Marx and Althussar Pre-Class

In reading Marx’s and Althussar’s take on ideology and formulation of actual, concrete definition of, a certain thought remains with me that continues to be bothersome since my first interaction with the material: the inconspicuous pervasiveness of ideology. I think it is that notion that has come to intrigue me as a Critical and Cultural Studies major, for before my studies in this subject, I had never even thought about this thing we call “ideology”. Sure, I knew what it meant, but by no means did I assume I played an active role in not only its maintenance but in its perpetuation. It is truly mind-blowing, for me at least, to realize that each and every one of us is part of this “system” let’s call it and that for most of us, as was true for me, appears to be nothing short of natural and just “the way things are”. I had been so ingrained in this ideology that I had become blind to its existence, not because of blind ignorance, but because ideology has a way of permeating itself into every aspect of society without being noticed or called out as something that is perhaps not inherent to our lives. Now, although as we have discussed time and time again, I realize one can never escape this ideology for its existence is omnipresent, I think it is quite valuable to at least consciously recognize its existence and how it functions. It is my time in CMC that has allowed me to evaluate the notion of ideology as a critical thinker rather than as a passive subject and has opened my eyes to an entirely new perspective that I think most people are blind from seeing. I honestly also think that by being able to have a tangible grasp on what ideology is, one has a much better comprehension on how, in fact, the world works.