8. Making more sense
0 Values
0 Something that is regarded to have great importance
0 E.g. the natural environment
0 Attitudes
0 The feeling and response often associated with a value
0 E.g. we value the natural environment therefore have the
attitude that a development of a natural beach area is wrong.
0 Beliefs
0 Something one accepts as truthful; a firmly held opinion or
conviction
0 E.g. believing in God

11. The Pros and Cons to Consider
PROS: 0 CONS:
0 Ideologies can set boundaries • Ideologies can be exclusory
for society to live in. and normative
• They can impose limitations
0 Set characteristics of an
and controls on people
ideology.
• Those who do not comply
0 Acceptance and belonging is with the ideologies can be
the reward. punished e.g. socially
• The value of a person is less in
who they are as individuals,
and is more about what they
represent.

12. Examples of Ideologies!
Socialism Post Colonialism
Environmentalism
Sexism
Globalism Anarchism
Nationalism
Christianity
Multiculturalism Imperialism
Idealism
Patriarchy Commercialism
Existentialism
Fascism
Marxism
Egalitarianism Liberalism
Patriotism Racism
Capitalism
You may as well put an ‘ism’ on the end of every value, attitude or
belief you can think of!

13. Breaking It Down
1. Identify the signifiers!
0 Ask yourself, ‘what does that word or picture mean?’
2. What is signified?
0 How can the signifier affect different meanings.
Lets clear up these two steps (with a traffic light) before we give
you the rest!

18. “Ideology is the system of
assumptions by which a
society operates and which
permeates everything it
produces including film and
written texts”

22. Food, Inc.
0 Confirms dominant ideologies
0 Knowing where your food comes from
0 Freedom (of speech)
0 Equal opportunity
0 Confronts dominant ideologies
0 Environmentalism
0 Social liberalism

24. Definition
“The word [ideology] is understood as a collectively held
system of ideas that allows us to look at and interpret the
world as ‘normal’.
Ideology is usually demonstrated by stated beliefs and
practices. Ideology constructs a complex pattern or
framework to unify a view of the world, but outsiders may see
contradictions within this view.
Discourse and mythology operate within an ideology. It should
be noted that different theoretical positions will attach quite
different meanings to this word.”