FINISHED ESSAY.
IS UN-EDUCATION A NEW FORM OF
SOCIAL CONTROL?
In today’s media it seems as though there are
more and more indications to the acceptance of un-education and its promotion.
This investigation looks on the effects of this regarding both the male and
female perception by first understanding the origin of social control through
consumerism and looking at theories put forward by multiple professionals. The
rising popularity of reality television and celebrity endorsement with in
popular culture and our unlimited access to it has given this medium more influence
and power than ever before. It could be a possibility that this implication
could be a new tool used by governments to continue a form of social control to
hide unconscious forces within our genetic make-up and make us feel satisfied
with the life we currently lead. There are questions on whether social control
is immoral for us to be lulled into this false sense of contentment and freedom
or whether it is better for the good of man that we confined by laws and
expectations to steers us away from our animalistic tendencies.
The television documentary ‘Century of the Self’
is an important source on the subject of consumer culture. It focuses of the
work of the founding psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, his daughter Anna Freud and
his nephew Edward Bernays. It helps us to understand the original theory of
Freud, his perception of the human mind and the way in which it works. In the
late 19th century Freud developed and put forward a theory that we all hold
forces unconscious in the human mind that are of dark sexual and violent desire
and if these forces are not subdued and controlled, would be very damaging to
society. Evidence, Freud says, of these desires and how dangerous they are when
in fruition can be seen through the actions taken in 1914 when the Austrian and
Hungarian empire lead The European unions in to war. ‘Governments had released the primitive forces in human beings and
nobody knew how to stop them’ (Berneys,
E. 2002).
Freud’s theories are then developed and implemented
by governments and corporations in orchestration
with Edward Bernay’s to form propaganda with the intensions of social control
and manipulation. These implementations first took form in 1914 when Bernays
was employed to keep moral and support high with in the American population in
the form of during their involvement in 1st world war. Because of Bernay’s
success at helping, the then, American president Wilson organize a propaganda
system that boosted his popularity within Europe, he began to wonder how this
from of mass persuasion could be used in a time of peace. ‘If you could use propaganda for War, you could certainly use it for
peace’. (Bernays, E. 2002). Due
to the word Propaganda being strongly related to the Nazi regime, Bernay’s came
up with the alternative name of his methods as ‘public relations’.
Utilizing the growing population within New York
during the Industrial boom that took place following the 1st World
War, Bernays reverted back to the theories of his uncle to understand and come
up with ways that would allow him to control a mass number of people.
He took the theory of
the unconscious human mind and the dangerous irrational emotions that are resisted
and applied them to consumerist means. 'There is a lot more going on in human decision making, not only among
individuals, but even more importantly among groups’. (Jackson, P. 2002). Bernays knew that instead of bombarding
people with information, these irrational feelings of fear, violence and sexual
desires needed to be addressed and used to manipulate the public to buying
through want instead of need. An example of one of these applications of
manipulation occurred early on in Bernay’s career as a Public relations
counselor when the owner of a tobacco company, George Hill, approached him. He
asked Bernay’s to help overcome the fact that it was socially unacceptable for
women tom smoke in public. Men had implemented the taboo and because of this,
the tobacco company was loosing potentially 50% of sales. Bernays consulted a
leading psychoanalysis, A. A. Brill and asked what he believed woman thought of
cigarettes. Brill stated that 'Cigarettes
are a symbol of the penis and of male sexual power' (Century of the Self, 2002)
He advised Bernays that, if he could find away in which he could make a link
cigarettes to a challenge to that male power then women would smoke to feel as
though they had their own penis and their for a sense of power and
independence. Based on this analogy, Bernays acted on it staging an event with
in the Easter day parade in New York. Bernay’s made it known to the press that
suffragettes were planning on making a statement in protest named ‘Torches of
Freedom’ during the Parade. He got together a group of rich debutants who
entered the parade and each lit up a cigarette in a dramatic manner knowing the
press would be there to capture this moment. The symbol, ‘torches of freedom’
connected to the rational feeling and understanding of those who support the
equality of women through the common knowledge and relation to the symbol of
Liberty, which is integral to the American nation. It is this kind of
utilization of symbolism and emotional connection that Bernay’s sought up and
brought out of the masses. These emotional connections are to those unconscious
and irrational feeling to which Freud appeared to be so fearful of.
