Table of contentsThe IncrediblesExplanation of the theory: HegemonyAnalysis of the selected text: The IncrediblesCONCLUSIONThe Incredibles The Incredibles is a Pixar animated film directed by Brad Bird released on November 5 2004. The film is about a family of superheroes living normal lives while hiding their superpowers. Bob, also nicknamed Mr. Incredible, aspires to return to action as a superhero; however, this only causes the whole family to fight to save him from a villain. The film's budget was $92 million and the box office grossed $633 million, indicating that it was a popular film and in high demand in theaters. The average age of the film's audience was seven when it was first released, meaning children were exposed to influential media from a young age. As its box office records and popularity indicate, this film consolidates the hegemonic ideology, particularly in terms of its representation of masculinity, the role of women, and the role of African Americans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayMr. Incredible, a tall, white, muscular man, is the protagonist and center of the film. Mr. Incredible wants to return to superhero work and save people from danger and villains; however, due to the citizens' protests that they do not want to be saved and their comments about how dangerous all superheroes are, Mr. Incredible and his family must go into hiding. Later in the film, he receives a message about a mission telling him that he must destroy a robot. Mr. Incredible decides to train again and works hard to get back into shape; however, when he arrives at the mission location, he learns that the mission was in a trap. Meanwhile, his family learns that he is in danger and ends up trying to save him. Each family member has a unique superpower. Mr. Incredible has powers of strength, durability, and enhanced senses. Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible's wife, possesses powers of elasticity. She has different views and opinions than her husband on returning to hero work and saving people. Mr. Incredible thinks the world still needs superheroes, but Elastigirl wants her family to stay hidden and listen to society's restrictions. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl have three children: Violet, Dash and baby Jack-Jack. Violet is insecure and struggles with her superpowers of invisibility and force field creation. Dash is confident in his super-speed power. The Incredibles also have a family friend, Frozone, who has the power to freeze everything. Even though the characters are seen as amazing superheroes, the film itself persuades viewers to accept its ideas about masculinity, the role of women, and the role of African Americans with these "heroic" characters. . The film represents masculinity with the idea that men must be tall, muscular and white. The film also illustrates his belief that wives' sole purpose is to be stay-at-home mothers and serve their husbands. The film depicts the African-American sidekick as not being as attractive as Mr. Incredible and characterized as being the complete opposite of Mr. Incredible in many ways. Because children are watching this film, its influences on the images should worry viewers like me. The film's audience starts at age seven and works its way up, meaning younger viewers are influenced by what the film wants them to think. There is a deeper understanding in gaining meaningsor problematic characterizations of gender and race in The Incredibles via hegemony. Theory Explanation: Hegemony Hegemony is the theoretical explanation of how power and dominance in influencing the status quo are maintained. According to John Storey, "the concept of hegemony is used by Gramsci (2009) to denote an ongoing condition in which a dominant class does not simply govern a society but directs it" through the exercise of intellectual leadership and moral” (Floor 83). Gramsci developed this theory in the 1920s and 1930s, while he was in prison. Gramsci was concerned about the struggle of the working class against the ruling class. This contrasts with Marxist theory, in which Marx believed that workers would achieve liberation or relief from their oppressive conditions in a different way than Gramsci had thought. Marx was convinced that the class would understand that this ideology was only a “by-product of the economic system” (Ott and Mack 142). However, when the working class failed to realize this, Gramsci developed the theory of hegemony. Society as a whole cannot distinguish itself or disunite itself from the dominant or ruling class because hegemony constantly manifests itself in different forms. According to Dominic Strinati, “hegemony is constantly readjusted and renegotiated. Gramsci said that this can never be taken for granted…the function of hegemonic leadership does not disappear but changes its character” (Strinati 157). Hegemony is omnipresent and everywhere, but it operates in such a way that we are not aware of its existence, because it is unconscious. Gramsci determines that the ruling class maintains its domination over society in two different ways: coercive control and consensual control. It is through these two forms of power that the ruling class maintains its ideology. Coercive control and consensual control lead society to accept the views and ideas of the dominant group. According to Simon Roger, “coercive control manifests itself through direct force or the threat of it (necessary for a state when its degree of hegemonic leadership is weak or fractured). Consensual control: which occurs when individuals voluntarily assimilate the worldview of the dominant group” (Roger 39). In other words, if moral and intellectual leadership does not guarantee authority or is not powerful enough, then coercive power temporarily replaces the hegemonic process. Concretely, it is direct forces such as the police and the army, controlled by the ruling class, which take over. Regardless, society accepts the ideology of the ruling class. It is important to understand that consensual control is achieved through education, economics and even the media. An example of consensual control achieved is the ideal American dream. James Adams says: The American Dream is the dream of a country in which life should be better, richer, and more fulfilling for everyone, with opportunities for everyone based on their abilities or achievements. This is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us are weary and distrustful of it. It is not just a dream of automobiles and high wages, but a dream of social order in which every man and woman will be able to achieve the fullest stature of which they are naturally capable and be recognized by others for what they have done. are, whatever the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position (Adams 6). This American dream still exists in 2016. This dream is transmitted through schools, members of thefamily and the