Stuart Hall Hegemony

Hegemony is one dominant social class existing over another and maintaining that power. For example, the United States is a patriarchal society, therefore, men hold power over women and have been reluctant in giving women power which America saw during the women’s suffrage movement. Examples of this are the fact men are paid more than women for doing the same job, and, in advertising, women are depicted as sexual beings that are here to please men, rather than as equal people. However, ideology is the product of what hegemony creates. If hegemony is the action of a select group of people ruling and maintaining power, then ideology is that group getting everyone else in the society to also maintain and support the status quo implicitly. The two work together when the ruling group controls and advances what is important to them and the remaining people agree and promote this socially permissible essence that seems to be engrained and never questioned in their society.

This idea that maybe racism is implicit, or implied but not plainly expressed, should change the way we view stories about race relations presented by the media. For example, the idea of a young black man in America walking around at night holds negative connotations that generally include crime such as muggings, robberies, and drug dealing. Whereas, the idea of a young white male in America walking at night does not bear any implications because his white-male privilege allows for him to be doing