Understanding the theory of Culture Industry and State Apparatus using movies

Abstract

This blog will provide the reader a detailed analysis of two movies, ‘The Emoji Movie’ and ‘Snowpiercer’ on the basis of two theories, ‘The Culture Industry’ of the book ‘The Dialectic of Enlightenment’ by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, and ‘Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses’ by Louis Althusser, respectively. The book Dialectic of Enlightenment talks about Adorno and Horkheimer’s Marxist analysis of the evolution of Enlightenment thought and Western rationalism. The chapter ‘culture industry’ talks about the presentation of culture in media form not as an art instead a business based on what Adorno referred to as “Fordist capitalism.” Whereas the ‘Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses’ essay deals with the ongoing exploitation under capitalism as a self-proliferating mechanism that produces its own conditions of reproduction along with its own existence. The paper also include the contradictory example of the culture industry theory referring to an African nation where this theory fails to work in field of cinema.

The Culture Industry

In the early twentieth century, two of Frankfurt School’s key theorists Max Horkheimer and T.W. Adorno in their book "Dialectic of Enlightenment" developed an account of the "culture industry" to call attention to the industrialization and commercialization of culture under capitalist relations of production.

Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) was one of the leading philosopher and social scientist of the first generation of the Frankfurt School, who during the days of his exile from the Nazi’s in the USA co-authored the book Dialectic of Enlightenment with fellow member Theodor Adorno. His foundational approach as a Marxist made him believe in Suffering as the fundamental aspect of human existence. He was very critical of such social theories where numerical and empirical facts are taken into consideration which according to him is inaccurate because they cannot not include human suffering and hereby, have an emancipatory effect.

Theodor Adorno (1903-1969) was another major figure of the Frankfurt School, a critical theorist and Marxist of his time. Jürgen Habermas was his student and assistant, famously known for his work on Communicative rationality and public sphere. Adorno was very keen in field of music but he hated Jazz to which he published an essay in 1936 generating criticism from people who liked Jazz.

Along with Adorno and Horkheimer, many other notable theorists at Frankfurt School believed that the 20th century Capitalism as having become a total environment, has been influencing almost every material aspects and spheres of human life including that of psychological and intellectual behaviours. In the light of this modern capitalist domination, it was not limited only to the external influence rather has incorporated into the internal dynamics of the person as systems of values and as modes of thinking, such that people acted submissively in the interests of the ruling elites.

In the chapter ‘The Culture Industry’, Adorno and Horkheimer criticized film and radio productions (among other industries) for their creation of artless, homogenous, and deceptive cultural products, referencing specific examples of popular film, television, and music in their analysis. They claim that “the whole world is made to pass through the filter of the culture industry”. (Adorno & Horkheimer, 1947)

In simpler words, the culture industry is what happens when in a society of developed capitalism, cultural artefacts start becoming produced according to a standardizing plan carefully planned to be as profitable as possible like a mass producing factory. Adorno specifically mentions that the term "culture industry" was chosen over "mass culture" in order to make sure that it is not understood as something which spontaneously stems from the masses themselves.

 

The Emoji Movie

Let’s take an example of the movie, ‘The Emoji Movie’. It took almost 50 million USD to produce it. The movie produced by Tony Leondis is about the life a ‘meh’ emoji, Gene, inside the mobile phone of the person named, Alex. Gene, fails to express the emotion he is expected to that is, ‘meh’ due a malfunction he inherits from his father. Gene has the ability to express any form he wishes to depending on his mood. The Emoji leader, Smiley, hence directs his bots to delete Gene as he is a malfunction for the phone. Gene escapes and is rescued by Hi-Five who used to be famous but not anymore and want to end his journey in the cloud service, Dropbox. Gene want to fix his wrong functionality and finally receives help from a princess emoji, Jailbreak, who fled home after tiring of being stereotyped all the time. All of their problems can be solved if they reach to Dropbox. Their expedition ends with their acceptance of what they are and not to change for someone else’s need as Gene gets permission from everyone to express according to his wishes.

Adorno’s statement of non-identical i.e. “Freedom postulates the existence of something non-identical” is well suited here.

Here, the protagonist, Gene, On his journey to find a hacker that would fix him into properly functioning ‘meh’ emoji along with the character ‘Jailbreak’ who used to be a princess emoji but in trying to escape the clutches of the industry and became a hacker, represents the individual rebellion of the non-identical.

The above paragraph contradicts the cultural industry theory until at the end of the movie, when we find ‘Jailbreak’ reverting back into princess, giving up her dream of being a hacker and going back to the emoji factory. Whereas, Gene is finally allowed to show different expressions but only after his Non-Identicality is neutralized by incorporating it into the industrial plan and making it a part of the system. So, at the end, the resistance fails to uproot the system rather is incorporated into it which is exactly what is said, “In the culture industry human beings get into trouble only so that they can be rescued unharmed… and then in empty harmony, they are reconciled with the general, whose demands they had experienced at the outset as irreconcilable with their interests.” (Theodor, 1963)

It is stated in Culture Industry that “just as the occupants of the city centres are uniformly summoned there for purposes of work and leisure as producers and consumers so the living cells crystallize into homogenous well organized complexes.” (Adorno & Horkheimer, 1947)  This can be found in the American society where after the end of WWII, the concept of free market capitalism began to spread on a global scale. This concept was accepted by Hollywood and started making it global by exporting the concepts, ideas, tools and styles to create a movie. Bollywood copied these artefacts for the production of movies at home.

