Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The Role of US Corporate Entertainment in the Social Control Element of Imperialism

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, August 8, 2014

The Role of US Corporate Entertainment in the Social Control Element of Imperialism

Click here to access article by Danny Haiphong posted on Black Agenda Report.

It is rather rare to find anyone pointing out the influence of the capital ruling class on entertainment. Like every institution in society, the ruling class directors insure that it serves them not only with their imperialist projects, but also by hiding the nature of class-based social power and to bind the minds of their subjects in service to all aspects of their pursuit of wealth and power.

This was most viciously demonstrated in the purge of left-wing Hollywood figures following WWII that resulted in many talented people in Hollywood losing their careers. Nowadays, the screening process to select those who will serve the ruling class is much more subtle, but very effective, and extends to every ideologically sensitive institution.