Political ideologies - Article Example

Political ideologies Specifically what is false consciousness? (Gyorgi Lukacs) consciousness is the ideology possessed by the working class or exploited groups that justifies and keeps their flame burning as pertains to the tasks they are cut out for. Engel was the only user of this phrase, and not even once by Marx. He used it in a private epistle to Franz Mehring in 1893. In this letter he wanted to talk about how little or no effort was invested in thinking about the influence of the state of mind in determining social action. He and fellow philosophers had only thought of the reverse. False consciousness refers to the knowledge that a working class character should have but are yet to possess due to lack of consideration of how they should be paid, their working conditions, their rights and privileges (Lukacs 4). Simply it is the lack of knowledge of one’s own best interests. Self-sacrifice is a form of false consciousness. It is likened to working for free yet one is entitled to pay as well as privileges since one is cut out for that particular job. That one is needed by the owner of the mode of production but fails to see the fact that since they are needed, they should be getting a wage, not only as pay for the work but also privileges to ensure that they are ever available and to make their life as comfortable as possible in order for them to undertake their scheduled task as efficiently and as to the maximum profit achievable. Lukacs introduced this idea in the 1920s with a bid to comprehend ‘how come the working class is made of the less of social revolutionaries.’ He observed that in the hierarchy of capitalism, class consciousness did exist and in all levels though in differing intensities. The man who works under the car all day goes through several discrepancies. He carries heavy material to and fro. His muscles are bound to ache since the job is quite tiresome. He is also in the direct path of fumes of differing chemical composition. This could lead to lung and airway problems. The oil too is toxic. Infections are rampant. But whether he knows that due to the dangers he is vulnerable to, he is entitled to health allowances and possible insurance, is subject to debate. That his employer should ensure he has health insurance, or his pay may be too low compared to the amount of labor, and in case of errors because of being human, and not deliberate sabotage, his pay is safe from deductions. A paralegal who works in the archives is also entitled to the same health benefits as those of the legal superiors she works for. The dust id hazardous and the working hours are long for someone who is on their feet three quarters of the time. That due to the fact that they know the content and location of the files, they too are needed and their pay deserves to reflect that. 2. Specifically how has mechanical reproduction compromised our ability to think critically? (Walter Benjamin) Mechanical reproduction takes away the authenticity of art. It no longer becomes the property of the original artiste but becomes of the masses. They get to own the product even though they did not contribute to its composition, neither did they contribute to its creative works. Mechanical reproduction also takes away the autonomy of the artwork itself. It seizes to be the only one of its kind and it becomes a mass production which anyone can have at their will. This reduces its exchange value and therefore the artwork becomes less of an attraction to own. The mechanical reproduction of a photograph of a human model or actor, for example, loses value as it is transferred from one person to another from the original photographer. The ideas of the original photographer are disseminated throughout and they become less interesting when seen too many times. If a certain company wants to use that picture and they happen to find it in circulation, they will want to use a picture that has never been seen by the public. In any case, they wanted to make an impression that was unique to them and the public would associate it with them (Walter 9). Mechanical reproduction of a piece of art shows that one has not thought of the idea themselves but would want to echo somebody else’s. If one gets used to mechanically reproducing other people’s ideas they become like a photocopy machine in the office, which just makes identical copies but cannot come up with something never seen before. Something that has never been seen before is much more fascinating. In the production of a new product, one is even sharpened by practice to make more and different things. This creativity is critical in sustaining the art world. It brings into the world fresh ideas and even propagates new thought. A certain young man has seen his friend’s video library becomes a success. He enquires on the numbers and the returns are quite mouth-watering. The raw materials are cheap and getting a stall is not a problem since commercial buildings are always being constructed. If he goes and sets up a shop like that one, he will not only be making his friend’s business go low but will also not be doing justice o society. We already have a video library, why not set up something we don’t have like a proper gaming lounge. That would be a diverse idea in the same field of entertainment, if entertainment is their desired field of specialty. 