This concept of culture industry did not worked out well within some parts of African countries rather the movies that Bollywood made were growing in Nigeria. These movies are not created keeping the Nigerian population in mind but its popularity is because of their attempts to address specific national social and cultural issues through the movies.

Adorno, later in the essay titled ‘Culture Industry Reconsidered’ claimed, “The entire practice of the culture industry transfers the profit motive naked onto cultural forms”. (Theodor, 1963) This could be contrasted by the fact that movies made in Nigerian film industry called Nollywood, by its producers are not apparently focused on the market value of their products. Additionally, the distribution of the movies are mostly in form of direct-to-CD which are often pirated. So, the end consumer which is, the Nigerian audience are benefitted.

 

Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses

Louis Althusser (1918-1990) was French Marxist philosopher and a member of French Communist Party, who wrote an influential essay, “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses” in 1969. He reformulated the Marxist concept of Ideology which was marked as an important shift in the way Marxists think about Ideology as Ideas. He formulated two sets of apparatuses or institution system of domination: Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs) and Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs), which he argued that was used as medium by Ruling class to filter its dominant ideology to the other class.

Repressive State Apparatuses are the institutions that work under direct control of ruling class or ‘functions by violence’ - (as blatantly called by Althusser) Whereas Ideological State Apparatuses are those institutions that do not come under direct control of ruling class rather work under their influence in order to spread their Ideology among people of other classes.

 

 

Snowpiercer

To understand this let’s take an example of the movie ‘Snowpiercer’. Based on French graphic novel Le Transperceneig and directed by Oscar winning director Bong Joon-ho, the movie is about a situation after a Climate-change Experiment by scientist fails miserably creating a new Ice Age in 2014. The remnants of humanity takes a train, the Snowpiercer, which circumnavigates the earth in snow and ice and is run by elitist Wilford (played by Ed Harris). By the year 2031, the passengers on train are segregated by class, the Elite in front opulent train cars and the poor forced in tail cars by armed guards. Curtis Everett, played by Chris Evans, leads a revolt against the Elites after they realizes that the guards are out of ammunitions. They then decide to make their way to the Engine car and take charge of whole train. As the movie proceeds, many people are killed on both sides. Curtis remembers how they were forced to cannibalism and experienced many failed revolts. Wilford (the owner of the train) uses several physical and psychological power to contain the revolt but fails. It is in end, revealed that the whole revolt was a staged by Wilford to reduce the train’s population to a sustainable level.

The train represents smaller version of society in Capitalist world where the poor is exploited by the rich to have the control over society. The poor are constantly kept in atmosphere of fear, subjecting them to physical and mental torture in front of other inmates. Here, Both Wilford and Curtis can be seen using the Althusser’s theory to State Apparatus. Both sides use their own methods of RSAs and ISAs to prove their dominance over each other and the masses. Curtis, though having faced similar humility like other, enjoys the role of Elite after he is selected as a leader.

The Repressive State Apparatuses can be understood from the point where Wilford uses his minister, teacher and loyal guards to supress the rebellion by violence. Curtis also follows the same formula of violence against the guards by ordering his men to kill them. The minister, teacher and guards represent RSA.

Ideological State Apparatuses can be identified in the movie when rebels, in beginning is lectured by the minister, using ‘Shoe Theory’ that state: a shoe is not meant for any other body part except foot. So, people in different cars based on class should stick to their work to keep the train moving.

When the minister is caught alive, he keeps reminding Curtis and his people that if it wasn’t for the Wilford who allowed them to live on train, they would’ve died in freezing world. This way Wilford indirectly uses this apparatus in form of minister to manipulate the mind of rebels.

Further, there is another car where children are taught about the greatness of Wilford and how he saved the remaining humans whereas the rebels are described as filthy and lazy to them. By this means of education, children are subjected to ruling ideology and make them believe that the class differentiation is important for the train to keep moving. In fact Althusser elaborates on the rise of the School as the most powerful ideological state apparatus in capitalist societies.

In the End Curtis is offered the position of Wilford to take the command of train which coincides with the statement of Althusser in ‘The Essentials of the Marxist theory of state’, “The objective of the class struggle concerns state power, and in consequence the use of the state apparatus by the classes.” The train represents the state apparatus which will long survive in different state power. Curtis however rejects the offer and the train is blown by an explosion along with class struggle.

 

 Conclusion

Every movie or media text is fascinating in their own way. They create a small version of resemblance to the theories presented to world. The nature of human beings can transform easily, from oppressed to be the oppressor once they are in power. The struggle continues, only its form changes. Speaking in terms of culture Industry, Adorno points out that it is not simply individual intentions that produce the culture industry its causes are systematic. People simply follows their interests within the confines set up by the system of late capitalism. While producing a media to be immediately appealing they must conform to certain patterns that are already familiar to viewers and reinforce those patterns.

Bibliography

Adorno, T., & Horkheimer, M. (1947). Dialectic of Enlightenment. Amsterdam: Stanford University Press. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm

Althusser, L. (1970). Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. New York: verso.

Theodor, A. (1963). Culture Industry Reconsidered.

Joon-ho, B. (Director). (2013). Snowpiercer [Motion Picture].

Leondis, T. (Director). (2017). The Emoji Movie [Motion Picture].