10/20/10

In the reading this week on Althusser for CMC 300, he discusses the concept of ideology in our society. After reading Althusser’s work, I discovered that we are always already subjects and, as subjects, we are constantly inside ideology. With that, Althusser also discusses how these ideologies have a tendency to manifest themselves within the text. “What is represented in ideology is therefore not the system of the real relations which govern the existence of individuals, but the imaginary relation of those individuals to the real relations in which they live”. As we look at the statement above, we are told that it is not the system of real relations that symbolizes ideology but rather the imaginary relations that those people live. Media ultimately constructs the subject or reproduces ideology in people by drawing us as individuals in within our society. This brings us to the point that certain texts are directed at certain people. For example, say I was sitting at my house and an advertisement about a kitchen appliance came on the television. Presuming this specific advertisement is directed towards a woman, if I were to pay attention to the advertisement even in the slightest way, I would be indirectly responding to my position as a woman in society. That is, my role as a woman to stay at home and clean the house. This stereotypical role of me being a woman was reinforced because I hailed into and allowed myself to accept the message of this simple advertisement.