where they added the music in the background. What people do with technology these days is unbelievable!

Kiwi, 10/22/09

This week I really enjoyed our discussion on the ruling class and how “signs become the arena of the class struggle.” (Volonsinov) we talked about how signs are where class struggles play out. In determining what signs mean it is a mean of exemplifying the class struggle that all societies have. Class is the struggle within cultures is more so than race. How much material you have determines the conflict within a culture. But here’s the question… why is it that we think this? And why is it that it has to be like this in our society?

In class Rog discussed how we don’t have repressive apparatus, but our repression operates ideologically, and we are unconsciously being repressed. So who makes the decisions? A group of peers? These ideologies that are work on us constantly cause us to do the things we do. For example, Education.. we are taught history with an emphasis on American being the hero. This reminds me of one of my blogs I did a while ago about “they” how we say sometimes to people… o you shouldn’t do that because “they” say its bad for you… but who is they? In ideology we are unconscious followers. We are individuals vs subject (one) we cant escape ideology, no matter how hard we try. It is an image projected by the ideology of a particular.

HOLLA! Marx & Althusser

Well reading about Marx and Althusser was a definite refresher. Even writing a 423 word blog on it was even better. To bad my word document closed out on me and recovered NOTHING Word/computers have become the ideological force in my life when it comes to getting my homework turned in...maybe next time. Sorry

Bubbles- Althusser

In Althusser’s reading he explains two different apparatuses used to influence society. The first is the Ideological State Apparatus, which maintains values and order in society by transmitting ideologies through different systems of the sate, such as religious institutions, family, and educational institutions. In the Ideological State Apparatus there is willing compliance, which is what contrasts it from the Repressive State Apparatus. Althusser explains, the Repressive State Apparatus functions with fear and violence. Such institutions such as the police, the army, and laws are examples of the RSA. He explains that both are very effective in the influence of values on society. When reading about the RSA it reminded me of one of out first discussions on this class on postmodernism. The first thing that popped into my mind was “Fear is the aesthetic dejour.” In the beginning of he semester be spoke about the postmodern idea that fear is what dictates our decisions. Its why we put our seat belts on, why we have Purell “stations” at every corner of this campus, because of fear of accidents and fear of getting sick. This is very similar, almost identical to Altheusser’s Repressive state Apparatus. We use fear and violence to maintain order in the society. We make laws for us to be afraid of the punishment we will face if we make certain decisions. We put so much money into weapons and building a large Army so other countries are afraid to attack us. Fear has become the stimulus of all of our decisions.

As a target of both the ideological State Apparatus and the Repressive State Apparatus I find myself pondering, where do my ideas come from? I was brought up as a Catholic, following the values and faith of the religion, and I follow the law because I am afraid of the punishment. I have been a victim of both of Althusser’s apparatus’, so do I make conscious decisions based on personal beliefs that are independent from ideology, or have all of my opinions come from subconsciously accepting the ideology?

Penny Lane - Marx

Upon reflecting on the Marxist conception of Ideology, I began to wonder how similar connections could be drawn within our own society. I believe that the illusion of the 'American Dream' is one of the most significant fallacies present in our contemporary culture. Works of Marx teach us that the working class often internalize a false sense of personal influence and capability from the same ideological framework that demean their plight. Under capitalist agenda, the worker is merely an unfortunate but necessary cost in the means of production. Like any other commodity, workers sell their time and efforts to capitalists without any hope of reaping the benefits. Profit, not people, is the primary concern of nearly all economic ventures. To make matters worse, producers are constantly competing against one another in the open market. The labor force is typically the first to experience the repercussions of rivaling businesses, because wages and efficiency cut the greatest costs. While workers have the most to lose under this economic organization, they also have the least to gain from their experience. Due to the class structure in place, the concepts of work and career tend to evoke very different meanings. The American dream propagates the myth of success and passion being a synonymies possibility. Marx states: 'It is not the consciousness of people that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness." We are raised to believe that no matter where we come from or who are fathers are, any individual in this country can make something of themselves if they just try hard enough. This mentality of 'pulling yourself up by the boot straps' is a very American ideology. You only have yourself to blame for personal failures, or so we are told from a young age. The fact of the matter is that the system works to benefit certain types of people, while disadvantaging others. This is not an opinion; it is the cold hard reality of our world. Most people, regardless of skill, intellect, or talent, will remain in the socioeconomic class into which they were born (whether rich, poor, or in between). However, our culture repetitively reinforces the possibility of instant success, rags to riches, and perseverance through hardship to keep the dream alive. The ideology is false, but is continuously propagated through popular media forms. The American dream is simply that, just a dream.

DoubleBubble - Althusser

According to Althusser, if ideology is not reproduced it is unlikely that a system will survive. This continuous reproduction of ideology creates an imaginary representation of the real conditions of their existence. Ideological State Apparatuses are influential to determining the existence of reproduction of submission to the ruling ideology and also a reproduction of the capability to manipulate the ruling ideology correctly for agents of exploitation and domination. The ideology ruling must transfer over to every generation in order for the ruling ideology to survive. Totalitarian order must be forced if people of the society are not buying into the rules. The ability to create this willing submission to an unfair system is achieved through the ISAs.

Althusser begins his article by explaining to us what Ideological State Apparatuses are. He begins by explaining how it cannot be confused with the idea of Repressive State Apparatus. Repressive State Apparatuses contains the government, the army and the police. Althusser defines Ideological State Apparatuses as, “a certain number of realities which present themselves to the immediate observer in the form of distinct and specialized institutions” (42).
I think the way that Althusser explains ideology is great because he is saying in order for us to understand ideology we first must understand the question of what is society? After explaining to us what is society by explaining the ISA’s he begins to go into further detail about ideology.

Althusser's first thesis is that "Ideology is a 'representation' of the Imaginary Relationship of Individuals to their Real conditions of existence" (44). He begins his explanation of this statement by looking at why it is necessary for people to need this imaginary relation to real conditions of existence. Why can they not just understand the real?

These ideas about representation and reality believe that what is reflected in the imaginary representation of the world found in ideology is the "real world". Althusser explains that ideology doesn't technically describe the real world, but instead peoples relations to the real world, to their perceptions of the real conditions of existence. It is possible that we do not even know the real world directly but what we think we know is just representations or ideas of the real world. Ideology then is the imaginary story, the represented story, the stories people tell themselves about our relation to the real world.

So the "real world" becomes, not objectively out there, but instead is the outcome of our relations to it and has the ideological portrayals people make of it. These stories are what people believe are what is real. That's how ideology operates. Connecting Marx into this idea of ideology, Marx says that ideology presents people with ideas of their relations to relations of production, instead of ideas of the relations of production themselves.