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Ideology In American History

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The term Ideology was put forward by the French philosopher Destutt de Tracy in 1801-15 (Bullock & Stallybrass, 1999). It can be defined as the collected beliefs or ideas held and shared by a group of people. It can also refer to the overall interconnected lattice of ideas, a thought process or a view of the world. The term itself encompasses a number of point of views, whether it be political or epistemological ideology. They differ in their target of influence, whether it is the manner in which the country is run or by the ideas that govern the society and the underlying philosophies and what makes people take the decisions that they do. Ideology inherently differs from strategies and individual stand on issues as it is vital that ideology …show more content…

When we look at it from the sociological point of view, it governs the way society works (Kinloch, 1981). The various principles, standards, guidelines and ideas of class preside over our society, and collectively forms a foundation for the social order in the politico-cultural paradigm. In this essay, we shall have a look at the movie American History X, evaluate its representation of race relations and scrutinize its portrayal of ideology. The movie American History X was released in the year 1998 and deals with the race relations and the ideology of hate that brews under the surface of contemporary American society. It manages to lift the façade of the American capitalist utopia and attempts to dive into the complexities of racism, of the politics of hate and the way it propagates among communities (Bonilla-Silva, 2017). The movie deals with the Vinyard family and the effect that racial tensions have on them. The patriarch of …show more content…

(2008), a film is a powerful but unique art form which is at par with painting, sculpting, drama and literature; and the movie American History X is a prime example of it with an equally powerful message. It portrays the fragile race relations in the US of the 90s with a sense of realism which is quite relevant in the present too. The film reaffirms the conventional notion of Ideology as the actions of Derek and his descend into the ideology of hate is shown with an emphasis of motive and circumstances. The escape from the ideology shows a positive aspect of him but the ending leaves him a broken man, not knowing what to believe in

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