Task #1

A) Describing ideology

Ideology is your understanding and beliefs on how society’s politics and economy should be. It’s formed from who you identify to be or your views on society.-An overall perspective of how people would like to be governed by your government. Essentially ideology is the security and protection an individual would like their government to provide for them.

B) Example

Conservatives advocate for capitalism and little to no government involvement. Their ideology stems from Darwin’s survival of the fittest; that is how they would like society to be shaped. Those who identify as conservatives would not have supported FDR’s new deal plan that provided regulation on business, consumer protection, minimum wage law, and worker protection. They believe government does not need to involve itself in “repairing” or “constructing” a better and fair society.

C) What is ideology to you?

I believe ideology is an individual’s way of asserting their views on society. I think it is vital for each individual to have an understanding of what governments do. If you are contributing to the growth of a society you have the liberty to have a voice in it. Ideology helps you identify with others in calling out unfairness or recognizing an inhumane condition. It is the people’s right to choose how they’d like to be governed and it is the responsibility of the government to maintain ethics and prosperity.

However, though ideology is fundamental for people to have they are not always correct. It is necessary for there to be a code of ethics people agree to and follow. That is why there is so much complication and it is necessary to think of all aspects before ruling a decision. During Hitler’s regime in Nazi Germany, their society was flourishing. Though not all Germans believed in the ideology at hand they did prosper with it.-But at what cost? The benefit for many can be the destruction of others. Before deciding what your ideology is you must first have a code of ethics on a humane level of understanding. There are so many factors that contribute to one’s opinion and it should not be entirely based on biased factors.

Task #2

Conservatives’ concerns surround the prosperity of business and the economy. While most conservatives might not come from wealth they consider the growth of the economy to be essential in their day-to-day lives. Conservatives also believe in upholding traditional values and that government involvement should be minimized.

Liberals believe in the expansion of government as a means to produce a better society for its inhabitants. They prefer government involvement to maintain ethics and fairness amongst the economic classes. Liberals believe more in progressive ideas than in upholding traditional ones.

Conservatives believe the expansion of government takes away from individual liberty whilst liberals believe it protects it. It is also important to mention that this is because of who the majority of the people behind these ideologies are. Most conservatives don’t want the government to have so much control so they can “preserve the privileges and traditional practices of the upper strata”(page 52). Liberals believe the government has to be involved with its people in order to improve “public services..wage support..(and) aid for needy children”(pg54).-Which conservatives believe “private charity can take care of…and that there is no need for government handouts”(pg53). The key difference between these two ideologies is their view on how much power the government should have.

Task #3

Ideology in Althusser’s definition is to give the individual a feeling of power with the means to maintain the status quo of the capitalist system in place. This means the individual has no real power only a sense of it due to the democratic apparatus installed by the system. There are multiple apparatus that give individuals in capitalist society to have the illusion of choice. There are two vital apparatuses in Althusser’s school of thought, repressive and ideological. Repressive is when an individual follows authority because they are controlled by the fear of violence or punishment. Ideological is when an individual is accepted by sharing something in common with a group. There are different apparatus in ideology that gives you “artificial allegiance”. These apparatus distract you from “thinking of inequality” and rebelling, making you more compliant with authority.

The way the system is maintained is through mandatory attendance in schools. The school’s function in the capitalist system is that of the church’s in the feudal system. It teaches children to follow authority even if it isn’t a good one. If you do not follow the rules you get punished. This reinforces control in the capitalist system for you are less likely to rebel again the status quo. You learn about the system’s unfairness but you are also made aware that it does not entirely change. Interestingly enough, unless you are in a place of power or have connections to power punishment is not applied. It demonstrates how capitalism is maintained by those in the upper class and the rules do not apply to them. The system has not changed it has simply been given a new name.