Contradiction from the Inside Out
Once upon a time, there was a famous city in an ancient land. This city was famous for its skill in building strong armies that struck terror in all of the neighboring cities. This kept the city’s citizens safe from any threat from its surroundings. The key to their might was their strength, so weakness was eliminated as soon as it was found. Infants that were deemed weak in their inspection after birth were promptly brought outside the city and eliminated. The name of the city was Sparta.
This practice of abandoning weak infants to their death was an acceptable part of Spartan society. It was viewed as normal, possibly even dutiful for the good of the society, but acceptable doesn’t always equal optimal.
I have only ever experienced a capitalist society, and (setting COVID-19 details aside) I am pretty content with the normal that I know. I have been trained through many years of US history classes that the American capitalist way is the best, perhaps even the best way, for society to function. How would a competing line of thought ever reach me as I move about in the established, acceptable way of my society?
Like the expeditions of Morpheus to Neo in the Matrix, the best way for a competing idea to reach me is by jumping disgusted into the very society in which I am dwelling. A message of any kind must be brought to where the audience is already to be heard.
When considering the special irony of James Cameron’s films which contain messaging of Marxist ideas wrapped within a very capitalist medium, critics could liken it to serving organic asparagus wrapped in candied bacon. It’s a package of contracting motives: Marxist ideas served encased within a product of capitalist entertainment business.
Can the message medium alter the potency of the message’s reception?
Your question is interesting because I think the answer is yes and no. Yes I feel that if someone (like James Cameron for instance) is preaching through their movies about anti capitalism and the weak or poor rising up and how terrible the rich and capitalist society is, how hypocritical is it for him to believe in that kind of message when he is the rich and powerful of the society he lives in? In that sense I think yes the potency of the message is definitely altered because it seems hypocritical. On the other hand, because we live in a capitalist society, the only messages that are going to reach the biggest span of people and make the biggest impact on society are the ones that do the best, which means the creator is making the most money and therefore becoming that rich and powerful figure.
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