3. Specifically how has enlightenment failed to be enlightenment, what was it meant to accomplish and what has become of it (Theodore Adorno) Enlightenment was meant to be a new way of thinking in order to come up with new routines of doing things but it failed to bring the newness because it only produced things which conformed to the old system of activity. The ones that did not conform were not accepted and it beats the purpose of even referring it to as the Enlightenment in the first instance (Theodor 17). The things that have been claimed to be new have their inspiration in the old. New music has lyrics from old songs, new movies have themes from old movies. Like Charlie’s Angels was there during the hey days of Marilyn Munroe and it is still the same script with Cameron Diaz. James Bond is still the same character since Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan and still during Daniel Craig’s time. The Enlightenment was to be about new concepts. Instead it just lifted from the ancient and modernized the themes. It’s like all they did was add color to the picture, since back in the day it was mainly monochrome. The only difference now is high definition color screens. When people go to watch movies all they see is an idea that was there before, made relevant to modern times. In the 90s, kids used to watch transformers as a cartoon show. Steven Spielberg lifted the idea and used advanced technology to make it look cool and new. The robots go by the same name and type of cars too. The script is still the same, just occasional editing here and there and they change characters too to keep it fresh but the idea is nowhere near authentic. In music, they have the same ideas too. They are just experts at arranging stories on beats. They know where to put the lines so that the listener can get that inner satisfaction when they come at the time that they do. They even make them easier to sing along. Quite a few songs out there are original ideas. Capitalism rules the modern world. The Enlightenment was to liberate us from the rule of our own thoughts. Culture as a creation of man should not control man by order of hierarchy. The creation is not meant to control the creator. However, style in everything that we create, determines how we create it. The type of music one is doing is determined by what style exists. True artistes are those that come up with new. That’s why it is called art. A creation. By virtue of creativity. Something out of nothing (Theodor 23). Authors have new books everyday but filmmakers only go for best-sellers. This beats the purpose of people always haggling about the need of new material. It is either the fear of failure or just closing ourselves and venturing only with the familiar. The Enlightenment was meant to be a moment of turning away from the familiar and venturing to search and discover. However, it has proven to be a way of using the ancient to mould something new. On Jay-Z’s Blueprint III album, he used the roman numerals for the number three. He went to the old to carve out something new. The pyramids in Egypt are still a source of inspiration. New things should be made from abstract ideas. That’s the best way to guarantee originality. Like the culture of hip hop. At least that one changes: it came from rapping about freedom to rapping about money, women and cars to rapping about hunger in the world and undelivering politicians and then to clothes. However, the cycle continues. Artistes who are failing just need to go back to the old and find something that worked back there, take it and use it to reconstruct something else. It is really not that hard since it seems to be the way that works wonders. In the new world the old is what rocks, so to speak. Reincarnation is not just about karma, the reinvention of oneself is important to remain relevant. The Enlightenment’s aim was to come up with something new but the idea that it prospered was that in the ancient knowledge lies a great deal of inspiration which can be used to come up with refreshing ideas for the new world. King Tutankhamen’s tomb has a lot of gold. This is not a suggestion to rob a grave of its physical adornments but of its intellectual. 4. Specifically by what means are the relations of production reproduced? (Louis Althusser) The relations of production are reproduced through a) The maintenance of legal and political structure and b) The maintenance of the ideological structures in place. In Marxism, the idea that comes out is that culture is as a result of economy. That there are producers, those people who own the means of production (ruling class) and then there are those that are employed to be laborers in the process of production (working class). Owners of means of production are the same people who come up with the laws (they herein become the political class) that govern production to make competition fair and these laws are formed in view of, later or prior, political ideologies in the geographical regions that they are found in (the State). So there is the economic substructure and then there is the legal-political and ideological superstructure. The State is made up of legal practice (the police, the courts, the prisons, he army) all under the head of State, the government and the administration. There is proposed a concept of the State Apparatus, which are the tools of repressive execution and intervention ‘in the interests of the ruling class’ (Louis 15). By further break down, there exists what is called Repressive State Apparatus and Ideological State Apparatus. Repressive because it uses violence or force to shape society by means of the police and/or the army, the non-physical judicial system down to outright and public censures, previously referred to as just State Apparatus by Marxists. The Ideological State Apparatus include religion, education, family, the constitution, the political system inclusive of the political parties, communication i.e. media and culture in the form of literature, arts, sports, beliefs, customs and thought in itself (Louis 45). Mitt Romney is indeed a leader who has commandeered and will enable the below to happen. Legal and political structures are maintained by first laying down the law in a constitution. Then the people are asked whether the laws proposed are relevant or not and sometimes a referendum is necessary, other times a court of law works just fines to add laws to an already existing constitution. The referendum of course, comes after the people have been familiarized with the proposed laws. The people now have to abide by the laws and in case of breach there are law enforcement agencies. If a certain character opens up shop, the law requires that the person acquires a business permit. The permit