1. Repressive State Apparatus refers to the forces that put fear into people in order to control them. This includes the police, judges, the prison system and army. Althusser calls it repressive because they enforce the rules and creates a status of obedience for the people. An example is how he says teachers are not to blame for punishing students. They are simply following what they are instructed so they do not get in trouble themselves.

• 2. Ideological Apparatuses shape people’s mind and maintain obedience. They seem to work as mental barriers to keep the person in line. Subconsciously having them obey, regular working order with no other forces other than what has been conditioned of them. In other words, the automatic state of behavior. A way of staying out of trouble.
• 3. The main difference between Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses are how appear to control us. Repressive State Apparatuses are outside influences that remind us to obey them. Ideological State Apparatuses are internal conditioning of our minds made already to obey command. The two are very similar in the way they control us and maintain order. Though the difference lies in the format they appear to us in.
• 4. This is an art piece by John and Catherine Rufo. The piece is representative of ideological apparatuses at work because of the structure. A clumped up area with similar colored houses it seems that fall into how Ideological Apparatuses work.

1.a Ideology is how a person navigates their lives through a building of thoughts and collective of ideas. There are many factors that influence how individual ideologies develop such as school and family as starting points. No two people will have the same exact ideology, just similar thinking or overlapping agreements. Variability is one of the best things that ideology gives us since it distinguishes us as individuals and unites us into categories simultaneously. Which is interesting to think about considering these are two opposite sides of the spectrum.

1b. To visualize, imagine conversating with your best friend since childhood or a close family member. When talking to them, you may agree on certain things such as your outlook on life. Others you may disagree on but at the end of the day that is your ideology and theirs respectively. A collective ‘wrong’ way of thinking is purely opinionated and is invalid for what ideology pertains to. Ideology focuses on core thoughts people build upon years through experience. A house as another example that is built by the person can symbolize their ideology.

1c. Not enough people discuss their ideology and how they view it peacefully. From my understanding, many of us stick to those who have similar or borderline same ideologies as a ‘safety net’ for ourselves. I believe this is limiting to expanding your mind and how you think as a whole. Houses can go under renovations, in a sense a person’s ideology can consistently change or stay the same. One of the best things about life and living it is constant change that shapes people. No matter how young or old someone can be. There will aways be room for that case of change in ideology, it is up to the person to decide in taking the steps to do so.

2. The difference between liberal and conservative ideology is based on what each side find most important. From the video, conservatives find liberty or freedom to be the most important. Liberals find equality to be the most important. The right wants to protect us from outside threats and have a higher emphasis on military for this reason. To keep us as people from being harmed by outside influences. The left wants to focus on internal issues such as inequality and influences that disregard the less fortunate. To put simply, the right wants to be in a safe place all the time with no worries. The left wants to try change and see how we can use it as a form of progress rather than destruction. An example of this is how many liberals advocate for the funding of the education system and increase pay for educators. Conservatives condemn this since they do not find it as necessary.

3. Althusser’s definition of ideology encapsulates the thought of cogs in a machine. There are many ways we as people obtain our ideology and how that comes to be is in our priorities. Children from a young age are taught to behave by authoritarian figures. Parents and teachers create a system of constructive criticism for young minds to follow in order to avoid larger consequences as adults. This is how those in our government see us to be placed in the future. As improved workers in the machine they operate and have control over.