Political ideology encompasses a number of factors most notably gender, race, idolatry, religion and social class. Political ideology may be inextricably linked to an economic system, such as capitalism. Without a sense of political ideology, the masses would have no purpose-no shepard to follow. A world without politics would lack a history. Even the earliest societies were governed by a rudimentary political system: the clan. Jesus himself acknowledged the need for a political system to run a nation. Whether or not we agree, there is a need for ideology, be it political or not. Gender norms, socialism, capitalism and sexuality define a society. Furthermore, ideology is a fluid concept, even if we’re taught it’s fixed.
Patriarchy is probably the oldest political-sexual institution. It took women centuries to obtain the right to vote, for the reason that ideas are so deeply entrenched. Political ideology is notorious for its oppressive tendencies. While one group (the elite) benefits, another group loses out. If there wouldn’t be an elite in control, everyone would be equal. But since pure democracy doesn’t exist, politics determine many things; social strata for the most part. Slavery of sorts, Nazism, colonialism, race supremacy, patriarchy, Fascism and Communism, just to name a few, gave way to hierarchies. Life’s rules are not written in a book. Religious and spiritual texts may help in terms of spiritual ideology, but not with the evolution of politics.
Without a leader and structural system to propagate ideologies (eg. schools, universities, churches, media), nazism and fascism wouldn’t have been so successful. The mass media was a vital force in the spread of fascism in the beginning of the twentieth century. The concept of Western democracy arose from capitalism. Karl Marx spent his life “critiquing” the oppressive force called capitalism. Stalin tormented hundreds of thousands Russian peasants under the pretext of communism. As history indicates, political ideas can create dangerous tyrants. Although politics are somewhat necessary to keep a society functional, thirst for power ultimately leads to corruption.
The masses are manipulated without realizing it, for socialization is a powerful force. Many people agree that greed and preservation of privilege are the reasons behind institutionalized socio-political ideology. If racism didn’t exist, white Protestant men wouldn’t have felt superior in the 18th century. If racism didn’t exist, native people probably wouldn’t have been so exploited and assimilated. When a notion is implicit, it’s often overlooked. In essence, social systems manipulate people, most often those people below the gatekeepers of cultural ideology. However, the good news is that people are born with basic rights, which, however abused, will always remain fundamental: the freedom to think and choose.
