Essay extract – ‘choose a current controversy and analyse how it is informed and determined by power, spectacle and memory within contemporary mediated culture’

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This is an extract from a third year essay I have recently written. It is made up of different parts from a 3,500 essay so if it doesn’t flow there is a reason!

 

The 20th November 2012 brought an opportunity for a heavily sought-after change in the Church of England. What surely could’ve helped bring the Church and Christianity into the 21st century has been discarded, as a lack of votes from within the House of Laity prevented the sanction of women in the Church being given the prospect of becoming Bishops. The General Synod’s denial of ordination saw a disturbance within the Christian community, some glad of the outcome but also with even some Bishops disagreeing with the decision. This led to some more critical views on the extent of social order and the discourses that are thrust upon us by these institutions of power. Speculation whether religion is (as many followers believe) to be a spiritual creation or if it is in fact a mythologised human conceptualisation used to dominate and thereafter control the masses, is it here being used as yet another way of enforcing patriarchy in our society?

A lot of Christians are born into their religion and as Foucault would argue the ones in control of our early stages of life have a substantial and influential amount of power. A Channel 4 documentary titled The Virgin Daughters aired in 2008, it observed and gave the audience insight into the Purity Movement spread all over the United States specifically in Colorado Springs (this movement is known of in the UK but clearly to lesser extent, otherwise it is just less reported). On watching this programming it appeared to be almost cult-like, and it was very much children being brought up to believe what the parents believe; arguably this could be said the same for atheist children with atheist parents. Durkheim, Weber and Marx all believed religion to be an illusion, ‘the idea that religion presents a fundamental truth of existence seemed rather improbable’ (Cliffnotes, Unknown). The whole concept of the Purity Balls they hold is for daughters to pledge celibacy until the appropriate age is reached and their patriarchal fathers can choose a husband for them. However it doesn’t seem like just celibacy, it seems like they are joining almost cult-like behaviour – such as some would see in a lot of religious discourses. ‘Psychologists who study cult behaviour say there are specific persuasion methods and group dynamics that can lead people to extreme behaviour they might not agree to in a different environment’ (Sedivy and Carlson, 2011, Page: 11). In more extreme cases such as Louis Theroux’s documentary on The Most Hated Family In America, they generally only interact and live near members of the same Church and community who harbour the same beliefs – therefore their children don’t’ meet anyone with contrasting views until a lot later on in their life. By this point ‘total immersion’ (Sedivy and Carlson, 2011, Page: 11). in this environment has taken place and a consequent effect of this is shown when some of the Purity daughters were asked direct questions they couldn’t necessarily justify their answers given – ‘many cult members are usually blind as to why they’re making the choices they are’ (Sedivy and Carlson, 2011, Page: 11). In Blumer’s theory on contagion he breaks crowd behaviour into five stages; a lack of consensus, breakdown of social norms, ‘milling’ and a release of ‘collective excitement’ that all lead to the final stage of contagion with the thereafter final collective act. This in addition to Le Bon and Park’s previous theories on contagion attempt to comprehend the process that alter habitual consciousness as well as emotions, this can also be applied to the cult-like effect of religion.

Even though Durkheim explained his Fundamentalist theory based on small societies only, his argument over religion never just concerning belief seems to be logically valid. He believed in order to maintain, develop and strengthen the sense of group unity within a religious community; rituals and ceremonies must take place. Affirming common values and beliefs in Church on a regular basis is one way to truss members together, or there are the sacred rituals and rites that take place such as prayers in times of crisis, births, marriages and Christmas. These latter rituals (often seen as ceremonies) are so embedded into our memory that they are not necessarily seen as religious anymore; these governed activities are historical lineage of prescribed social practices within the institution of religion. As Bourdieu coined, this is an example of ‘body hexis’ where internalised and unconscious social rules have become apparent – like the expectations in life of getting married. The social memory society have of these ceremonies brought about an inertia in social structures so while preserving the past they prevent the construction from changing – reaffirming the power of religion as an institution. These traditions have stemmed long ago from Roman Catholicism prior to the 16th century Reformation that saw Henry VIII come to power with the breaking away from Rome and the consequent introduction of the Church of England. This in itself is known partly due to social memory as no doubt we can all recall the history lessons we so greatly enjoyed in school about it. After all as history is a reconstruction where the truth can never be achieved, should these traditions such as women being subordinate to men in the Church still exist?

