Ideology and Representation

Ideology

Is a body of opinions that a group of people have. It is a manor of thinking that is in built into our minds. Our minds grow up around the foundations of ideology like a vine round a pole. If we did not grow around these poles, we would certainly be outcast. Our own personal ideologies are kept secret for a long time, especially in secondary school where we feel the need to just fit in. We change our appearance because of ideologies, people use this to their advantage and some choose to rebel against this and choose what they like for their appearance.

Most "isms" are ideologies e.g. Communism, Nazism, Feminism, Imperialism etc etc. These are distinctive practices, systems or philosophies.

Ideology is also the combined policies and intentions of social or political movement. It is also economic, politica, philosophical or religious.

"Isms" don't necessarily rely on facts. Capitalism hates Communism and doesn't contemplate that Communism may have its good points, it's bias. Ideological beliefs conflict each other and there is no arbiter, nothing ever gets settled without conflict. If the Feminists want war just as much as the Nazis then bring 'em ON! (no offense to you feminists who may believe that guys should be exterminated.)

Dominant Ideology

This is the ideology we hear of the most through out media and from our political figures.

It is the most prevalent view of the world expressed by the ruling class who have the most power (says Karl Marx.) Democracy is different everywhere, why isn't democracy an ism anyway? And you know what happens to those who get power, they always want more.

Ideological beliefs are always portrayed subtly and not loud mouthed such as, "I believe that it'll rain cats and dogs one day for real! My ideological belief is that we should all be bisexual" etc.

One system we have that not that many people question is the Queen. I'm not saying you should question it I think it has it's good points to have a Queen. Okay, so why her anyway? Why does she decide who is the Prime Minister at the end of the day? It's because she was born into it? I'm not bothered.

Ideology and Life

Marxism - economics, means of production

Capitalism - focused on the individual who have the power to better themselves into extreme wealth / free enterprise. Celebrities are our heros of capitalism, we look up to David Beckham, Jay Z, Girls Aloud for getting where they got to (a little bit like the Queen if you ask me, as in, they're not the people who fit their jobs the best in this world, okay with exception to David Beckham, but Girls Aloud? Come on, they're not the ones with the talent it's their team of technicians and musician that are the talented ones. Who do you think wrote the S Club 7 tracks?)

But of course Capitalism has its draw backs, it is simply impossible for some people to get anywhere because they were born into their situation, that is no money or knowledge. It benefits those in power. The UK is Utilitarian, that is late Capitalism and they are thinking of getting rid of the welfare state (shit idea.)

Feminism - focuses on our patriarchal society and how women get less money for winning Wimbledon Tennis than the men which is a totally fair point. But the more extreme feminists feel that all men should be killed off and we should live in a world without gender (which is what I thought would be good, only we get rid of the women as well.)

Racism - Probably the worst ism around. Apartheid. It is where some people are better than others because of their race / ancestry. You could say that blearing out to people your English could be racist as it means that you think you're superior because of your country.

Do you think your race is represented enough on television? Who controlling what's on the tele anyway? Why is like that? What are the dominant ideologies.

Representation

This is the next process. How do images and sounds articulate gender, race and class? Who's the hero? Who's the victim? Who's not included in this film?

There is always a dominant/norm that happens in characters within films.

1. Subject Object
2. Man/male Female
3. White Ethnic Minority
4. Hetrosexual Homosexual
5. West East
6. First World Third World
7. Middle Class Lower Class
8. Capiltalist Other
9. Rational/Strong Weak and emotional
10. Active Static

Subject - Individual, Eisenstein was about groups of people.

Males - In movies, oh yeah, there are a lot of "Buddy Movies" where two males go out.

White - 1920s, people were wearing black face, whoa, that is bad.

Hetrosexual - There is a history of homophobic characters in Hollywood

West - The exceptions to this West thing are people like; Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Chow Yung Fat that have made it in the West even though they are Eastern. Lucy Liu is Chinese, yet she is female. She is one of the only people to have made it in the West as a Eastern Female. Jackie Chan fits all of the above descriptions only that he is not from the West as well as the others. You would never have a homosexual, static, weak, Iraqi to be in Hollywood as a star (mainly because in Iraq there hunt gays down and hang them.)

Active - Action heros and martial artists

Mainstream productions typically reproduce (represent) the dominant ideologies of the societies in which they are located.

Eastenders: Represents the East End of London. Asians in this program are given a bad representation as they re stereotypical armed with the Indian accent and image. There is a Soap Opera in Mexico that incorporates the news into the story line so Mexicans can obtain their news through this Soap Opera.

Question

Ideologies can be questioned on two different levels.

1. A film or a video that questions all the of the isms we have talked about that are in Dominant ideology, par example, Capitalism.
2. A film or a video that employs different styles of production that do not naturalize the meanings of whatever is shown.

Capitalism is there for people to make profit and that's it. Dominant ideology filters in.

Hi Mom

A film made in 1970 with Robert DeNiro in it and directed by Brian de Palma.

"Be Black Baby" is a sequence where the audience who are all white are made to be black. It is full of stereotypical white and black people who's roles are switched through persuasion and face-paint. The blacks who run the show, show the whites how to dance the black dance, they make them eat 'soul' food, or pig trotters and black eyed peas. It is implied that a lot of the audience are Jewish as they don't like to eat the pork.