media; Regarding the latter category, the ruling class uses broadcasts, social networks and movies. Films are very influential and express an ideology. Examples of films that have conveyed the ideology of the American Dream include films such as The Pursuit of Happyness and Forrest Gump. In The Pursuit of Happyness, Christopher Gardner lives from shelter to shelter with his son who struggles to pay his bills and takes an unpaid internship. After nothing but hope and hard work, Christopher lands a full-time paid job during his internship. In Forrest Gump, Forrest achieves great success with a below average IQ. He doesn't let society's low expectations of him stop him from achieving great success. Forrest receives a football scholarship to college, becomes a soldier, receives the Medal of Honor, and travels the country for three years. He finally finds the girl he loves and is introduced to her son. However, the dream is not acted out per se; the dream is distributed by wealthy film production companies, which is an example of a dominant group. These production companies, staffed by wealthy directors and producers, persuade the subordinate class that their ideas, including the American dream, are ideal. Even if dominant groups seek to persuade society as a whole with their hegemonic ideology, no society will be entirely voluntary. hegemonic. There will always be a counter-hegemonic culture. According to Lenny Flank, “Counter-hegemony refers to attempts to criticize or dismantle hegemonic power. In other words, it is a confrontation and/or opposition to the existing status quo and its legitimacy in politics, but which can also be observed in various other spheres of life, such as history , media, music” (Flanc 11). There is an opportunity for the working class to overcome dominant ideology if it recognizes that the ideas and values ​​it perceives as common are only “products” developed by economic and social systems. This shift in consciousness could happen because the ruling class can never achieve total hegemonic control. One of the reasons the ruling class can never achieve complete control is that they are a minority. The dominant group is not the majority of society; it is simply a small group wishing to take advantage of value systems and seek to control society as a whole. According to Lee Fleischer, “dominant groups must create group associations, like bourgeois, conduct ideological negotiations, and adapt to convince subordinate cultures that it is in their best interest” (Fleischer, 30-42). It is therefore an ongoing process in which dominant and subordinate cultures conduct “negotiations”. This leads to a hegemonic struggle between the two cultures; the struggle leads to both resistance and incorporation. Another reason why the ruling class cannot entirely dominate the working class is that workers have a binary consciousness. Their beliefs and values ​​are influenced by the dominant ideology, but they are also influenced by their own experience. The working class lives in poverty and, as a result, can partly see through hegemony. Antonio Gramsci argues that the working class can achieve hegemony. Gramsci coined the term “organic intellectual” which, according to Storey: “According to Gramsci, intellectuals are distinguished by their social function. That is to say, all men and women have the capacity to undertake intellectual activity, but only certain men and womenWomen have the function of intellectuals in society. Each class, as Gramsci explains, “organically” creates its own intellectuals. (Floor 84) This counter-hegemony which aims to dismantle hegemonic power could take over ideologically from the dominant class by bringing new ideas and values ​​on how to manage a society. There may be a shift from capitalism to socialism. An example of counter-hegemony would be the Pixar film, Monsters University. This film challenges the traditional idea of ​​masculinity by bringing out a different representation of masculinity. In the film, Mike is portrayed as masculine through traits such as leadership, fearlessness, and courage. However, Mike's physical appearance goes against the traditional masculine image that many other Disney films portray. Gaston from Beauty and the Beast and Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles all have the same idea of ​​what a masculine man should look like, that is, a tall, white, muscular man. Monsters University attempts to tell young viewers not to let a "common" idea or representation define masculinity and instead think about what's inside that can also represent masculinity. However, there are still influential and popular films that have the hegemonic power to persuade viewers that masculinity is defined by a man's physique. Analysis of Selected Text: The Incredibles Armed with this knowledge of hegemony theory , we can use theoretical perspective as a critical tool to explain how The Incredibles reinforces its ideology that a white, muscular man is dominant. The film makes it seem like the muscular white man is more powerful than his African-American wife and friend because the film centers around the main character named Mr. Incredible. The African American man's name, Frozone, and the woman's name, Elastigirl, do not seem "unbelievable" due to the color of his skin and gender. Frozone seems unrealistic and imaginary, this is a result of how the African American race is denigrated in society. The woman does not have the honor of being Ms. Incredible. The word, Elastigirl, emphasizes her gender, but also makes her sound juvenile. The word “amazing” feels powerful and tricks viewers into perceiving masculinity in a certain way. Amazing has a positive connotation compared to the word girl and a made-up word such as Frozone. The film portrays the African American man as less attractive than the muscular white man in every possible way. Frozone's body is thinner and less muscular than Mr. Incredible's. Frozone leads Mr. Incredible to help him find people to save. Later in the film, Frozone helps Mr. Incredible fight the villain by protecting the robot's son from the villain. After saving the son, he does not fight the robot and instead stands alongside Elastigirl and watches Mr. Incredible defeat the robot. Viewers see that Frozone is just a sidekick. The film denigrates the African-American race by portraying the tall, muscular white man as more attractive than the African-American man. The film focuses on the tall, muscular white man and portrays him to appear more unbelievable. The film normalizes to viewers that a woman should be a stay-at-home mom. In a specific scene in the film, Helen uses her powers of elasticity to vacuum the living room while her husband sits in a chair and reads a newspaper. Throughout the film, she also picks up trash with her springy arms and uses these powers to care for children. This refers to historical sociocultural expectations that women are stay-at-home mothers. THE.