- My understanding of ideology can be interpreted as a personal belief system, a principle that one embraces wholeheartedly. It involves having a strict moral code and knowing what you believe to be the right course of action. For example, one might believe in living the traditional All-American life, though such a scenario exists only in an ideal world. When it comes to American politics, abortion is the number one topic of discussion. Conservatives tend to oppose abortion, while Liberals, tend to be opposite because of the belief of helping those in need. (Note: The thoughts were shaped before watching the video.)
I realized that ideology functions as a system that keeps people in check, essentially ensuring that the lower-class citizens stay in line or confront the fear of consequences aka Policing. This ideology has been ingrained in all of us from a young age. We are taught in schools to behave to authority, to believe that we have choices in our everyday lives, all the way to the end of our existence. What once existed as a feudal structure with “lords and kings” has just transformed into a system dominated by figures in suits, big corporations, and politicians, now the phrase “the rich keep getting richer”.
- I understood the difference between being a Liberal and being a Conservative as follows: Democrats and Liberals tend to support public welfare and advocate for providing aid and assistance to people both in the United States and abroad. In contrast, Republicans and Conservatives often emphasize a strong faith in Jesus, oppose universal healthcare, and are generally against abortion.
In school, we were taught that the United States was once a superpower since World War II, which instilled a belief that our country should help smaller nations in need. My first real awakening to the political landscape occurred in 2009 with the slogan “VOTE FOR CHANGE.” I vividly remember where I was on 9/11, as well as the discussions about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the ongoing battles in Afghanistan that were pursued under President George W. Bush (Republican) largely for economic interests in oil. In 2006, Vice President Al Gore (Democrat) raised awareness about environmental issues and global warming in the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” Under President Obama (Democrat), a healthcare system was established to support middle and lower-class citizens. President Biden (Democrat) has focused on immigrants entering the country and the aid of other countries like Ukraine, while President Trump (Republican) emphasized an “America First” policy, ensuring the belief of returning the power to the United States once had. The dividing line among these leaders is evident in the topics they discussed, as well as their policies and concerns. Democrats tend to prioritize people and the environment, while Republicans focus more on the economy. In summary, as noted by Parenti in “Democracy for the few.”
- The way I understand Althusser’s definition of ideology is that it isn’t just a belief but a system to shape people through an “imaginary relationship” (talk about boundaries), Historically the ideology was imposed on people through lords and kings through force and fear. So, to prevent “rebel scum” from happening ideology went through the education system, religion, media, and even family.
My responses to the previous questions relate to Althusser’s definition of ideology. I believe that my education and my upbringing—especially the narratives I heard about the traditional American lifestyle and the ideals of a prosperous America—shaped my understanding in a way that felt like an ideology being imposed on me. I often reflect on the idea that “we are all born Democrats, and as we grow up, we become Republicans.”
I see you grasp the material very well and I see a perfect example in your explanation break down as to how much ISA is effective. For example almost all the typical places people get information from today are billionaire right leaning owned media sources. The entire Biden administration they mainly pushed misinformation and blatant lies. The focus of these media outlets were as you said immigration and foreign issues making it appear that was the only focus of the Biden administration yet they barely if ever mentioned all the great things he actually accomplished here at home (chips & science act, infrastructure, lowering prescription cost…etc) all the things Trumps previous administration promised but never delivered on. The USA was and still is a super power yet republicans ran on the illusion that we weren’t and unfortunately the lower and middle class voted against their best interest expecting America be put 1st instead it has been lets line the wealthiest elites pockets 1st, 2nd, 3rd ….. With Trump’s constant tariff threats to our neighbors and friends it is only a matter of time before they go to China, then we will cease to be a super power unfortunately.
I believe we have not been a superpower since we got involved and lost the war in Afghanistan. That was a turning point when the world saw us as weak when our government lied to its people. This occurred at the height of the internet, so the news spread very quickly. We can agree to disagree because respectfully Biden did nothing good for this country. He was an extension of the Obama administration, We were sending millions to Ukraine when we were dealing with inflation and an economic crisis here at home. We were taking in illegal immigrants and stuffing them in hotels. I do believe in an America First attitude because even as of late look how we treated the citizens in North Carolina and California. We housed illegals, and not the mentally ill/homeless people. I think we look like a joke with the addition of when Joe was falling and falling asleep and distracted.
You seem to have an opinion and I’m only addressing facts. Bush should not have started a war over 911 under false pretenses over nuclear arsenal. Is that the lie you speak of? Once he did well Afghanistan was the known head quarters of al-Qaeda who did coordinate the 911 attack but most were from Saudi Arabia. Americas loss due to their withdrawal in 2021 was because of Donald Trump who in 1st term behind the Afghan government made deal with Taliban. The deal was to withdraw specific amount of American troops by specific dates and he released Taliban terrorist. Those withdrawals left our Americans vulnerable once the deadline came under Biden. American first involves protecting out foreign interest and you say extension of Obama as if that is a bad thing. Obama rescued America from Bush’s recession and Biden improved the economy after trumps clear mishandling of the Covid 19 crisis that was the leading cause of the global inflation. Also the tax breaks Trump gave to the wealthiest elites and his current plan gutting programs the American people is not America 1st its the 1 percent wealthiest 1st. As far as immigrants they add more positives to our society than bad. American born citizens are not rushing to do the jobs necessary at the wages to keep grocery prices down and the Biden administration tried to create a comprehensive immigration reform bi partisan bill that Trump ruined so that he can come back into office and push his white supremacist agenda. Ukraine received billions in basically outdated military equipment and most of the money was put back into America by the Biden administration to replace with updated new weapons and such. The aid for immigrants is such a small percent of what the government can put into Americans and people convinced that helping immigrants seeking asylum from war torn countries aided destruction by USA is the problem have not done their own research. Billionaire right wing owned news has been flat out lying and this is why I do my own research and I know the facts the data and reviewed documents and I watch the hearings live on the hill in real time. Republican ran congress vote down or deny to even bring to the floor all the proposed bills by the left to help average American during the peak of inflation. Tax policy is still from Trumps 1st term, the lowering our taxes increasing the child care credit proposals never got passed, free school lunches, and other programs all voted down by republicans. You should research how Natural disasters were handles under the Biden versus the Trump administrations and you would probably be shocked and maybe then you’d find a new outlet to where ever you get your information from. I am independent I have no attachment to any side except the truth. History tells us what happens when we sit back and watch a genocide occur without doing anything but that is the point with the ban books ban board of education keep people ignorant and hating on other marginalized communities as the rich get richer and keep their power. You are entitled to your opinions and support who you want. Based solely on records Trump is literally the worst president in the history of America.
You mentioned some good points as it reflects back on our education not being talked about as much in society. A-lot of people tend to not have a strong health care services or even a good education for themselves or their kids due to the levels of understanding their backgrounds and their social class that they’re in, most people tend to have a bigger bond with others that’s in they think are in the same social class as them and I do also agree on not everyone gets to experience a good education or healthcare service due to their social class.