Which particular form of inequality are Marxists interested in? Give two examples of how this inequality might be seen in our society.
Social and economic equality. Economic equality can be seen in our society by the different salaries that individuals are on, for example politicians earning £80k+ a year whilst others are earning minimal wage. Another example is how footballers are earning more than our emergency services when the emergency services are saving people's life on a day to day basis, sometimes risking their own in the meantime and keeping our community a safe place to be.
How does Marxist thought divide society? Think of the two terms they use and give a defintiion of each of these terms.
They see society as seperated into classes, predominantly those who own the means of production (the bourgeoisie) and those who need to sell their labour (the proletariat)
Give an example of how Marxist thought sees people as being exploited.
Marxists thinks that the selling of goods for profit (capitalism) leads to the exploitation of those who produce the goods.
In what way does Marxist thought suggest that we are suffering from false consciousness? Try to give two examples.
Individuals are persuaded by the media to go out and buy the latest products, for example to swap their working iphone 5s for the new released iphone 6, as the adverts on television make individuals feel that their phone is not good enough and that it is important to have the newest model in order to be accepted. In addition to this, when individuals have low self esteem or are upset, they believe going out and purchasing products will make them happier, however in reality it may make them happier in the short term but in the long term it will just affect their bank balance.
What benefits might a market liberal (capitalist) system bring to them population? Try to give three, with examples.
The right to own property, the right to buy and sell goods at a price set by the market, the right to sell your labour to the highest bidder and the right to own the means of production.
How are false needs reinforced, according to Marxist thought? (Think of particular agents of socialisation) Give two ways, with examples.
From agents of socialisation as the media and peer groups. We become trapped in a society where we feel we must have the latest cultural product, whether we actually need it or not.
Illustrate Bauman's ideas about "the perpetual non-satisfaction" of consumers.
Explain why we might pay more for a product than we think it is actually worth (think of use and exchange value)
Individuals may decide to pay for a product than it is worth because it is a trend and they want to follow the trends in order to fit in with others who have the product.
What do critics of late capitalism such as Paul Moore and Bill Gates suggest is needed to make capitalism more acceptable?
What does a market liberalist thought suggest when it criticises Marxism as promoting "a utopian ideal"? (Think of what Milt Friedman said about angels)
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
Thursday, 9 October 2014
The high price of materialism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGab38pKscw
The video suggests that Americans are bombared with messages suggesting that the good life is only attainable by earning lots of money and spending it on lots of goods. 150 billion dollars are spent most years to embed consumer messages, in a range of public spaces. Actors are paid to drop sales pitches into their conversations. The more materialistic people are, the unhappier they become. It can also influence are social relationships. People care less for the earth when they have materialistic values. When individuals feel insecure they buy products, whereas the video suggests they should just take a walk outside or spend time with friends instead.
The truth about capitalism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGab38pKscw
The video suggests that Americans are bombared with messages suggesting that the good life is only attainable by earning lots of money and spending it on lots of goods. 150 billion dollars are spent most years to embed consumer messages, in a range of public spaces. Actors are paid to drop sales pitches into their conversations. The more materialistic people are, the unhappier they become. It can also influence are social relationships. People care less for the earth when they have materialistic values. When individuals feel insecure they buy products, whereas the video suggests they should just take a walk outside or spend time with friends instead.
The truth about capitalism
The world is a global empire. We have created a mutant viral form of capitalism.
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Feminism Questions
Give a straightfoward definition of feminsim
Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. There are three parts to feminism including; the first wave, the second wave and the third wave.
What do we mean by the objectification of women?
Objectification of women is the way that women are looked at like a sexual object. This can be shown in many music videos for example "candy shop". In this video females are dressed provocatively, wearing minimal clothing, and are seen as an object for sex, and therefore as Laura Mulvey would suggest, seen from the male gaze.
In what ways can gender be seen as a social construct?
Explain the main differences between the first, second and third waves of feminism?
First wave feminism took place during the mid 19th - 20th century, the movement was concerened with gaining political equality and the fought for the right for women to vote, whereas the second wave were concerned with women's role in society; the work place and the home, however the third wave feminists are concered with the pressures placed on women by society to conform to an unachievable standard of beauty, and the way that women's roles have changed.
