Dominant Hegemonic Analysis

Culture allows humans to express themselves and gives them an opportunity to connect with others who share the same beliefs. In addition, a cultural object is an aspect of culture; it is an object or an idea and a valuable expression that embodies the beliefs of humans. Wendy Griswold describes a cultural object as a “socially meaningful expression that is audible, visible, or tangible or that can be articulated. It tells a story, and that story may be sung, told, set in stone, enacted, or painted on the body” (Griswold 12). A cultural object can be interpreted in many different ways. Two of these are a dominant-hegemonic interpretation and an oppositional interpretation. A dominant-hegemonic interpretation of a cultural object agrees with

At the University of Colorado Boulder, football is a very important aspect of the culture. Both the students and the faculty enjoy attending games and supporting the team. However, not everyone thinks about the various ways to decode this cultural object. For example, in the running Ralphie image, the dominant-hegemonic interpretation is that Ralphie, CU’s mascot, is viewed as the symbol of school spirit and strength by the members of the university. She is being held by a group of five men, and this entire group of men seems to be very strong. These men must be strong in order to hold such a large and powerful animal; this leads back to the idea that Ralphie gives strength and power to the university, and that it is a force to be reckoned with. In addition, the strength of the men combined with their tight hold on Ralphie demonstrates how this strong and powerful animal is being dominated. This showcases the domination and control of CU football. Moreover, the men are all dressed the same, making them unified and cohesive as one large community: the community of CU. Finally, the entire image radiates energy and vibrancy. When the image is first viewed, the viewer doesn't get bored,

The dominant-hegemonic interpretation of this image is the competitive aspect of CU football. When the viewer first looks at this image, they feel the energy and strength being portrayed by the players. It demonstrates how dedicated they are to the game to want to put themselves through pain in order to win the game. It also demonstrates the suspense surrounding the outcome of the game. This rivalry and games like the Rocky Mountain Showdown demonstrate the importance of having school spirit and they further unify both the students and the players. Finally, games like this also bring in a large revenue to the university, as they always have a large turnout of people. Looking at the other side of this image is interesting. Although the dominant-hegemonic interpretation is the competitive aspect of CU football, the oppositional interpretation is that rivalry and football games in general are dangerous and put too much pressure on the athletes. The image is depicting a player being tackled by various other players. This looks painful, and it demonstrates the pain that athletes have to go through during every game in order to win for their team and university. Also, in games such as the Rocky Mountain Showdown, the large revenue gathered during the game is not seen by the players. Games like these always bring a large following, as seen in the background of the image. It is