So, I can't stop thinking about the ruling class ruling the material and intellectual portions of society. I can't stop thinking about how people we give power to, either politically (through voting) or socially (celebrities, trendsetters, etc.) in turn end up "controlling the means of mental production." WHAT! The ruling class does not only wield power through material goods but they also provide an intellectual force within society. Many times in American culture we see examples where someone in power only occupies one of those things, but more often than not the two coincide, go together. Social power is a result of money, wealth, material goods we deemed to equal high status, but also one's education and intelligence. I find this interesting because, as I mentioned in class, this takes away any individual power but also gives it back. On one hand the individual, who does not present any material or intellectual force within society, is not in control, they have no say in the way things are run, they are powerless. On the other hand, we elected/voted/wanted and put these people in positions of power (maybe they were rich enough and bought their way there, maybe they were smart enough); we played some role in their social status. This takes me back to my second sentence: we give people power and they control us.
On a separate note, I think I'm going to do my theory proxis on this quote and compare it to book bans and censorship... I think I could make an argument that those in power, even those who are not, attempt to control what other people's children learn about or have access to in schools. I think it would be really interesting to examine the ways in which censoring what is taught in the education system, the ways in which people attempt to censor what is taught, and just how consequential this is for the next generation of "free thinkers."
Signing off,
mg
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