How Dominant Ideas Affect Marginalized Cultures
The major ideas in society can have a big impact on how smaller, less powerful communities express their culture. Often, these big ideas can hide or change the unique identities of these communities. We can look at these dominant ideas through different views, like money, politics, and social power. Usually, these views highlight the stories and traditions of certain groups while pushing others aside.
Cultural Control: A thinker named Antonio Gramsci introduced the idea of cultural hegemony. This means that powerful groups stay in control not just by force, but by managing the stories and values that are shared in society. Because of this, certain ideas become normal and make it hard for smaller cultures to share their views. For example, in the United States, Native American culture is often shown in movies and TV in a way that sticks to stereotypes, instead of showing real and diverse representations.
Language and Talk: The languages and ways of speaking that are most popular can leave out other voices. According to a UNESCO report, more than 40% of the world's languages are in danger of disappearing. This is often due to the rise of dominant languages like English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Losing these languages can be a serious problem for cultural expression because language is key to passing down cultural stories.
Access to Resources: Many marginalized communities struggle to find the same opportunities in the arts as others. A report from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2019 showed that families with less money engage with the arts much less than those with more money (34% vs. 79%). This gap in access makes it harder for these cultures to share their creative voices.
Representation in Media: There is a noticeable lack of diversity in popular media. A study in 2020 by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that only 7.4% of the lead characters in the top 100 movies came from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. This lack of representation makes it seem like the stories of dominant cultures are the "normal" ones, pushing other voices to the sidelines.
Even with these challenges, marginalized cultures are finding ways to express themselves. Movements like Black Lives Matter and global Indigenous rights highlight efforts to take back their cultural stories and identities. These groups are using social media to share their voices like never before. For example, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has been used over 30 million times online, showing how digital platforms can give power back to marginalized voices.
In short, powerful ideas have a deep effect on smaller cultures, often controlling how they can express themselves. This control comes from cultural dominance, language preference, and unequal access to resources, all of which can twist or erase unique cultural identities. But, through resistance and clever use of technology, these communities continue to take back and reshape their cultural expressions despite the pressure from dominant ideas. Understanding this ongoing struggle helps us see the important role that ideas play in cultural discussions.
How Dominant Ideas Affect Marginalized Cultures
The major ideas in society can have a big impact on how smaller, less powerful communities express their culture. Often, these big ideas can hide or change the unique identities of these communities. We can look at these dominant ideas through different views, like money, politics, and social power. Usually, these views highlight the stories and traditions of certain groups while pushing others aside.
Cultural Control: A thinker named Antonio Gramsci introduced the idea of cultural hegemony. This means that powerful groups stay in control not just by force, but by managing the stories and values that are shared in society. Because of this, certain ideas become normal and make it hard for smaller cultures to share their views. For example, in the United States, Native American culture is often shown in movies and TV in a way that sticks to stereotypes, instead of showing real and diverse representations.
Language and Talk: The languages and ways of speaking that are most popular can leave out other voices. According to a UNESCO report, more than 40% of the world's languages are in danger of disappearing. This is often due to the rise of dominant languages like English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Losing these languages can be a serious problem for cultural expression because language is key to passing down cultural stories.
Access to Resources: Many marginalized communities struggle to find the same opportunities in the arts as others. A report from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2019 showed that families with less money engage with the arts much less than those with more money (34% vs. 79%). This gap in access makes it harder for these cultures to share their creative voices.
Representation in Media: There is a noticeable lack of diversity in popular media. A study in 2020 by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that only 7.4% of the lead characters in the top 100 movies came from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. This lack of representation makes it seem like the stories of dominant cultures are the "normal" ones, pushing other voices to the sidelines.
Even with these challenges, marginalized cultures are finding ways to express themselves. Movements like Black Lives Matter and global Indigenous rights highlight efforts to take back their cultural stories and identities. These groups are using social media to share their voices like never before. For example, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has been used over 30 million times online, showing how digital platforms can give power back to marginalized voices.
In short, powerful ideas have a deep effect on smaller cultures, often controlling how they can express themselves. This control comes from cultural dominance, language preference, and unequal access to resources, all of which can twist or erase unique cultural identities. But, through resistance and clever use of technology, these communities continue to take back and reshape their cultural expressions despite the pressure from dominant ideas. Understanding this ongoing struggle helps us see the important role that ideas play in cultural discussions.