Coming to Terms: Ideology A 12 step program

Popular definitions?

Popular and Critical “set of ideas” vs. a “mystified set of ideas” Rich system of representations that molds individual to understand and perceive a “picture” of society and their place in it.

Step One: Understanding we have a problem. Earthlings: Why is society the way it is? What is society’s purpose? How does a society reproduce itself?

Marx’s World

Step two: Understanding there is a greater power than ourselves Marx’s explanation of class: Ruling: controls “means of production” Working: sells “labor-power” To continue to produce we must also reproduce the system Marx didn’t like this. Take the red pill, proletariat!

Three: make a decision to turn your life over to life as a subject How do you keep the exploited exploited, how keep the exploiters exploiting? Althusser: Force: Repressive state apparatuses (RSAs) Freely accept: Ideological state apparatuses (ISAs)

RSAs Use of force (physical or otherwise) Anti-ideological- shows weak state Expensive

ISAs

Step 5: admitted to God, ourselves, the exact nature of our problem… Ideology is the constructed, imagined relation of social subjects to the real conditions of their existence. Ideology works to constitute and mold subjects through a “rich system of representations” that create “reciprocally reinforcing versions of ‘reality,’ ‘society,’ and ‘self’” (Kavenaugh 309).

6: Continue taking fearless inventories of ourselves… Ideology is a process (more later) Ideology has materiality ISAs Practice, ritual, actions In addition to ideology, “Nature” affects subjects and history(Spinoza). “All there is to a man is heredity and training.”

If ideology and ideological practices/analysis are so crucial to our everyday society from movies to political campaigns how come we don’t speak of it more? I’m curious as to why it isn’t taught more or posed for discussion among students, even at a younger age. I think one of the reasons that this chapter is known to be so difficult is because it first asks Americans to derail their original preconceptions of the meaning of ideology and then reconstruct this concept in examples that we know of and see everyday; if it’s that prevalent within our society how come it isn’t talked about more? Many of the theorists that Kavanagh quotes are ancient to the meaning of our society and common social constructs, so why aren’t his ideas of ideology more prevalent. His last thought, “Thus, literary and cultural texts of all kinds constitute a society’s ideological practice, and literary and cultural criticism constitutes and activity that, in its own rather meager way, either submits to, or self-conciously attempts to transform, the political effects of that indispensable social practice” (320). This being the last sentence I almost feel as though I’ve been bamboozled because Kavanagh makes it sound as though forming ideological ensembles are a skill that all writers, political campaign managers, and film writers already have and we’re just now learning of it. I’m not saying I doubt or question the validity of Kavanagh’s essay but I am questioning it’s value and relevance since it’s almost frustrating that this twisted concept of ideology isn’t discussed more, if it’s imperative within social constructs.

You are “always/already” a subject Ideology “hails” you. “Hey you!”

“Shane!” Ask people for questions, comments.

Make a list of people your ideology harms: go ask for forgiveness Class Sex Race Gender Religion Non-normates Non-humans Colonized Queer Etc. (not to be callous)

“Racisms without Racists”

By many metrics, we can see racial inequality Educationally Economically Politically Health outcomes (big one for EJ) Access to environmental benefits like parks

Can we call the “politics of the natural” the “ideology of the natural”? How does our understanding of ideology affect the kinds of questions we ask of nature in popular culture as we continue in this course?

Who belongs in nature? Who is natural to a place? According to the frontier myth, the “empty lands” of nature are rightfully the domain of Euro-americans (especially men). We’re starting to look at whiteness and different ideas of race and racism.