The circuit shown in Fig. P2.77 is intended to supply a

Reading Media Critically February 17th, 2016 Key questions to remember about Marxist critique:  What the superstructure/base is o The base determines the superstructure, and that superstructure is where we get classes, culture, politics, dialectical and ideologies.  What are the modes of production o Ways in which people produce commodities/substitutes in order to survive and enhance the social being.  What is false consciousness, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat o The proletariat or lower class feel like they can escape the social structures, and then they feel they can become a part of the bourgeoisie or upper class Now, how do these ideological structures come to be and why do they matter  They become what is known as a Hegemony­ a soft power that courses the proletariat into obedience *Remember that media is TV, movies, videos, etc. not the news people unless specified* Mass media also transmits bourgeoisie ideology to the proletariat  Media says that "this" is the way the world is *Mass media does not create or produced ideology but sharpens and reproduces it to benefit the bourgeoisie* When you see characters on the media or even on TV news stations that do not look like you, then you feel isolated and then you try to relate to them Let us look at a media episode of the hit 1970s TV show Good Times­ Black Jesus and apply our skills to understand it Good times: These are the signs that I saw, remember that semiotics are still important:  Working class  Money­amount/source  Opposition to wealthy  Gifts necessities  World based on luck  Contrasts against Willona Signification:  Low education, menial labor  Hope to do better Let us look at more terms to help with that episode: Alienation  Argues that people who are alienated suffer from a false consciousness that takes the form of an ideology that dominates their form of thinking.  Alienation is related to false consciousness, so we are removed from the modes of control and enter a resigned sort of state. Here are some thesis ideas we can come up with using alienation:  Work is external to their characters, work is not fulfilling, so it is exhausting and imposed  Offers a scapegoat to escape a false reality that encourages others to do better Here are some more terms:  Bourgeoisie hero­ offered people models to imitate, help maintain status quo by keeping consumer quality high o Upper class white guy who lives in the upper class, adopting kids from a low class then it generates the contrast o Bill Cosby from the cosby show was a Bourgeoisie hero o Mr. Drummond from different strokes was a bourgeoisie hero  Hegemony­ political, social, culture and ideology intersect to protect class interests Now lets just ahead to the 1990s hit TV show Roseanne­workin overtime and you can view the difference between this show and Good Times: Roseanne:  House/suburbs  2 income  Blue collar  Ward Cleaver  Family relationship can't escape  Females­ larger role  Undisciplined kids/ less authority  Don't appreciate jobs  Not going to work  Generation shift  Losing money  Glass ceiling Now that the signs have been identified, you should be able to come up with ideas from this episode using Marxist critique For further analysis into Marxist critique, I suggest watching Allison Janney's TV show MOM­ figgy pudding and the rapture and see the change from the 1990s to 2014