The
commercial by Chrysler supports Marxist’s claims on Capitalism and Socialism.
The commercial features Clint Eastwood in the middle of a spiel about the state
of America. He talks about the downfall of America’s economy and the car city
of Detroit. He uses Detroit as an example of how one pulls out of a financial
crisis while at the same time advocating people to buy this brand of car. With
a Marxist lens we see more then the sale of cars by emphasizing the plight and
recovery of America’s financial status. We see the perpetuation of hegemony in
this commercial. The car company shows us a problem that we all faced and then
shows us the “Normal” way to get out of these problems. They perpetuate a norm
or myth that cars help success, while in reality the best way to get out of a
financial debacle would be to save money. Using Detroit city as an example,
Chrysler normalizes a way of success that may not be unilateral for every
financial problem. Marxist would look at the surrounding issues of Chrysler to
see what is really happening. We see that this major car company needed a
massive bail-out just to survive. While they preach the idea that getting to
work is the solution, they in actuality beg the government to save them from
bankruptcy. For them Capitalism is a way to make money while Socialistic
efforts save them from collapse. Chrysler in this case has presented a “False
Consciousness”. They show us, through their perceptions, the way things are so
that they may profit. Chrysler tries to “piggy back” off some celebrity that
has credibility, to make it their own. They say that the idea to buy is the
answer, when in turn they are hording their own finances. A widely known fact
is that during past economic struggles small businesses were responsible for
getting America into a stronger economy, not large corporations such as
Chrysler. They criticize the way things are, and yet profit from the way they
have made things. They have made false actions into false norms. Another idea
we see in this commercial is the hegemonic myth that money buys happiness. If
we buy a Chrysler, this country will survive and show the world we are strong.
If we buy a Chrysler, we will be successful and surrounding countries will
notice our strength, resolution, and power. While in fact this idea of buying
is propitiating the problems we are in.
The
effects of this commercial could be detrimental to our society. With the strong
emotions that are evoked by this commercial, people could be influence to do
things that are harmful to America’s economy. It could cause people to go out
and buy vehicles that they cannot afford. This would cause more people to live
outside of their means, causing greater economic distress. The implications of
this commercial could be devastating, and in return fire back on Chrysler in
the future when there is no possibility for anyone to buy their product.
Marxist
main approach is to look at the background circumstances of a situation to see
what is really going on and see the implications of such actions. This view
looks past the false norms and sees what is being perpetuated in reality. It
also looks at the influence popular culture has upon this circumstance. In the
instance of this commercial, he would look at all the news media coverage on
this commercial. He would say that the interpretations of the message are as
important as the intended message.
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