Stop! in the name of Marx

“The relationship between the intellectuals and the world of production is not as direct as it is with the fundamental social groups but is, in varying degrees, ‘mediated’ by the whole fabric of society and by the complex of superstructures” (Gramsci 673)


Marx’s explanation of the conflict that exists between the class systems in a society resonates just as much today as it did when it was first written in the 19th century. The proletarians (working class) and the bourgeoisie (middle-class) could be classified as the oppressed and the oppressor. The oppressed, if uneducated and distracted, will not have the opportunity to advance in society. This is where the ideological state apparatus comes in. It works to make us unaware of our exploitations – leading to false class consciousness.

In “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses,” Louis Althusser asserts: “Ideology has a material existence” (695). Indeed, it does. Perhaps it is, in some ways, easier to “control” the working class in the 21st century with so many mediums of distraction. The media, for example, is a powerful force used by the ruling class to control the proletarians. The media promotes consumerism to a great extent, coning us into believing that capitalism is fair, which ultimately prevents revolutions. Since rebellions and revolutions would hurt the ruling class, they control these superstructures as a way to protect themselves.

In the film Idiocracy, the “dumbing down” of the masses is exaggerated to point out the negative effects of the media and consumerism. The notion that forms of entertainment are used by the bourgeoisie as a way to control the lower-class is (albeit arguable) an interesting one to ponder.



Works Cited:
Althusser, Louis. "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses." Literary Theory: An Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 693-703.

Gramsci, Antonio. "Hegemony." Literary Theory: An Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 673-4.