Which characterists of femininity are emphasised in fairy tales?
In fairy tales, characterisitcs of femininity is beauty, as they are all slim and pretty, and care about their appearence. All of the princesses dress codes are very feminin as they wear dresses. Females are also portrayed as vulnerable, as most of them have a problem which is resolved by the help of a prince at their rescue.
How might these portrayals of woman affect the real world?
If females do not believe they are as pretty or slim as the princesses in fairytales it may affect their self-esteem, however this helps the retail industry as it results in women and girls buying cultural products such as makeup or hair products advertised on television to make them feel better about themselves and to increase their self-esteem again. By princesses wearing big glamorous dresses it could be said that it is the reason for beauty pagents being aired on television which shows young girls aspiring to be like them and copying their dress codes. Females being portrayed as vulnerable just creates a false gender stereotype that women need a man in their life and that without one they will not be able to survive.
Explain what is meant by "the male gaze"?
The male gaze is where films, adverts, music videos are filmed from the eye of a male, and therefore will show what they like to see. eg women wearing minimal clothing. An example of this is the candy shop.
What does the male gaze suggest about power relationships between genders in our society?
It suggests that males have more power than females, as it would very unlikely to see a male being objectified in the media, however females are, and have been for years, and nothing has been done about it yet.
How are "normative standards of beauty" formed?
Normative standards of beauty are formed from the media in a number of ways for example; disney producing barbies that are white, have blonde hair and a slim body make young girls think that is the definition of beauty, and therefore they aspire to look like them, and try to copy them. Another example of this is magazines and clothing websites with the models that they decide to use.
Explain the link between capitalism and normative standards of beauty.
A lack of an individuals self-esteem results in businesses generating lots of profit as people will buy cultural products if they feel like they do not conform with the normative standards of beauty for example they will purchase makeup, hair products or even invest in comestic surgery procedures, so that they achieve what they percieve to be a more desirable look.
How might these beauty standards affect women's health?
By women trying to conform with these standards of beauty it may affect their health in a number of ways. For example if a female feels like she doesn't have beauty because she isn't a slim as the models she sees in magazines or clothing websites, or the princesses she sees in fairy tales, she may decide to lose weight which could result in anorexia.
Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. There are three parts to feminism including; the first wave, the second wave and the third wave.
What do we mean by the objectification of women?
Objectification of women is the way that women are looked at like a sexual object. This can be shown in many music videos for example "candy shop". In this video females are dressed provocatively, wearing minimal clothing, and are seen as an object for sex, and therefore as Laura Mulvey would suggest, seen from the male gaze.
In what ways can gender be seen as a social construct?
Explain the main differences between the first, second and third waves of feminism?
First wave feminism took place during the mid 19th - 20th century, the movement was concerened with gaining political equality and the fought for the right for women to vote, whereas the second wave were concerned with women's role in society; the work place and the home, however the third wave feminists are concered with the pressures placed on women by society to conform to an unachievable standard of beauty, and the way that women's roles have changed.
Which characterists of femininity are emphasised in fairy tales?
In fairy tales, characterisitcs of femininity is beauty, as they are all slim and pretty, and care about their appearence. All of the princesses dress codes are very feminin as they wear dresses. Females are also portrayed as vulnerable, as most of them have a problem which is resolved by the help of a prince at their rescue.
How might these portrayals of woman affect the real world?
If females do not believe they are as pretty or slim as the princesses in fairytales it may affect their self-esteem, however this helps the retail industry as it results in women and girls buying cultural products such as makeup or hair products advertised on television to make them feel better about themselves and to increase their self-esteem again. By princesses wearing big glamorous dresses it could be said that it is the reason for beauty pagents being aired on television which shows young girls aspiring to be like them and copying their dress codes. Females being portrayed as vulnerable just creates a false gender stereotype that women need a man in their life and that without one they will not be able to survive.
Explain what is meant by "the male gaze"?
The male gaze is where films, adverts, music videos are filmed from the eye of a male, and therefore will show what they like to see. eg women wearing minimal clothing. An example of this is the candy shop.
What does the male gaze suggest about power relationships between genders in our society?
It suggests that males have more power than females, as it would very unlikely to see a male being objectified in the media, however females are, and have been for years, and nothing has been done about it yet.
How are "normative standards of beauty" formed?
