TV: Capital - Marxism and Hegemony

TV: Capital - Marxism and Hegemony

Marxism & hegemony: blog tasks

Task 1: Mail Online review of Capital

1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology?
At the end the reviewer criticises PC culture as well as making references to Jeremy Corbyn. He also believes that the portrayal of anything British came with a dose of loathing, and mocked the scene in which the union jack was burnt.

2) Choose three quotes from the review that are particularly critical of Capital and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why?

'Everything British came in for a dose of loathing.'
'Capital was as stuffed full with fashionable causes as Jeremy Corbyn’s function diary.'

'The crime was handed from one cardboard character to the next.'

I think the criticisms on the characters are valid, due to being fairly stereotypical, uninteresting and (in some cases) unflattering representations of British people. For example, Arabella and Roger are very materialistic and oblivious to their extreme wealth, pretty much being caricatures of the middle class. Positive/sympathetic representations of minority characters obviously isn't a negative, however the show has been interpreted as being very anti-British and overly PC due to how they handled the white British characters in comparison. I don't believe that this was what the show was aiming for, but if the characters were less one-dimensional it would have been easier to sympathise with them.

3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?

The burning of the Union Jack by a Muslim character apparently being very anti-British.
The scene when the Zimbabwe immigrant gets taken into a cell frames the police negativity and antagonistically- and the show's portrayal of immigration can be read a left-wing as we are made to feel sympathy for her.

4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce the status quo in capitalist London?

The increasing house prices in scene transitions put an emphasis on money and wealth, and the character's lives are seen as desirable by a mysterious third party due (the sender of the post-cards) to said wealth.

Task 2: Media Factsheet - Applying Marxism 

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #66: Applying Marxism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets - you'll need to save the factsheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?

The elite/bourgeoisie has power and controls the proteliates.

2) Why is The Apprentice a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies?

Lord Sugar is a capitalist face that holds lots of power, with the participants of the show relying on him.

3) Come up with three examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that either fetishise working class life (e.g. EastEnders presents quite a harmonious East End community which probably doesn't accurately reflect East London life) or demonise working class life or poor people (e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers regularly demonise people living on benefits with headlines referring to 'scroungers'.)

4) Look at the bullet points on page 4 of the factsheet:

When making a Marxist reading of a text, look out for representations that:

• show the values of the power elite as beneficial to the mass
• show queries or challenges to the base as meaningless, foolish or anti-social via ‘failed revolt’
• show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea
• show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’
• show that being a member of the mass is a good thing
• show the masses accepting the values of the power elite
• show the values of the power elite as being ‘for the good of the masses’ (even when unpleasant)

Now try applying those bullet points to Capital. Think about the setting, characters and narrative strands - how many of the bullet points apply to Capital? Does Capital reinforce or challenge the values of capitalism? Give examples from episode 1 to support your points.

Task 3: Media Magazine feature on BBC drama The Casual Vacancy and ideology

Finally, go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Beeb, The Mail and JKR' in MM53 (page 20). This focuses on the politics of The Casual Vacancy, another BBC three-part drama based on a book by JK Rowling.

 


Answer the questions below:

1) Why did the Daily Mail suggest The Casual Vacancy promoted a left-wing ideology?

It mocks the middle class as the characters reinforce negative middle class stereotypes.

2) How does the article suggest characters, narrative and setting are used to promote a left-wing ideology?

Through "ridiculing the wealthier residents and shaming them for their

plot to sell off the local food bank and

rehab centre Sweetlove House."

3) What research is quoted regarding BBC bias and what did it find? Do you think the BBC is biased?

The most conclusive study of
the BBC’s output (conducted by Dr
Mike Berry of Cardiff University and
commissioned by the BBC Trust itself)
found that, if anything, the BBC veered
more to the right than to the left.

4) Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggests people are kept under control through active consent - the control of 'common sense'. How could you apply the Daily Mail or the BBC to the idea of hegemony and dominant ideologies in the UK media?

The BBC is meant to be an unbiased news source, so the portrayal of leftist or right wing ideologies in the BBC may be glossed over as being "common sense." It's also a reliable news source that many people rely on and so it could be easy to have audiences conform to their views.