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?

The cards simply said, ‘We want what you have’. But that concept went nowhere. The residents were bemused, but not scared. The police were clueless, but they still got to the bottom of it. And there wasn’t just a single perpetrator: the crime was handed from one cardboard character to the next. That’s not a whodunnit, it’s a cop-out.

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?

I agree that the concept went nowhere due to the fact that it wasn't even revealed at the end who were writing these threatening post cards. 

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

You could argue that Petunia could be a form of left wing ideology as she appears to be more progressive than there husband used to be as she mentions that "Albert didn't quite like change" and when she accidentally says that Ahmed was an Indian she immediately apologises to him. You can also see that Quentina can be portrayed as a hard working individual despite not being to be legally allowed to work.

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

Another argument you can mention is that Roger could appear to be more right winged as when he forgets his parking permit she just dismisses Quentina. Another moment you could possibly mention is when the police came over asking about the letters, he immediately put Quentina under the suspicion of the police.

Task 2: Media Factsheet - Applying Marxism: 

 Factsheet #66: Applying Marxism:

1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?

He suggest that power was held by only a minority of people who had access to money and could use that money in place of power. He also mentioned how the majority of the population had only work and time in order to make a living making them more inferior to the one with more money.

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

The idea of the apprentice is a "prolonged job interview where contestants compete against each other to be chosen for a job working for the entrepreneur Lord Alan Sugar" This shows that Alan appears to be the one in power as people are competing against each other just to work for him, you can further see this as he is described as the "capitalist elite".

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.

Eastenders shows how the "notion of the underclass" is fetishised as they mainly focus on the character who appear to be in the working class and lower classes and how they turn all of their struggles and problems into a show in which people enjoy watching, however not all of the shows aspects of London may be as accurate which also makes it seem worse in certain cases.

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’
• show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea
• show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’
• 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.

• We can see Roger with his money and job and how his house is big and how he mentions all of his other luxuries.
• We can see that Roger's bonus is £30K instead of his other higher valued bonus
• We can see this when Quentina goes to the church and makes a new friend in which they met in a very welcoming community.
• How Ahmed give the coriander for free to Arabella despite her having the money to pay for it 

Optional extension: Media Magazine feature on BBC drama The Casual Vacancy and ideology:

1) Why did the Daily Mail suggest The Casual Vacancy promoted a left-wing ideology?

For a writer held in such high esteem by the nation and the world, the reaction to JKR’s latest project feels slightly unreal. However, when unpicking the criticisms made against The Casual Vacancy, it becomes clear that the commentary has little to do with the merits of the story or how well it had been adapted from the novel. Instead many newspaper reviews focus on the left-wing political ideology which they claim dominates the narrative.

2) How does the article suggest characters, narrative and setting are used to promote a left-wing ideology?

In their view, BBC executives, commissioners, programme-makers and scriptwriters all have an inherent left-wing bias and this is reflected in most of its output. It is worth noting that, although much has been said about the bias of the BBC, the most conclusive study of the BBC’s output (conducted by Dr Mike Berry of Cardiff University and commissioned by the BBC Trust itself) found that, if anything, the BBC veered more to the right than to the left.

3) What research is quoted regarding BBC bias and what did it find? Do you think the BBC is biased?

Christopher Stevens argued that the BBC is rushing to screen Tory-bashing shows like [...] The Casual Vacancy [...] because very soon we’ll be in the countdown to a General Election, when the Corporation must remain neutral, fair and balanced. But not only was The Casual Vacancy shown outside the Purdah period, it is a fictional drama. At no point does any character explicitly state a political allegiance, or mention any specific Labour party policy, for example the mansion tax. So just what is it about The Casual Vacancy that has got so many people on the political right in such a tizz?

4) Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggests people are kept under control through active consent - the control of 'common sense'. How could you apply the Daily Mail or the BBC to the idea of hegemony and dominant ideologies in the UK media?

It is often unhelpful to read too much into the politics of a text, as authors and screenwriters very rarely sit down to write with a solid view in mind; doing so would lead to flat characters, endless political soap-boxing and predictable story-telling. The Casual Vacancy merely explores and highlights the social issues affecting Britain in 2015, such as what role should the state and the community play in supporting drug addicts and the unemployed, and how far should social workers and schools attempt to intervene in the lives of teenagers blighted by poverty and deprivation. J.K. Rowling said a working title for The Casual Vacancy was ‘Responsibility’ and perhaps that is the wisest way to read the text: as an exploration of social, governmental and personal responsibility in twenty-first century Britain.