Normative standards of beauty are formed from the media in a number of ways for example; disney producing barbies that are white, have blonde hair and a slim body make young girls think that is the definition of beauty, and therefore they aspire to look like them, and try to copy them. Another example of this is magazines and clothing websites with the models that they decide to use.
Explain the link between capitalism and normative standards of beauty.
A lack of an individuals self-esteem results in businesses generating lots of profit as people will buy cultural products if they feel like they do not conform with the normative standards of beauty for example they will purchase makeup, hair products or even invest in comestic surgery procedures, so that they achieve what they percieve to be a more desirable look.
How might these beauty standards affect women's health?
By women trying to conform with these standards of beauty it may affect their health in a number of ways. For example if a female feels like she doesn't have beauty because she isn't a slim as the models she sees in magazines or clothing websites, or the princesses she sees in fairy tales, she may decide to lose weight which could result in anorexia.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
Blurred Lines: The new battle of the sexes
Notes from the video
Notes from the video
- Music videos have male singers with female backing dancers being sexualised
- Models wearing minimal clothing
- "Anything goes culture"
- Sterling university banned blurred lines from being played in the univeristy
- "In 2014 it seems to be worse for women"
- Patriacle society - Male run society
- Working class men reject the nation of equality
- Loaded magazine used females to sell their magazine
- Sex sells
- Normalised soft porn in the music industry
- "Where do you draw the line a world of post modern irony?"
- "2012; the year of the rape joke"
- Jokes such as "Why did the woman cross the road" "Who cares? Why is she out of the kitchen?"
- By laughing at sexist jokes, people are egging on sexist males, and making their opinion of no equality worse - Empowering them
Prophets of rage
Notes from the video
Prophets of rage
- Learning black histroy from popular culture - people in power can dismiss it easily
- The song upset a lot of people
- 2 pack and public enemy are from the educated middle class
- They were reffered to as "black trouble makers"
- They all grew up in the sixties and had a passion for politics
- All their music had catchy beats and sounds. Their music was always loud
- Individuals who did peaceful and loud protests have died - Martin Luther King - Martin X
- Popular culture provides the outlet
- Decenting voices (Rizzle Kicks) (MIA born free)
- Chuck D "Who is Malcom the 10th"
- People know who Malcom X is through public enemy
- They said things that white americans did not want to hear
- The security of the first world
- Their message is more impotant than their commerical success
- Their songs all have clear meanings
- The purpose of rap music or any other kind of music is to raise dialogue
- Hip has come from raising dialogue to mass consumerism
- One of the first bands to put out their own internet album
- Behind the lense, any individual is a character, you will never see their real identity
- Nearly 30 years together as a group
- The legacy is untouchable
- Public Enemy politiced America. They have a large roll in America having a black president
- Don't hear them on the radio despite them being so inspirational to some individuals
- The public enemy logo has a police man in the centre of a target
- One of public enemies songs were used in the opening ceremony of the para olympics
- Public Enemy refer to "the other"
Prophets of rage
- Learning black histroy from popular culture - people in power can dismiss it easily
- The song upset a lot of people
- 2 pack and public enemy are from the educated middle class
- They were reffered to as "black trouble makers"
- They all grew up in the sixties and had a passion for politics
- All their music had catchy beats and sounds. Their music was always loud
- Individuals who did peaceful and loud protests have died - Martin Luther King - Martin X
- Popular culture provides the outlet
- Decenting voices (Rizzle Kicks) (MIA born free)
- Chuck D "Who is Malcom the 10th"
- People know who Malcom X is through public enemy
- They said things that white americans did not want to hear
- The security of the first world
- Their message is more impotant than their commerical success
- Their songs all have clear meanings
- The purpose of rap music or any other kind of music is to raise dialogue
- Hip has come from raising dialogue to mass consumerism
- One of the first bands to put out their own internet album
- Behind the lense, any individual is a character, you will never see their real identity
- Nearly 30 years together as a group
- The legacy is untouchable
- Public Enemy politiced America. They have a large roll in America having a black president
- Don't hear them on the radio despite them being so inspirational to some individuals
- The public enemy logo has a police man in the centre of a target
- One of public enemies songs were used in the opening ceremony of the para olympics
- Public Enemy refer to "the other"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)