Philosophy 140
Professor Coplan
4 May, 2009
The Contested Terrain of Media Text and its Effects on Contemporary Culture
As an American it would be impossible to deny the impact that media has on society's culture, ideology, and politics. We are a nation run by different ideological theories constantly at war with one another (both physically and metaphorically) for domination of our hearts and minds. Douglas Kellner says that it is media culture that is the "contested terrain". It is with this idea that I will argue that media culture has thus proceeded to influence our ways of thinking and behaving in such a way that it is really ourselves that have become this contested terrain.
In order to understand what Kellner means as this struggle between ideologies, one must understand cultural studies and what the role of ideologies are within it. He begins by stating that cultural studies is open to continually different interventions and developments. Some groups see it as simply a study of what is popular and modern, an attempt to focus on that which is "in" or "happening", in other words a study of popular culture. Other groups attempt to use it to critically understand the existing inequalities and dominant views, while still others use culture studies to push their own political agendas. Conservative groups look upon it with great distaste and view it as an attempt to circumvent orthodox education, and reformists attempt to use it to make contemporary education relevant and in tune to the nature and changes of contemporary culture. Cultural studies is therefore a tool with which one focuses upon these ideologies and theories, and the role that they play within our culture and society. So as to understand the full gamut of dominant and recessive representations of identities, such as within theories of class, gender, race, sexual preference, nationality and the like, Kellner argues for a more Marxist approach to this study. He calls for an understanding that media culture is intensely influenced by political agendas.
By a close analysis of relations within media texts, one can see how it portrays images of either power and domination, or one of opposing hegemonic ideologies. In order to read media politically one must place it in the context of its appropriate historical frame. How certain struggles are shown, the dominant images, certain discourses, and also its aesthetic quality all contribute to the transcoding of politically established agendas. What media likes to do is show us everyday struggles in the life of normal people, or even at times political figures, and relate to us the broader world of social and political contention. As an example Kellner points out the most popular films of the 1960s to the late 1980s era transcoded the competing social and political positions that covered debates over the Vietnam War, class and race, gender and the family, corporations and the state, etc., that preoccupied U.S. society over those past decades. Some of these texts advanced progressive points while others defended hegemonic ideas and attacked with racism, sexism, and the like. It is with this idea that one can safely assume that media is the battleground of antithetical ideologies.
The Marxist approach to characterization of the term ideology, is that it contains the ideas of the ruling class of that specific historical era. In The German Ideology Marx and Engels set out to attack and denounce those ideologies they deemed hegemonic, and its critique involved analysis and demystification of these ideas. However rather than focus on the full range of these dominating ideologies, it was more upon those of the economic and political realm that the most amount of time was devoted to. This concept tended to reduce ideology to the defense of certain class interests and is confined to analyzing the ruling class's economic interests. More recently this sentiment has been replaced by critics arguing that the concept of ideology should be extended to cover theories, ideas, texts, and representations that justify interests of ruling gender and race, as well as class powers. This type of multicultural perspective allows for a critique of sexist, heterosexist, and racist ideology, as well as for class and economical ideology. As Kellner states, "It [multicultural ideological critique] assumes that society is a great field of struggle and that the heterogeneous struggles are played out on the screens and texts of media culture and are the proper terrain of a critical media cultural studies." (p 58)
In my opinion Dr. Kellner's theory that media culture is this contested terrain is close to the truth, however I believe that it is through this culture that the real battleground is our minds, and the way we identify with certain ideologies. Though various groups might attempt to influence us by producing media such as films, music, video games, literature, and the like, it is really up to ourselves whether or not to make the decision to fall into line with their ideologies. Most popular films tend to stick with hegemonic ideals, such as in i]Top Gun[/i]. Though there seems to almost be a few slightly antithetical bits thrown into them, the films generally gloss over these and its true form is set in the dominant class's ideology. The way that media culture induces consent towards certain ideological positions is by either playing on people's values or representing them in such a way that it seems that "it's just the way things are". Popular cultural texts naturalize these positions and thus help motivate consent towards hegemonic ideologies.
