Althusser and Marx, 3/15 Ann

The quote I picked to discuss is on page 44 and reads: “What is represented in ideology is therefore not the system of the real relations which govern to relations of individuals, but the imaginary relation of those individuals to the real relations in which they live.” Although this quote was in the section by Althusser, it seems to be very much derived from Marx. It is my understanding that Marx is trying to argue that due to the division of labor under capitalism, the proletarians fall under the control of the ideologies of the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie are the ones in power since they create the jobs for the working class as well as possess wealth. They have the time to create ideologies as well as ISAs while the working class must spend all their time trying to meet their means of subsistence. The class in power is able to gain political power due to their control over the economy. They use this power to instill the ideologies on the lower classes. Both Althusser and Marx are trying to srgue that this is why ideologies in society are not real but rather created to govern society in a manner that is beneficial to the upper class. This relates to a common subject discussed in CMC of how the government and privately owned news organizations control the information received by the public in the form of mass media. The mass media is able to communicate false information, they perceive as reality, to create ideologies in society often accepted by the general public. These ideologies usually are created to benefit those who are in power since they control the mass media.
I understand what Marx is saying and most of Althusser but am a little bit confused on his argument that man is a subject. I think he is trying to say that men cannot exist without ideology and that it is something that is natural. Although ideologies individually do not derive from something natural the concept that ideologies exists is something that is true to society.