Marx: Ruling Ideas

**Note: I know this reading is from a while ago, I am just trying to catch up on blogs that I have previously missed.

"...the class which is the ruling material force of society is at the same time its ruling intellectual force."

This quote is a major theme in our ideologies that we live by. People who have the means to produce products make the hegemonic ideas of our society. These products are not only material products, they are also the ideas of the ruling class. For example, if a big corporation puts out a beauty product that supposedly takes back time by removing wrinkles, the lower classes believe that wrinkles must be bad and that they should go out and buy the product. This implements the ideas of the ruling class to those who are not in the ruling class.

Those who are in the ruling class wants those who are not to believe that these ideas are true. In most cases it works, but slowly and surly I believe many are becoming aware of the truths behind these ideas. These hegemonic thoughts are put into play so that those in the ruling class can stay there and make a profit off of the lower classes. They disguise their thoughts through the media and celebrities. They use people to sell their products who either look 'just like us' or choose people who are too perfect which keeps those who are 'normal' always striving for something better.