Marx Engels IDEOLOGY DIALECTIC MATERIALISM The Truth WHY

Marx & Engels IDEOLOGY & DIALECTIC MATERIALISM The Truth

WHY IS MARX A BAD-ASS? Applied Dialectics (really old idea) to history in order to understand it Opposed philosophical idealism (let’s live in the woods, but more complicated) Instead of thinking ideally, he thought materialistically “[P]hilosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point however is to change it“. K. Marx

Are you ready? What to expect from the rest of this presentation: Marx will systematically strip you from your very essence. His ideas basically led our understanding of the world to Existencialism, which is really depressing, and someone else will lecture on. After that, he will offer a solution – REVOLUTION. THAT IS WHY MARX IS A BAD-ASS: HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE, HE WILL HAVE YOUR BACK!

The history of all hitherto society is the history of class struggle. OPPRESSOR Ideology Means of Production CONTRADICTION Revolution OPPRESSED

ALIENATION “[I]n emerging industrial production under capitalism, workers inevitably lose control of their lives and selves, in not having any control of their work. ” Activities of the workers are chosen by the owners, capitalist; who in return pay them. Ownership of production/product in hands of capitalist. Workers are likely to be separated from their fellow workers. Workers driven away from their potential and tasks become mindless.

ALIENATION We are beings bred for work. From the moment we are born, we live our lives for capitalism. We are pushed by our parents to go school, to get good grades, to get into better schools, to get a good JOB. A good job is not necessarily dictated to you, but the idea of a good job is determined to you by the system. Your wants and needs maybe your own, but if you are a product of your society, then… you represent and build society as a mirror. There are no innate ideas. Information is presented to you as an ideology to keep you linked to the system to which you belong. Fashion and you. POP QUIZ! Do you think she needed that jacket?

IDEOLOGY Ideology itself represents the "production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, " all that "men say, imagine, conceive, " and include such things as "politics, laws, morality, religion, metaphysics, etc. “ Ideology functions as the superstructure of a civilization: the conventions and culture that make up the dominant ideas of a society. The ruling ideas are nothing more than the ideal expression of the dominant material relationships, the dominant material relationships grasped as ideas; hence of the relationships which make the one class the ruling one, therefore, the ideas of their dominance“ It tends to obfuscate the violence and exploitation that often keep a disempowered group in its place

A Prison for your mind We are slaves to our society, yet we determine it. We are born into a set of ideas that we have no control of, that will determine our very identity. “Life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life” Ideologies function as a superstructure for a POP QUIZ civilization. What does that sentence lead us back to? It represents and protects the ruling class’ interests. Tends to obfuscate the violence and exploitation that often keeps a disempowered group in its place

Marxist Analysis Case 1: Tabula Rasa - Tabula Rasa, if analyzed further, means “we He will be offered his first are all born equal”. joint at the age of 11. He - Is that true? Lets see… will have contact with violence shortly Joe White-Trash is born into a household thereafter. with the following characteristics: If he is one of the X% to graduate Joanna will attend private schools from high school, his SAT score herwill entire life. She will travel abroad He be raised in E. Compton, a X% chance to be She will admitted has to Harvard School 2 times a year, thelevel timebe she CA, where thereand is a by 60% of Her father is a neuro-surgeon, and She will marry and establish a family with insatisfactory for California public of Medicine after being tangent to is. He 18, will she will have been to all high-school incompletion, highher mother is a Business professor live his life to earn at earnings most $40. 000 a year to support his family. higher than her previous. universities. perfection scores, continents in theand world. of isviolence drug Hislevel father unknown, and hisabuse. in her admission at UCLA. Together, their income and due to their legacy program. mother is unemployed, relying on averages $500. 000 a year. welfare. She has a crystal-meth addiction 20 miles away… is born! and has 2 Joanna other White-Class slightly older children.

Marxist Analysis LET’S TALK ABOUT DISNEY PRINCESSES!!!!! Case 2: Disney What do these women (? ) have in common? Do you think that watching these movies has affected your views on womanhood?

IDEOLOGY – Nationalism and War In attempting to recruit more members, Army Ad

untry Marxist Analysis Case 3: Nationalism USAP. A. T. R. I. O. T. PATRIOT ACT U. S. A. ACT Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 The Patriot Act DIRECTLY affects your rights.