Whether acknowledged or not we have and continue to live in a patriarchal society, with femininity being termed a patriarchal construction in itself by many. Jacqueline Rose thought this to be used to disable women to secure male power, labelling the female practice of femininity as an ‘injury’ (Rose, 2005, Page: 91). Such in the case of the Church, the power of patriarchy is prominent where the male viewpoint is implicitly privileged and understood as universal and as part of society’s collective memory. However counter-discursive feminist viewpoints such as Camille Paglia’s exist, believing ‘when it defined man as the enemy, feminism is alienating women from their own bodies’ (Paglia, 2005, Page 111). This could be true to the point where women will forever be subsidiary to men but despite this as a gender women have come a long way. With hegemonic gender roles so rooted in our social memory, it is embedded in the historical lineage of our social practices, which continue to aid the reproduction of this existing patriarchal structure we live in. This collective memory creates a nexus between the past and present, but Halbwachs identified Bergson’s two forms of memory in his book, one of which ‘involves a certain disinterest in the present’ (Halbwachs and Coser, 1992, Page: 47). This can be illustrated by the Church of England institution as collective memory has been created and now functions as truths that the religion is based on in the present.

Marx (alongside reading Feuerbach’s The Essence of Christianity, 1841) believed religion to be conceptualised because people didn’t have an understanding of society as well as them needing consolidation that there is in fact life after death. This gave people a sense of alleviated escapism and taught them that as long as they accept their own life no matter how bad, the rewards and happiness would be postponed to their afterlife – he described this thought process as the ‘opium of the people’ (Marx, K, 1970, Page: 131). As a result of instilling this toleration to oppression, people’s attention was alienated by being deterred away from the negatives of everyday life like the disparities concerned with power and wealth – such as women not being sanctioned as Priests (before 1992) or Bishops. This ability to maintain social order by domination is known and identified in the Conflict Theory derived from Marx as well as being referenced in Le Bon’s theory on mobs. Similarly it compares to Ancient Rome whereby the empire subsidised food prices and generated lavish entertainment in order to distract ‘the mob’ from the increasing power and dominance the empire were acquiring. Another way of upholding the power of religion is by the method of catharsis termed as such due to Aristotle’s poetics, Freud and Breuer used catharsis when analysing and imparting psychotherapy to their patients. In the theme of religion, it refers to symbolic cleansing rituals such as baptism as well as accepting repentance for sin and guilt by confiding in a Priest – implying religion is a source of therapy and a necessity for a person’s stability and purity.

The denial of this proposed change was ‘a social relation among people’ (Debord, 1984, Page: 7) and therefore a spectacle. By observing any news stories consumers have their own preconception of the topic, as well as the mediated version they are being shown, to gauge their own opinions. It gives the illusion of participation and engages with our emotions. While being involved in religion isn’t just an act of observation, there are definitely aspects to it that agree with the theory of spectacle. Religion is so overpowering people merge their identity and lose themselves, arguably making them passive. Such like a brand by incorporating many mnemonics such as the image of Jesus on the cross and the customary sacramental offer of the wine chalice and bread during communion, the spectacle is embedded in the people’s memories even more so with these symbols. Spectacle is also said to engage emotions and override the mind, which Foucault would argue is very much applicable to Religion. The powerful hierarchy of the Church control the disempowered community, or as Le Bon would term ‘the mob’.

The spectacle of women not being able to be ordained as Bishops is a decision made by the powerful for the consumption of the disempowered – it gives the Church of England even more control over their community and the gender roles within the social structure. Despite disagreements with this decision that some female priests had, they are still continuing to be part of the Church. This is therefore proving that religion is a form of what Barthes (and later Bourdieu explored) termed mythologising as it can continuously be used to make us believe the institution is special and exclusive. By being mythologised, the hegemonic beliefs expounded by the media become ‘naturalised’ and as Marx identified, they become part of our false consciousness.

Marx famously said religion to be ‘the opium of the people’ and ‘the abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness’ (Marx, K, 1970, Page: 131). Within his Critical theory he elaborates how religion was created to distract the lower classes from their suffering; it was used as a mechanism by the powerful to control them and reduce the possibility of a revolt towards the dominating higher classes. True happiness was never to happen due to economic realities so this is why the afterlife concept was conceived – it was a tool that provided solace and a sense of relief, just as many drugs (like opium) do for people in distress. The sheer fact we need religion as a form of escapism to deal with everyday life is an expression of more underlying and fundamental oppressed unhappiness. In this sense women within the Church may have these oppressed feelings, but know not to question what they are told as they believe it will be restored to them in their next life. This acts only as a distraction from the distress, so as the opium wears off and fails to help the abusers, will this realisation occur in the same way for the religion we seem to have now made occult in society?

 Bibliography

Cliff Notes. (N/A). Sociological Theories of Religion. Available: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26931.html. Last accessed 1st Dec 2012.

Debord, G (1984). Society of the Spectacle. United States of America: Black & Red.

Halbwachs, M., and Coser, L (1992). On Collective Memory. United States of America: The University of Chicago Press.

Marx, K (1970). Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Paglia, C (1994). Vamps and Tramps. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Rose, J (2005). Sexuality in the Field of Vision. London and New York: Verso Books.

Sedivy, J., and Carlson, G. (2011). Sold On Language. N/A: Wiley; 1 edition.