1. The Repressive State Apparatus refers to institutions and organizations that enforce laws and norms through coercive means. It is deemed repressive because it is what’s happens when you step out of line and do not conform to ideological state apparatuses and their fixated values with the threat of violence or use of force. These include prisons, the courts, the police and lastly the military.  The term repressive signifies that these institutions are more so concerned about suppressing dissent and enforcing order as opposed to just shaping norms and beliefs.

2. Ideological state apparatus is a concept developed by louis Althusser to describe practices and institutions that serve to perpetuate ideology and support the social order. This is done in a form of indoctrination that widely impacts and shapes their behaviors, beliefs and values.  These are usually achieved through either family, mass media, education and political institutions.

3. The Repressive State Apparatus and Ideological State Apparatuses are two distinct concepts that describe different mechanisms through which a state maintains social order and control. Both have jarring differences. The repressive state apparatus maintains social discipline through direct coercion, legal sanctions and usually force through their institutions. Institutions that include courts, prisons, military and the police. While the ideological state apparatus tactics are more persuasive and indirect. Educational systems and family seem to be the genesis of this as you don’t want to disappoint or disrespect your parents so naturally you would adopt their beliefs which at times can seem subtle and non-damaging at first glance. Media is another way to drive a wedge between what you may believe and the norm giving you an idea of what the “ideal citizen’ should look like through their influential prowess.

4. https://youtu.be/xqh0zXSd4vc?si=_3TmxqgBGbBS0LIg ideological state apparatus.

The repressive component is simply described as fear. This includes the implementation of police, prisons, and courts so that people’s beliefs may align with the things that while keep them away from punishment (whether subjectively right or wrong). It is called repressive because it restricts the individual from being able to do whatever they want. In simple words, individual desire is repressed. The ideological principle is broken down into several subcategories describes as apparatuses. These apparatuses trick the individual into investing their intellectually energy into areas that wont make a difference but give them a sense of belonging. In turn, this sense of belonging promotes subservience and obedience (breeds docile individuals). The consumer apparatus entails dressing or owning specific articles to identify with a certain social group. For example, wearing glasses and dressing preppy eludes to the individual belonging to a higher social class while articles of clothing such as ripped jeans imply otherwise. Rather than someone’s income determining social class, a falsified illusion is brought about by materialistic items. Instead of finding ways to elevate in social class (make more money), an individual will feel richer than they are through materialism, therefore not finding the need to elevate, in turn remaining docile. Another apparatus discussed in the entertainment apparatus. The average worker is more likely to identify as a sports fan rather than a worker. Because this worker identifies as a “sports fan”, they will rather attend games than to come together with other workers to protest for higher wages and better rights. By shifting one’s identity to something more entertaining, people are less likely to focus on what really matters. The last apparatus discussed was the school apparatus. This entails the concept that we are subconsciously taught as children what we should believe. Five days a week, 8 hours a day; the school system implements into our heads what should be considered wrong and what should be considered right. The mind of a child is like a sponge, constantly absorbing the stimuli of its environment. The difference between repression and ideology is that repression is blatant control from the authorities in charge while ideology manipulates the individual into thinking that things are their own ideas.

Repressive Apparatus: The image above is a political cartoon illustrated during WWII. Fear mongering propaganda was a common repressive tactic used by the government

1. Repressive Ideology fear and violence to achieve certain outcomes, because the truth is subtle oppression, or conditioning always fails at some point. Althusser called it Repressive ideology because fear and violence is used to control the outcome. People don’t realize they are being conditioned to obey authority.

2.Ideological State apparatus are institutions that achieve the interpolation or oppression at people in soft underlying measures. Institutions includes religion, education, media, culture, family structure. Children when they go to school. Adults when they go to churches, families with mixed backgrounds.

3. I choose this Excerpt of the Tulsa Race Massacre as Repressive Ideology. White people bombed black families out of their homes because they didn’t like that black people were making their own money. They feared black people having their own wealth. The tried to use fear to get the black people to leave and when that didn’t work, they used violence to push them out. They achieved their outcome black people had no choice.

Okay, let ‘s go to the questions, consider the following:

1. What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”? Can we explain his choice of words here. Give an example.

2. Let’s do the same for the Ideological State Apparatuses. What are they, how do they seem to work?

3. Important: this question will appear on our exam: How are the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different from each other? What is the difference between the two?

4. Post an example of ideology. This could be a piece of writing, an image, video, pdf document, visual art, or music, clip from a movie. Next to your example, specify if this is an example of repressive or ideological apparatuses at work. I’ll start us of off by giving an example.

NOTE: Once you’ve scheduled your post to be published on at midnight on Sunday, you can still go back and edit your post until then, if you want to rewrite and/or add to your post.

As a review, follow the following steps to submit your response:

1. Click on the “+” button in the black bar at the top of the screen
2. Type a title for the post (it should include your full name)
3. Type your response
4. On the right side, click on Categories: and check “Discussion 3.2”
5. Important: On the right side, at the top: click on the date next to Publish, and enter your post date, which is this coming Sunday, at 11:59pm.
6. Click Publish and you’re done.

What will happen next is your post will automatically be published by the OpenLab system on Sunday at midnight. The goal here is for all student posts to be published at the same deadline. After that point, you can begin reading each others’ posts, and you have to comment on at least one other student’s post.

Note: please make sure that you schedule your post to be published on Sunday, midnight, not before.