Karl Marx developed an economic and socio-political view that he believed would improve society. (Mandel, 1974) He viewed life as a constant struggle between the classes as they competed to improve their overall condition. According to Marx, capitalism led to the oppression of the working class and that, because they controlled the tools of production, allowed the minority ruling class to control the behavior and lives of the majority. One of the things that allowed the ruling class to successfully control the workers was through the use of popular culture.
Popular culture is ever changing and is specific to a particular time and place. Although a specific definition of what constitutes popular culture is difficult to formulate it is easy to describe where it is best reflected. A society's popular culture is found in its film, television, music and publishing media. Simply, if something appeals to a broad spectrum of individuals it is quite likely consider part of the popular culture
Karl Marx viewed popular culture negatively. He believed that it served to enforce and justify the prevailing political ideology and existing power structure. Marx claimed that popular culture controls the masses silently and insidiously and helped keep the common people ignorant of their actual situation. To Marx the social institutions that comprise popular culture are merely tools to maintain the status quo.
In Marx's view capitalists control both the market and demand. Through the use of advertising and the media in general, capitalists make the workers perceive what their needs are. That is, capitalists make workers think they need thing that they really do not need. In the process the capitalists make more profits and the workers situation worsens.
Under strict Marxist theory, this cycle of the capitalists controlling...
Eventually the frustration will boil over causing the workers to demand change through revolt which will result in the workers seizing the tools of production. Thus, Marx states that capitalism "contains the seeds of its own destruction."
Because popular culture is a reflection of the society, Marx felt that it too was a product of the capitalists. (Storey, 1998) Through popular culture the capitalists romanticize the concept of possessing. A consumer society is created in which the individual is not defined by who they are but by what they have. Perception becomes what is important. It is not excellence that is respected but the appearance of excellence. The result of this process is that there is little respect for differences in race, gender or ethnicity. All are manipulated equally and the only determining factor as to what is right or wrong, good or bad, is whether a profit is being made.
Interestingly, although Marx's theories have come under attack in recent years, imagery has taken on increased importance in recent years. Advertising has been part of the capitalist system for many years but image production has moved into other arenas now as well. Now nearly all media actively attempts to create the perfect image. Movies, television, music, and radio all attempt to tell us what to wear, eat, drive and where we should live. According to Marx, this system will eventually result in anger and frustration but, contrary to Marx's prediction, the system keeps right on rolling along.
Another element of Marx's theory regarding the working class is that the capitalist system serves to keep the workers in a constant state of alienation. (Marx, 1844) According to Marx, this alienation works to…
