Posted on by Alizia

3.2 Repressive State Apparatus vs. Ideological State Apparatus – Alizia Zayas

  1. Repressive state apparatus is a set of institutions that enforce cooperation through violence. Examples of this include jail, military, death and war. Althusser calls it repressive because it restrains our freedom through fear. We are taught from very young that we must behave a certain way, or not behave a certain way to avoid going to prison, or even dying.
  2. Ideological state apparatus is a set of institutions that enforce cooperation through coercion. Examples of this include schools, religion, race, economic status etc. These systems are all set in place so that you internalize ideology and in turn stay in line. This also includes democratic apparatus in which you are given the illusion of responsibility to society by voting, and state apparatus, the mandatory schooling system in which the youth are mandated to be to teach them discipline, structure and maintain social and economic order
  3. Repressive and Ideological state apparatus differ in nature but ultimately have the same goal. Repressive state is more harsh and matter of fact, there is usually a direct cause and effect there. For example if you assault someone you will go to jail. This is to keep social order, nobody wants to lose their freedom so most people abide by the laws. Ideological state apparatus is not as direct but instead gives people the illusion that they are choosing to do the right thing and abide by the law when repressive state apparatus fails. Take the same example of assaulting someone but now add religion into it. Someone who is religious is less likely to assault someone because they are now breaking moral code of conduct.
  4. The image below is an example of ideological apparatus because the people are given the illusion of having a responsibility to society, and the illusion of choosing a candidate that align with their own ideologies.
Posted on by Alizia

Ideology – Alizia Zayas

 

  1. Ideology is a system of beliefs in which a particular group of people have about the way the government should run. These beliefs can be influenced by family, social groups, the school system, economic self interests, etc. For example, if you are raised in a religious/ conservative household, or your family is not heavily dependent on government assistance you are more likely to to also have conservative ideologies. You may be led to believe that these ideologies serve in the best interest of your religion, your moral beliefs, and family values. Some may choose to go against the grain and adopt more liberal ideologies because of influence from school and social groups, even social media. This can be viewed as an act of rebellion against your family and their beliefs. In turn this may cause one to further surround themselves with like minded people who share the same ideologies.
  2. The main difference between conservative ideologies and liberal ideologies is how heavily the government is involved in each. Conservatives prefer to have little government involvement as possible. Conservatives value liberty and view more government involvement as a threat to liberty. They also prefer less government spending which means lower taxes but they prioritize a strong defense, religion and allowing the government to have a role in the social and personal aspects of people’s lives. Liberals value equality, and believe more government involvement is necessary in promoting equality. Liberals support government intervention in the economy like regulation of big businesses and higher taxes in order to support the underprivileged. They believe that the defense budget should be cut to be able to fund social programs.
  3. Althusser believes that ideology is internalized by everyone and that there are systems set in place to give the illusion of freedom of choice. Repressive apparatus imposes fear in order to keep people in line, this includes the police, jail, death and war. And Ideological apparatus always justifies the existing conditions of today’s society. It is usually justified by religion, race and economic status. Althusser also believes that one of the biggest systems of control is the school system. School is mandatory, and children spend most of their week in school. This is set up so that they can internalize ideologies, and to gain social and economic order.