Marxism and Hegemony

 Task 1: Mail Online review of Capital

1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology?

Because "The hardest worker on the street was an illegal immigrant, determined to pay her way and not touch a penny of benefits. She was deported, though she did find time to teach English to some of her fellow saints at the detention centre." implying that they are trying to make the most hated minorities or people in certain situations seem like heroes just trying to to do their best and the white characters (excluding the old lady) shown as the 'bad people' therefore showing their left wing ideology.

2) Choose three quotes from the review that are particularly critical of Capital and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why?

• You can be certain it wasn’t the plot that attracted the BBC drama department in the first place. 
• But that concept went nowhere.
• Everything British came in for a dose of loathing. 

I agree with the first criticism because it was clear the plot wasn't the drive of the drama but how well they represented British culture during the crisis. It seemed they chose the plot purely for a story and less for a reaction or engagement.

I agree to an extent with the second criticism as they didn't focus on figuring out the culprit of their mysterious mails as their main focus. But eventually they did solve it. I think it represents how that even though something wrong is happening in someone's life, there are other things to worry about going on their life as well so it isn't always the main focus. I think it represented real life after making that decision.

3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?

Quintina worried about being deported back to her home country in Africa because she would get raped or killed could be read as promoting left wing ideology as it shows that she is in England to feel free, to escape or to feel safe and restart and better her life.

4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce right-wing or capitalist viewpoints?

When they arrested Quintina for working whilst being an asylum seeker. They immediately went to investigate her after Roger unfairly assumed she was the cause of the mails. This could be seen as reinforcing right wing views.


Task 2: Media Factsheet - Applying Marxism 

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #66: Applying Marxism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access). Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?

Society is run by the richest and they hold all the power whilst the poor people only have their labour to survive with.

2) Why is The Apprentice a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies?

It is a good example because the character with the most money was able to use their advantages and capital to gain and win their position at the job whilst the other competitors with barely any advantage had to work much harder to try get the same position. Therefore reinforcing capitalist views and ideologies.

3) Come up with two examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that either fetishise working class life (e.g. EastEnders presents quite a harmonious East End community which probably doesn't accurately reflect East London life) or demonise working class life or poor people (e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers regularly demonise people living on benefits with headlines referring to 'scroungers'.) Explain what meanings these texts communicate to their audiences.

The comedy sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S fetishise and favors the working class, as the main characters are all working class and trying to push by. They also do this by presenting every middle class character that enters the show as evil or mindless, such as Rachel Green and her sisters or Peter, the guy who tried to win over Monica with money. This creates the idea to the audience that rich people have no personality and are stuck up while working class people have the dream life with real friends, laughter, inside jokes and playful banter despite not being able to afford all the riches in life.

The news site Daily mail demonise the working class by making them seem like the worst people who commit crimes and steal things from other people.n They do this with the main image they decide to put on their front cover when talking or referring to people of the working class which is typically them looking mad, dirty or injured. Additionally, they demonise them with the words on the headline. Researching on the daily mail site, the first thing that popped up was a beat up and criminalised looking man being criticised for attacking trump or "hurting the upper class" making the upper class seem like the victim.

4) Look at the bullet points on page 4 of the factsheet:

When making a Marxist reading of a text, look out for representations that:

• show the values of the power elite as beneficial to the mass
• show queries or challenges to the base as meaningless, foolish or anti-social via ‘failed revolt’ (1)
• show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea
• show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’ (2)
• show that being a member of the mass is a good thing
• show the masses accepting the values of the power elite
• show the values of the power elite as being ‘for the good of the masses’ (even when unpleasant)

Now try applying those bullet points to Capital. Think about the setting, characters and narrative strands - how many of the bullet points apply to Capital? Does Capital reinforce or challenge the values of capitalism? Give examples from episode 1 to support your points.

1. The lack of concern Roger has the for the letters they keep receiving in the mail reinforces capitalist values. Furthermore, the son of the shop keeper calling out the laziness of the police officer because it is people of colour complaining, connotes that they see it as meaningless.
2. Arresting quintina for working is reinforcing capitalist values as they are not allowing her to work because she is an asylum seeker but completely ignoring the fact that she's doing it purely to survive.