Top Gun was one of a series of films produced in the 1980s that advocated the Reaganite ethos of militarism and conservative values. Its immense popularity is due partly to its aesthetic appeal. The characters and settings are so vivid and ultimately "cool", that the viewer is drawn into this ideological trap from the beginning. For instance, at the beginning of Top Gun, the opening sequence is made to inspire awe and interest through its driving rock music and mystical and exhilarating images. The movie is primarily about competition and winning - with women, at sports, military honor and also social success. The code names even have some mythical quality to them (Ghostrider, Maverick, Merlin, Cougar, etc.). In a way, it almost seems befitting that the only character to die in the movie had the only silly codename (Goose). This suggests that only the elite really matter in the end and the faint hearted must fall by the wayside. Tom Cruise plays Maverick, the lead character, a guy that embodies the Reaganite/Yuppie values of winning at all costs, and holding competition at the center of life. At one point in the film Maverick tells us that individual intuitive abilities are more important than cognitive ability: "You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead." This anti-intellectual ethos was an essential part of Reaganism, argues Kellner, "the project of the film itself is to thrill the spectator with its images of technological death...fusing libidinal energy and destruction, in images of technowar, thus helping to produce the psychological disposition to thrill to these same images in the Persian Gulf War against Iraq."
Another example of ideological influence in media is in the television show 24. Long running on the known conservative television network FOX, the show is a good representation of certain conservative ideals, namely its view on the use of violence and politics. On the show, Jack Bauer and his associates routinely uses torture tactics to gain critical information that usually turns out effective. Bauer's "shoot first, talk later" attitude is perfect for holding the attention of viewers as well as indoctrinating them with its subtle politics. The way that the fictional government corresponds to other governments gives a supremely American attitude, one of "only we really matter". It is no wonder that much of the show's content deals with terrorism and is produced at the same time as the real-life "War on Terror" goes on, thereby gaining some support for this political position.
In conclusion the role that media plays within our culture has grown to substantial proportions. So much so that it has fused extremely well with our culture and we barely even notice when ideologies are being thrust at us. It is with this setting that various groups with political, societal, and economical agendas attempt to influence our thinking. They play upon our sentiments, values, and hopes and in the end influence us one way or another. Though this is not a negative thing really, what isn't right is when people are led by the nose and fall into the trap of hegemonic ideology. Therefore, cultural studies, specifically of media and its influence, is an essential part of being a knowledgeable citizen of society.
Professor Coplan
4 May, 2009
The Contested Terrain of Media Text and its Effects on Contemporary Culture
As an American it would be impossible to deny the impact that media has on society's culture, ideology, and politics. We are a nation run by different ideological theories constantly at war with one another (both physically and metaphorically) for domination of our hearts and minds. Douglas Kellner says that it is media culture that is the "contested terrain". It is with this idea that I will argue that media culture has thus proceeded to influence our ways of thinking and behaving in such a way that it is really ourselves that have become this contested terrain.
In order to understand what Kellner means as this struggle between ideologies, one must understand cultural studies and what the role of ideologies are within it. He begins by stating that cultural studies is open to continually different interventions and developments. Some groups see it as simply a study of what is popular and modern, an attempt to focus on that which is "in" or "happening", in other words a study of popular culture. Other groups attempt to use it to critically understand the existing inequalities and dominant views, while still others use culture studies to push their own political agendas. Conservative groups look upon it with great distaste and view it as an attempt to circumvent orthodox education, and reformists attempt to use it to make contemporary education relevant and in tune to the nature and changes of contemporary culture. Cultural studies is therefore a tool with which one focuses upon these ideologies and theories, and the role that they play within our culture and society. So as to understand the full gamut of dominant and recessive representations of identities, such as within theories of class, gender, race, sexual preference, nationality and the like, Kellner argues for a more Marxist approach to this study. He calls for an understanding that media culture is intensely influenced by political agendas.
By a close analysis of relations within media texts, one can see how it portrays images of either power and domination, or one of opposing hegemonic ideologies. In order to read media politically one must place it in the context of its appropriate historical frame. How certain struggles are shown, the dominant images, certain discourses, and also its aesthetic quality all contribute to the transcoding of politically established agendas. What media likes to do is show us everyday struggles in the life of normal people, or even at times political figures, and relate to us the broader world of social and political contention. As an example Kellner points out the most popular films of the 1960s to the late 1980s era transcoded the competing social and political positions that covered debates over the Vietnam War, class and race, gender and the family, corporations and the state, etc., that preoccupied U.S. society over those past decades. Some of these texts advanced progressive points while others defended hegemonic ideas and attacked with racism, sexism, and the like. It is with this idea that one can safely assume that media is the battleground of antithetical ideologies.