must be relevant to the business; most people choose a general permit so as to deal with whatever they deem fit. The person should also carry out business within ethics. They should not for example sell music from local artistes without a license from the music copyright society and the relevant body in charge of artistes’ royalties, or distribute morally decayed material. The city council officers are authorized to confiscate, and without return, the equipment used in the shop. Also stealing business ideas is immoral. This is a prosecutable offence. Ideological structures set in place as a result of the ideologies of the ruling class are just as fundamental. If a certain leader believes that they should not perpetrate violence if they lose elections, such ideologies are helpful in the maintenance of peace. Peaceful countries attract investors which profit a country’s economy. Ideologies such as African socialism have been gazetted in parliaments like in Kenya and made a national issue affecting everyone regardless if there is a minority that does not subscribe to them. They are unanimously known to be for the common good. 5. Specifically what is interpellation, through what means does it most effectively function, and is there a way out of ideology (Louis Althusser) Ideology refers to a set of ideas that one believes in and puts into action with or without conscious knowledge that they are ideologies. Ideologies can also be common to a group of people and can be put into constitutions as law or otherwise. They are the systems of thought that someone practices, consciously or unconsciously. Ideologies, being that they are mostly unconscious have no point of beginning in time. If we go back to the Creation story, Adam hid from God after he had eaten the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. He came to believe that he was naked and his shame made him hide. We can say that Adam had the ideology that one should not be walking around naked. He went into hiding by reflex, just the way Noah’s son covered him when he was drunk and naked as well. He was sure nobody should be walking around naked. Interpellation is the way in which a person adheres to a certain ideology that they are in possession of. It is the way someone responds to what they know as either truth or ritual. It functions best when one believes in the ideas that they have in their minds and they execute it in their daily activities or even routines. For example, a driver on a main road which has other roads which join it. If the driver is conversant with traffic rules then they know he has right of way and he should let someone else pass. This is not just the knowledge of traffic rules when the police are not present, because this driver does the same thing, regardless. In a country where vehicles keep left, the driver coming from the right side has right of way at a roundabout. But at night, when drivers are a little out of shape may be due to having a long day or having a couple at the bar, some drivers let any other driver on the road to go first, for safety’s sake. They believe that the other driver may not have seen them and assuming otherwise may lead to an accident. They are subject to the thoughts that at night drivers are more prone to accidents than during the day because of fatigue, alcohol consumption or poor vision. It’s the same way there is a zebra crossing where there are no traffic lights. Descent drivers just know when to stop. Its internal to stop for pedestrians to stop. Being that it is a system of thought that one has adhered to unconsciously, or so consciously that they it has turned into a drill, it has no way out of. Saying that ideology is escapable is like saying people should stop thinking. Habitual thoughts lead to ideologies. And their physical expression makes them even harder to shake off. Culture is an example of ideology. If one stands up for elders to have a seat then their ideology is that elders should not be standing while a young man is seated. Conclusion In earnest conclusion, from my honest view of these and various other political ideologies, it is hence evident that all this do have a similar direction towards political revolution of their countries and the world as a whole. Thus the world should champion the works of such renowned and outstanding leaders. These leaders have put their knowledge and lifeline towards improving the welfare of the people in the world. Also it is arguably that such actions when taken by us, will also help to improve the general political movement of dynasties, nations, states, and respectable countries at large. Just to top it all I took the picture of my beautiful acoustic guitar. These four leaders have all different ideas but all tend to point to one direction. The guitar is uniquely designed in such an amazing way. Who could even predict that six strings can produce millions of various unique tunes that take emotions of people. Just like this piece of art work is unique in its own kind of way, is the same as how these leaders have shown us the way forward. Also evident is how private property is indeed crucial to estranged labor. Thus, we must not endeavor to abolish it because it will result to human emancipation. This is hence observed through my photos. Karl Marx still continues to play a crucial role in the current economic, social and in the political arena as to my discussed opinion in this essay. I therefore vehemently agitate that world leaders should strive to make the world a better place to live based on the ideologies of this outstanding leaders.   Works Cited Gyorgi, lukacs. Class consciousness. New York: Philips publiishers, 1945. Print. Walter, Benjamin.The work of art in the age of political reproduction. London: Oxford publishers, 1978. Print. Theodor, Max Horkheimer. Dialectic of emlightment. Manchester: Crimson enterprises, 1905. Print. Louis, Althusser. Ideology and ideological state apparatus. Milan: Oxford publishers, 1984. Print. Felix, Durt. Political dynasties. Cape Town. Durban press, 1991. Print. Read More