Jason Ferguson- Media and Society How popular culture affect us
I have started reading the book series "Game of Thrones". I have only finished the first two books, but it is an awesome series as you can see by HBO using the right to produce a TV series based on these books. So in the book's there is a main theme of someone always wanting to rise to the top and how in their society there is one ruler the king and he is the law of the land. There is lords guys or ladies who own land or Castles and run somewhat of there own state lets say. But these books are supposed to be in the day of lets say King Arthur days since there is dragons, witchcraft, and castles. So as I said before there is always someone conspiring by themselves or with someone else to rise to the top or to just move up a social class from where they are at. I couldn't help but think of Adorno & Horkheimer culture industry, and how they say that everything in media today is the same and it isn't changing at all but, just taking on the same thing and putting their own individual stamp on it, and may become more powerful or perfect that thing which it aspiring to be.
"Every detail is so firmly stamped with sameness that nothing can appear which
is not marked at birth, or does not meet with approval at first sight. And the star performers, whether
they produce or reproduce, use this jargon as freely and fluently and with as much gusto as if it were thevery language which it silenced long ago. Such is the ideal of what is natural in this field of activity, and its influence becomes all the more powerful, the more technique is perfected and diminishes the tension between the finished product and everyday life." (pg5 ADKcultureindustry)
So my point being that in these books it is as the title says a game of thrones, someone is always wanting to kill the king and become the ruler of the land and run it the way they want to or perfect it in the way they think it should be perfected. Society that is to run and rule it the way they see it should be done themselves. But yet even though someone may succeed at over throwing the king, noting ever changes. It is still the same day and age of ruler and ruled class the only thing that changes is the status of that person who becomes the king and he changes out his friends and family to be higher positions around him to rule the people or society. I can't help but to agree with Adorno & Horkheimer on this idea that culture stays the same for the most part with a slight twist of their own personality coming out in how they go about doing what they do. Other than that it is still the same. There is a King and class getting ruled upon by his rules which are a set of rules that are established as laws of the land. So why then would anyone want to be king or raise their status or better known as a social class if noting really changes except that that one person is in a better position themselves. So it actually brings Marxism into it as well that people are greedy and want all the power so they over throw the ruling king at the time to become powerful and more rich. But yet again society or culture didn't change it is just a mimic of the person that led before them. So is this book affecting our society? Or is it just and idea or theme that's been around forever and someone just wrote a better more interesting story of kings, knights,drama,love,power, and greed? I guess that is for us to decide.
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