Berger Essay Response

Edward Salcedo
11/22/12
IME 698 Human Rights and Media
Expositional Essay-Response to Berger chapter in Course Reader

Marxist analysis and its followers according to Berger(2005), have been undervalued by mainstream members of society and seen as a group who are not factored into the overall idea of serious scholars working under a respected ideology. It is not until recently, Berger points out, that these scholars were even considered for serious inquiry on their views toward issues governing society. Berger cites that the varied schools of thought of Marxism are  partially culpable for the  misunderstanding and focuses on the more conventional ideas of Marxism which can be used to analyze  media and the tools of deception and manipulation it must abide by.This is precisely why Berger chooses to break down the ways in which Marxist analysis can be used to combat the ill effects of the media on society; he does this with hopes that his writings will endow readers with the correct motives to research Marxism and use this information to adjust how they view media by exposing its intentions of conveyance.

Marxist analysis is presented in Berger’s essay as focusing on materialism as a root cause for this critiquing strategy of the media. Materialism is described as society’s interpretation of history and the way the world constructs itself (Peck, 2008). Society is painted as being influenced by the way people’s social standing is viewed by others and in turn, by these same individuals who must examine their own value through this lens. The ideas, beliefs, and cultural habits are thus determined by a certain protocol that is subsumed by all members in a given society. With these ideas of society firmly in place, Berger then informs the reader to consider what aspects are responsible for the media and how they affect this institution, how the media shapes public perception, what issues are covered by the media and how the participants of this arrangement are molded by those powers in charge of the media.

The ruling class is described by Marxist analysis as carrying out the governing ideas of society as well. The members of the upper echelon set forth the beliefs that are embraced by the other classes as they feel no impulsion to challenge or even question the source of what they have been preconditioned to believe. This group of people have become lackeys to another class and have  allowed others to think and act for them; although they are not even aware that they have become a victim of a master plan created by those in control. Marxist criticism calls attention to the ways in which society has been bamboozled into believing a certain set of doctrines that they wholeheartedly have adopted into their lifestyles. In the U.S. and other developed nations with histories of colonization, the practice of Marxist analysis can be applied to establishments that have potent effects on how people lead their lives. There are signs of the ruling class controlling communities ‘through overt propaganda in political rhetoric, news reporting, advertising and public relations, and through the often unconscious absorption of capitalistic values by creators in all of the above aspects of the culture of everyday life” (Lazere, 1987, p. 755-756).

Hence, the ruling class, working together with the media, has manipulated the consciousness people have of themselves and the world they see. No facet is left untouched with  film, television, writing, and radio broadcasting all besieged by this design to dupe society into believing  specific stances on matters. The media is handled in this way by elitists because of the financial hold they wield over the corporations (Artz, 2005). These individuals insist on a particular dogma to be promoted by the media and have the financial muscle to do so. The media, in the same vein as unsuspecting members of society, is at the mercy of these powers posing no real threat to the establishment.

Class conflict is another key issue explained by Berger in reference to Marxist analysis. The bourgeois are seen on one end of the spectrum with the proletariat on the other. It is the bourgeois, however, that are in charge of the media and in turn impact the proletariat with ideas such as the “self-made man” and the idea that social and economic backgrounds of people can be attributed to innate causes and not intentionally-created factors (Berger, 2005). The class issue is further cemented by the notion that guiding principles of industrialized nations, for example, capitalism and patriarchy, are simply a part of the natural order of life and inevitable. These concepts though, are impugned by Berger as he asserts that Marxist analysis  renounces any standards the bourgeois claim society must follow and these can be altered or eliminated through revolution and the might of the people.

Moreover, the media is blameworthy, according to Berger, for the rampant acceptance society has towards the current state of their country. The media is utilized by the powers that be to obscure public perception of the correct ways to eliminate the fetters that have been placed on them.This welcoming of the media by society serves as  a benefit of the oppressor.The media has even given handouts to with so-called exceptions to the popularly-held idea that the media represents only bourgeois interests. This includes  characters based on working-class heroes appearing which are embraced by those same members of the targeted audience (McBride, L.B., & Bird, S.E., 2007). Such notables of the media's scheme to reveal to their audience how they are allegedly reflected in popular culture include Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1980), Al Bundy on Married with Children (1987-1997) and Sam Malone on Cheers (1983-1993). Although all these characters will go down in working-class lore and showcased some positive attributes of this community of men, Berger feels they were produced with the singular goal to “reinforce and indoctrinate the masses who follow their activities” (p.52).

In addition, one of the more outstanding themes of Berger’s essay of Marxist Analysis includes the advertising of products which are a fundamental part of consumerism. People are relied on to consume and have done so in an epic drive to satisfy their needs. This impulse is a residual of the constant bombardment of images or stimuli on television, film, radio and the internet. People are driven to purchase in order to meet a psychologically-produced desire that is developed by capitalism. There are no boundaries as to how far advertising will go in order to trigger the consumer’s mind to buy an item. This results in the individualistic concerns,  instead of community ones, to focus on the fulfillment of oneself through purchases. This make one initially feel better in a contrived, illegitimate manner that eventually renders one searching for more of the product or varied forms of it to get his “fix” (Berger, 2005).

