One of the tenets of Marxism that Barry discussed was the mindlessness of the human worker as he or she goes through reification and is “…bereft of their full humanity and are thought of as ‘hands’ or ‘the labour force’…” (151). This tenet is common in the community that I live and work in.
Las Animas is a ranching community. Despite the prisons within the city limits, the dominant economy in the area is on the farm. Terms that Barry discusses through Marx, Engels, and Lenin are near and dear to the hearts of the people in my area. The “helping hands” on the ranches are typically Hispanics who come to work in season, perform mindless tasks, and are there only to increase the economic value of the ranch.
Very few of these ranchers understand their Marxist views. They view the world through their looking class which is the same glass their parents used, and their parents before them. The way of the working class is “the way it’s always been” and their actions are based on “the way we’ve always done it.” Through reification, the ranchers have become the helping hands.
I thought Althusser’s theory of the “trick” was a key point. Giving a choice that truly isn’t a choice to make the people feel they are truly “free agents” is used all of the time by parents (158). “Why don’t you choose that one…” or “Green is a REALLY NICE COLOR…” – these phrases, to cite a few, utilize this trick so parents can help their children to make better choices later on. They hammer these decisions home by using this rhetorical strategy.
Marxism did it on a grander scale. In an attempt to eliminate class, choices were “given” but it was a narrow selection. This, I believe, is necessary to achieve the ultimate Marxist goal.
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ReplyDeleteSorry, I posted too quickly the first time. Anyway, I don't think Althusser's "trick" is particularly Marxist. Didn't the Romans incorporate cultural aspects of The Conquered into their own rules in order to make it seem as though there had been no conquering at all, just a little bit of gerrymandering?
ReplyDeleteMany religions have used the same trick as well("free will" was the concept that made me an agnostic). And, I think maybe you've not mentioned one of Barry's (Althusser's) most relevant interpellations:
"Democracy makes us feel that we are choosing the kind of government we have, but in practice the differences between political parties, once in power, are far fewer than the rhetorical gulfs between them" (158).
Amen.
I think Althusser is, if you will, right on the money. He is identifying the hegemony Williams focused on - the process in which "an internalised form of social control which makes certain views seem 'natural' or invisible so that they hardly seem like views at all, just 'the way things are' (Barry 158) - which is evident in communities around the world (Las Animas among them).
ReplyDeleteNot only are these views of "that's just the way things are" limited to the working class. The ruling class fall victim to this thinking as well. This of course is the precursor to revolutions that blindsided and toppled. As Williams points out "any hegemonic process must be especially alert and respnsible to the alternatives and opposition which question or threaten its dominance" (1279.
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