Hegemony (Week 3)

After discussing our families favorite scripted TV shows reading the “Culture Industry: Enlightenment and Mass Deception”, by MaxHorkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno and “the Ruling Class and Ruling Ideas” by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, I decided to relate it to “entertainment tonight” the show and etonline.com.  Entertainment tonight is essentially the news of pop-culture and media which relates to many concepts in the readings.  I first wanted to point out that there is no news on high-culture in the media, probably because of the small amount of interest from the American audience instead there is news about pop-culture and the many upper-class individuals who are making a fortune of the consumer based entertainment industry. Taking the topic of film for instance, Horkheimer argues that “film seeks strictly to reproduce the world of everyday perception” (pg. 45).  This is highly related to Marx’s article concerning class and social status with the amount of influence and power some have in society and media.  Entertainment Tonight frames those who are of highly social class on a similar looking stage as the president or senators.  I argue that they are put on a similar stage because ET draws the perception that they are ligament and recognized news organization by having reporters, nicely lit-up stage, etc. just like CNN or WGN news.  Horkheimer also argues that the media is channeled through the entertainment industry which redefines the meaning of this cultural industry we live in. 

 http://www.etonline.com/