Individuals ultimately become entrenched in this mind frame of yearning to consume to help them in their supposed struggle to maintain psychological order. The need to react to what is before people is immediate and natural, but in this context of advertising it has become deadly with the feeling to consume definitively present in such frenzies as “Black Friday” and the “Christmas Eve Blitz”. These events are welcomed by people without question because they are told by the media that they must make purchases to “show” how much they love or care for another person and to take advantage of the blockbuster deals which advertising  tells them it “won’t last long” and this is the proper way (in industrialized nations) to display their “Christmas joy”.

Berger declares that advertising  has become big business in 1st world nations and it has learned to use such intimate expressions of humans as family, love, life and friends to inveigle people to purchase items, “we fly to the things we want to consume under the illusion that we are making individual choices and decisions, whereas in reality we are being motivated and manipulated by forces beyond our control” (p.59). Furthermore, Berger alludes to the ways people allegedly feel responsible by making decisions which are premised on their own personal fondness for an item and what it can guarantee them in their life, but in actuality this is a carefully-devised ruse by capitalists to use the media to advertise products which enrich these power-holders’ lives through the intended consumption by the people which messages in the media are meant for.Of course, the purchasing of the item will not magically dispense upon people any of the material found in the commercials or radically improve one’s life, which are both contrary to what the commercials for these items consist of. Instead, these advertisements are strictly a marketing tool which business discovered long ago can brainwash people to buy  products  and remain loyal to them (Winseck, 2008). This is seen by Berger as domination of one man over another. This exploitation is the only real outcome of these advertisements which so many people do not critically analyze. The corporations backing these commercials want the public to remain in this controlled state because their main concentration of profit-making is ensured each time it occurs.

In reflecting on Berger’s essay on Marxist Analysis, I feel this technique is necessary for a full understanding of a capitalist society. The themes brought up in the essay can be used  for people to make conclusions on capitalism which can influence the way one regularly leads his life. Everything around us can be examined from a Marxist Analysis-approach since capitalism is in motion right in front of our eyes daily. Institutions which were generated to accelerate the takeover of the world by capitalism include banks, businesses, universities, and  the products we use for survival. This is just a short list of the more common examples of capitalism in society but people can be at a great advantage if they can take heed of the clarity Berger demonstrates in his work because it deconstructs these same hallmarks of capitalism and the tremendous roles they play in our everyday lives.

If people were made more aware of the group of people who act as leaders in society and deliberately manipulate the masses to guarantee a better lifestyle for these superiors, it may result in more collectivism and an onslaught of worldwide revolutions happening to tip the scales of power. For the ultimate capitalists, this is the most dire of thoughts to comprehend and much rather remain in a comfortable living situation with no challenges to their authority. However, if Marxist Analysis publications, such as Berger’s, are recognized and absorbed by additional individuals, there may be swift justice that occurs, regardless. This would coincidentally come from the power of perusing a modest document that was inspired by a German philosopher in the 19th century with an ideology that still can be applied today for social and economic improvements to finally take place.

The points of critiquing the media based off  Marxist Analysis contained in Berger’s text are evident in several different areas of the media. Simply turning on the television, casually reading the local newspaper or surfing the internet will place the individual in a space where the impacts of the media, working in conjunction with the corporate entities and the governmental members of society, will be present. Society cannot expect to utilize these mediums of so-called information and not come across vivid examples of manipulation.Though it may be subtle at times, there are nevertheless intentional messages being conveyed. The media showcases for us corporate sponsorship everyday. This is through commercials and various other forms of advertisements. The media has no limits in their attempts to sell a product. The most cherished, heartfelt, and timeless emotions of humankind are made to be profitable in order to appeal to the consumer. These are some of the most genuine examples of capitalism to coax the individual into submitting their life to the establishment of this economic system. Moreover, this paper has sought to summarize the most glaring points of Marxist Analysis made by Berger to understand capitalism and the nuanced functions of this. Though brief, it is my hope that this paper can lend credence to the importance of why Marxist Analysis, and scholars of this rhetoric, should officially be recognized in academic circles, so that one day the overall society will also critically analyze the stimuli that brings them so much apparent pleasure but has the almighty dollar at the heart of this feeling.

Sources
Artz, L. (2005). Monarchs, Monsters, and Multiculturalism: Disney’s Menu for Global Hierarchy. Wesleyan University Press.

Berger, A. (2005).Media Analysis Techniques, Sage Publications Incorporated. Third Edition
Gray, New York University Press, 165-168.

Lazere, D. (1987). American Media and Mass Culture: Left Perspectives.University of California Press.

McBride, L.B. and S.E. Bird (2007). From smart fan to backyard wrestler: Ritual, performance, and pain. In Fandom: Identities and communities in a mediated world, ed. C. Sandvoss, L. Harrington, & J.


Peck, J. (2008). The Anxieties of the Enterprising Self and the Limits of Mind Cure in the Age of Oprah in J. Peck, The Age of Oprah: Cultural Icon for the Neoliberal Era. Boulder, Co: Paradigm.

Winseck, D. (2008). The state of media ownership and media markets: Competition or concentration and why should we care? Sociology Compass, 2 (1), 34-47.