Blog #5: Communist Manifesto

Both Karl Marx and Chomsky emphasize that the world is being forced to conform into one image. This image that all of society strives to achieve is set forth and produced by the media, a dangerous prospect given the amount of power society unconsciously grants the media. Both Chomsky and Marx stress how media is unavoidable, it is in every corner of the world and influences society on a daily basis. The media never lets society rest by constantly filling their heads with new products they simply “cannot live without,” and presenting new ideas in a manner that makes any counterarguments seem completely illogical or absurd. Marx mentions how one group, the proletariat, cannot function without the rest of society telling them what to do. This example is a crucial aspect of why the media is so vital to society, everyone needs someone else to tell them what to do and guide them in the right direction. Similarly, Chomsky highlights how some are aware of the media influence but find it easier to follow its ideas than make their own choices. What some people fail to acknowledge is that even people at the top had to start somewhere. Knowledge is power; and by following in accordance with the media status quo, many secure themselves a place within society, while those who lead unique lifestyles suffer from nonconformity. Granted some groups who attempt to branch out from the norm are temporarily successful, they can never gain enough power to rival the media industry. In comparing the society Marx is describing to Chomsky’s Propaganda Model, it can be deduced that America is allowing its country to be run in a slightly communistic manner with the media industry as our fearless leader. Although this is a daunting idea, if the media is truly dictating society as forcefully as Chomsky suggests, then the notion is not really lacking hard evidence or validity. Ultimately, both authors force society to question how much control they have over their own lives and evaluate the media’s influence within that control.