12D Cover Work - Monday 7/12, p1/2 

The World of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia and Propaganda 

The article analyses the dystopian representation of capitalist society in the latest Hunger Games film and the series as whole, drawing attention to elements where media theory can be most usefully applied. In the dystopian society of Panem, thirteen districts exist only to serve the capital city of the country, named ‘The Capitol’. The districts are poor and barely survive on minimum food and wages. They work to provide coal, technology, food, power and other services to the Capitol. Each year two children between the ages of 11-18 are sent from each district to take part in ‘The Hunger Games’ which forces each child to kill everyone else until only one remains. The game is made to maintain peace and keep the districts under control. Using Marxist theory to assess this representation, we can see that the ruling class keep the poor under control. This physical withdrawal of the means to survive, combined with the public abuse of those that step out of line, are ‘civic state apparatuses’. There is also a vital ideological element to the way Panem is run; those in power control ideas, as well as resources. President Snow believes that hope is the ‘only thing stronger than fear’, and he deals with rebels by spreading fear among the districts. He mainly does this through propaganda and the media, using constant repeats of previous ‘Hunger Games’.

They Live: Ideology

This article explores one of the most complex and difficult aspects of the Media Studies curriculum: the concept of ideology. It explores the meaning of the term, and its related concept of hegemony, and look at the work of three key theorists. Finally it explores the term further through a powerful 1988 film acknowledged to be one of the hidden masterpieces of Hollywood: John Carpenter’s They Live. These are three features that are generally agreed to be part of the dominant ideology in Britain:

• People should put their families first.

• Women should behave in feminine ways, and look after their appearance.

• People should work hard for their money.

In 21st-century Britain, a particularly significant aspect of our ideology is that, unlike some other cultures or regimes, it is not forced upon us through violence or coercion by government or the military. Zizek explores how we now accept our control, yet are completely dominated. A fantastic starting point for a student is his documentary, subversively titled The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (2012).