The Marxist approach to characterization of the term ideology, is that it contains the ideas of the ruling class of that specific historical era. In The German Ideology Marx and Engels set out to attack and denounce those ideologies they deemed hegemonic, and its critique involved analysis and demystification of these ideas. However rather than focus on the full range of these dominating ideologies, it was more upon those of the economic and political realm that the most amount of time was devoted to. This concept tended to reduce ideology to the defense of certain class interests and is confined to analyzing the ruling class's economic interests. More recently this sentiment has been replaced by critics arguing that the concept of ideology should be extended to cover theories, ideas, texts, and representations that justify interests of ruling gender and race, as well as class powers. This type of multicultural perspective allows for a critique of sexist, heterosexist, and racist ideology, as well as for class and economical ideology. As Kellner states, "It [multicultural ideological critique] assumes that society is a great field of struggle and that the heterogeneous struggles are played out on the screens and texts of media culture and are the proper terrain of a critical media cultural studies." (p 58)
In my opinion Dr. Kellner's theory that media culture is this contested terrain is close to the truth, however I believe that it is through this culture that the real battleground is our minds, and the way we identify with certain ideologies. Though various groups might attempt to influence us by producing media such as films, music, video games, literature, and the like, it is really up to ourselves whether or not to make the decision to fall into line with their ideologies. Most popular films tend to stick with hegemonic ideals, such as in i]Top Gun[/i]. Though there seems to almost be a few slightly antithetical bits thrown into them, the films generally gloss over these and its true form is set in the dominant class's ideology. The way that media culture induces consent towards certain ideological positions is by either playing on people's values or representing them in such a way that it seems that "it's just the way things are". Popular cultural texts naturalize these positions and thus help motivate consent towards hegemonic ideologies.
Top Gun was one of a series of films produced in the 1980s that advocated the Reaganite ethos of militarism and conservative values. Its immense popularity is due partly to its aesthetic appeal. The characters and settings are so vivid and ultimately "cool", that the viewer is drawn into this ideological trap from the beginning. For instance, at the beginning of Top Gun, the opening sequence is made to inspire awe and interest through its driving rock music and mystical and exhilarating images. The movie is primarily about competition and winning - with women, at sports, military honor and also social success. The code names even have some mythical quality to them (Ghostrider, Maverick, Merlin, Cougar, etc.). In a way, it almost seems befitting that the only character to die in the movie had the only silly codename (Goose). This suggests that only the elite really matter in the end and the faint hearted must fall by the wayside. Tom Cruise plays Maverick, the lead character, a guy that embodies the Reaganite/Yuppie values of winning at all costs, and holding competition at the center of life. At one point in the film Maverick tells us that individual intuitive abilities are more important than cognitive ability: "You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead." This anti-intellectual ethos was an essential part of Reaganism, argues Kellner, "the project of the film itself is to thrill the spectator with its images of technological death...fusing libidinal energy and destruction, in images of technowar, thus helping to produce the psychological disposition to thrill to these same images in the Persian Gulf War against Iraq."
Another example of ideological influence in media is in the television show 24. Long running on the known conservative television network FOX, the show is a good representation of certain conservative ideals, namely its view on the use of violence and politics. On the show, Jack Bauer and his associates routinely uses torture tactics to gain critical information that usually turns out effective. Bauer's "shoot first, talk later" attitude is perfect for holding the attention of viewers as well as indoctrinating them with its subtle politics. The way that the fictional government corresponds to other governments gives a supremely American attitude, one of "only we really matter". It is no wonder that much of the show's content deals with terrorism and is produced at the same time as the real-life "War on Terror" goes on, thereby gaining some support for this political position.
In conclusion the role that media plays within our culture has grown to substantial proportions. So much so that it has fused extremely well with our culture and we barely even notice when ideologies are being thrust at us. It is with this setting that various groups with political, societal, and economical agendas attempt to influence our thinking. They play upon our sentiments, values, and hopes and in the end influence us one way or another. Though this is not a negative thing really, what isn't right is when people are led by the nose and fall into the trap of hegemonic ideology. Therefore, cultural studies, specifically of media and its influence, is an essential part of being a knowledgeable citizen of society.
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