These methods that originate from Freud and
developed for consumerist purposes by Bernays are still implemented in todays
society. Aspects such as the role of women in the media as well as the
emotional connections to products that causes the masses to spend money more on
what they want and prefer rather than what is needed.
Attaching beautiful and provocative women to a product feeds the deep,
sexual desires of men and also feeds women with an appearance that they can
then imitate to gain the same male attention. ‘Men look at
women. Women watch themselves being looked at.’ (Berger, J. 1972). Novelist John Berger believed that men and women look
at each other and them selves in different ways. This resonates to the Freud
concept, yet helps us to understand the way in which the animalistic desires
are controlled by making man feel as though if they buy the promoted product,
they not only own it, they also have power of the female character attached. This
intern makes the male satisfied with their immediate position and dominance in
society. ‘Capitalism survives by forcing
the majority, whom it exploits, to define their own interests as narrowly as
possible. This was once achieved by extensive deprivation. Today in developing
countries by imposing a false standard of what is and what is not desirable.’
(Berger, J. 1972 :154). People within society are only allowed to be as
individual as the government allows us to be. This subdues the public into believing
that they are freer than what they actually are.
Sociologist Herbert Marcuse is very much against
the implementation of social control through consumerism brought about by
Berneys. Whereas Freud believed that if the human unconsciousness was not controlled
it would be damaging to society, Marcuse claims that social control is instead,
damaging the dimensions of mankind. ‘One
Dimensional man raises the spector of the closing off or ‘atrophying’ of the
very possibilities of radical change and human emancipation’ (Marcuse, H. 1962 : 21). Marcuse
suggests that there had once been a
two dimensional culture present with in society, however over time the second dimension
has been diminished. According to Marcuse, this second dimension hold
possibilities for man to think past the immediate and imagine more diverse opinion
and possibility. As consumerism takes control, it causes this second dimension
to disappear, causing the gap for people to strive for more diversity and
options to disappear and people fall content with what is achievable in their
immediate society. Taking into consideration the two opinions placed by Freud
and Marcuse the question roused is whether the use of consumerism for social
control with in a democracy is a positive or a negative thing.
Confronting the proposed incretion of ‘stupidity’
in the media, taking the argument of social control being a positive or
negative implementation can help to understand the effects. ‘The Gaze’ theory
introduced by Berger plays a big role in what we see, receive and understand
what is being presented to us through multiple media formats. This is how
manipulation tactics are pushed on to the population.
Television
personality Amy Childs (Fig.1) is a
prime example of the new trend of stupidity in the media. Even though this woman’s
success can be seen as a positive thing because she is female. The fact is that she has
achieved wealth and success by, promoting ‘stupidity’ and a lack of knowledge on
even the basic of information. This can be damaging to women believing that
acting in this way as well as using sexuality and promiscuity, will make them
successful. The more young females associate with half naked women in the
media, the more they will grow up seeing this as acceptable and influential.
The way in which the desire to be popular in society has over taken the
desire to be educated is quite disturbing and, if continues to grow and become
embedded in young women thinking, it could be potentially damaging to our
society. The fact that this woman has become successful is because she has a very
sexual presence, which plays to the hidden sexual desires of men. 'Human beings don't all look at things the
same way, innocently as it were. In this culture, the look is largely
controlled by men.' (Coward, R. 2000 : 33)
Even though a successful woman is seen as an achievement in a male
dominated world. Its likely that powerful men would have given her this status
with in the popular culture media and they themselves will be benefitting from
it. Because celebrity personalities are evolving in to commodities rather than
people, they are becoming more and more influential in the decisions and
opinions people with in the public have, in the example of Childs, this
audience is largely young women.
'Today's ideal
is immaturity, a modern variant of feminine passivity'. (Coward, R. 2000 : 35.) The fact
that this woman acts in an un-educated manner mimics those who have not yet the
maturity or capacity to have years of knowledge, for example, children. This
portrays the sense of immaturity to which men, according to the theories of
Freud, find sexually arousing, as they feel capable of dominating such women.
The damaging effects come from the theory of
otherness where people only perceive what they don’t have rather than what they
do. When a proposal is put to them through the pages of a magazine or an image
on the television, it almost challenges the onlooker to compete with those that
have something they do not. They envy those who have, and wish to be envied
them selves. To achieve this sense of superiority and desirability, they make
their purchase. ‘The power to spend money is the power to live. According to
the legends of publicity, those who lack the power to spend money become
literally faceless. Those who have the power become loveable’ (Berger, J.
1972 : 143). Because we
see people in the media like Childs become desirable through her appearance and
questionable actions by both male and female audiences, it is very possible to
gain a sense of otherness. It is likely that some young women will look at this
woman and see themselves with these characteristics and think they would appear
desirable by following her example. Instead of consuming a product, it is now a
consumption of a character that we believe imitating will bring status.
Considering the male presence with in the
media, there is also a sense of the apathy towards learning. Even though there
is stronger evidence with in females, due to the fact that have always been,
and in many ways still are, seen as vulnerable as stated previously, there are
still examples shown in men.
Male television personality Joey Essex (Fig.2) portrays the rising trend
of ‘stupidity’ in the media and follows similar characteristics, seen in
Childs. It has been notable that men may be loosing status within society due
to the rise of women and their equality with in society. 'Men used to know their place, as
provider for their family, says Clare, and this was a role to be proud of. But
today, as women show that they can do everything that men can, this provider
role becomes diminished.' (Clare in Gauntlett, 2008 : 8) In some
ways this suggestion helps us to understand the possible reasons why men are
seeing it to be more acceptable to act in an uneducated and vulnerable manner,
a characteristic usually seen within women. A male imitating weakness can be
seen as away of gaining female attention similar to how males are known to be
attracted to women. Due to a maternal instinct in a women’s genetic make up,
they feel a drive to respond to another’s vulnerability, just like a male has
hidden impulses of a sexual nature.
Because women are now seen as
more powerful, they are also beginning to share a similar status to men with in
society. Regarding the advertisement given in fig3, It seems as those the older
male, presumably the farther of the family depicted, appears to be put on the
same level of naivety as the children. This indicates that the woman of the
household is in control of making major decisions for her family unit, a
responsibility that used to be viewed as a male role. Because women are gaining
a new sense of independence and power, they seem more inclined to shelter and
be responsible for a vulnerable, immature male so they them selves can feel
dominant not just with in a family unit, but also as a member of society.
The thought that education is suffering through popular culture and its
mass media outlets that are some what in escapable may be due to the fact that
these mediums relate and connect more to the rational emotions of the
population and their perceptions of day to day life. ‘Or one
might think of the loss suffered by ‘classic’ critical texts, such as those of
Marx, Deleuze or Sartre (or indeed Marcuse), as a result of being treated as
something to be taught in classes and assessed in exams: instead of having
relevance to one’s life, or even being assessed as irrelevant for good reasons,
they are shunted into a field which is structurally constructed so as to appear
irrelevant to one’s life.’ (Robinson, A. 2010). Because we are told what to learn with in education,
it could be that this control goes against the deep irrational feelings inside
that are unconscious minds which. We want to be are free of constraint and be
our own person of power, so being told what and what not to do may make us more
rebellious to comply, especially as children and you adults whom do not yet
have the knowledge to understand the benefits. With in popular culture, there
is a sense we have many choices from which we can define ourselves by such as the
music we decide to listen to, films and television programs we decide to watch
and the clothing we decide to wear. This notion reverts back to quote no. 6
from Berger. Because as young adults we feel pressured in to learning what is
dictated to us by the educational system, it causes a detachment from these subjects
that then cause us to turn else were for individual stimulation and enjoyment.
However even though we feel as though we are turning to something that is
dictated by ourselves, these channels of interest are still controlled by
governments and corporations. If these stimulants and sources of entertainment
that are seen as an escape are of personalities such as the examples shown,
Young people in todays society will believe that it is acceptable to disregard
education.
It could be a possible theory that the rise
in 'stupidity' and acting ‘uneducated' in popular cultures is a new form of
social control and in a way deters the threat of mans irrational emotions and
impulses to come to fruition. By making it increasingly acceptable to act
stupid to gain popularity can potentially be very damaging to society. Even if
the examples shown are simple acts to generate desirability from the public,
this is not entirely obvious to those who may be the most effected, young
adults.
WORD COUND
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