Hegemony Common Sense

Hegemony shows the concept of how society tends to cultivate or destroy within each race in society by not understanding hegemony concept. Author, Michael Omi and Howard Winant quotes, “ Racial rule can be understood as a slow and uneven historical process which has moved dictatorship to democracy, from domination to hegemony. In this transition, hegemonic forms of racial rule-those based on consent---eventually came to supplant

It may be said that the institution of power has always been a prevalent force in our

Power is defined as “the possession of control or command over others; authority...” (Dictionary.com), and all people have power, whether they notice it or not. Though some employ their power for respectable reasons, often times power is not used in honorable ways. The matter of abuse of authority is prevalent in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck illustrates that those who have power abuse it exceedingly often, as shown by Curley attacking countless others, including Lennie, a mentally disabled man, Curley’s wife mistreating the men of the ranch, and Curley’s wife making demeaning comments about Crooks, the African American stable buck.

There are many people in the world that have power. Their power is impactful to the people under them and maybe big enough for things like countries and the world. This is a big idea that Erich Remarque had when he was writing All Quiet on the Western Front. The war in the novel and the soldiers who take place in it are greatly impacted by the people who have control over them. The soldiers do not agree or like how they run things. A larger theme in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque is power is bad because instinct takes over.

Influence over others is another form of power which has been present since the start of the United States history. This influence starts early on with the displacement and enslavement of Native Americans and Africans. Once again white men are the beneficiaries of a system which strips others of power. This system which they forced upon others allowed them to exploit profit off the labor of those who fell powerless. Slavery and the subjugation of others was a theme present for much the United States history that allowed for only one group of people to have power and be represented in our democracy. Power, democracy and representation are all interrelated systems which have been and continue to be present in the United States. They helped shape most of our historical events because much of what our history is, is a struggle for power. At different points in time various laws and systems have allowed for the restriction of these powers. While at other times those fighting back for the chance to also partake in this power have succeeded and redefined who gets to be in

Throughout history, society has made it easy to place people in groups. We organize them by race, gender, age, and sometimes even income. People do this because they feel like everyone has to fall under a certain category. Power ties in with group dynamics because it is common to see individuals get punished for the category they fall under. It is easier to point the finger to a group of people than to individuals. Power can get out of control if it gets into the wrong hands, and can get taken advantage of for selfish interests.

The way a society is run and how things are enforced also can cause negative feelings towards power. It can cause many to rebel if they feel that a leader has too much control, and it can also make people covet and desire such strength leaders have. In Julius Caesar, Cassius

Hegemony is almost like manipulation; it is when a person or group can project their views/opinions so successfully that it gets accepted from the public. It has been used numerous time by people throughout history, for good and bad reasons. I would say Hitler is someone who used it in a negative light, he convinced thousands of people that the Jews were evil and that he could make Germany a great and powerful country. Martin Luther King Jr. can be someone who used hegemony in a positive view. Martin Luther King lead a movement for African-American civil rights and made a positive impact in history through his speeches and actions. Hegemony is even use today, just think about this year’s election. Trumps slogan promises to “make American great

Hegemony is when a group or a person has more perceived authority than “regular everyday people”, and they impose their worldviews on others. This in turn, makes people believe that the particular of this person’s worldview are correct. An example of this is the NAFTA trade policies that benefited the U.S., while decimating the Mexican corn industry and the jobs provided (pg. 25). Holmes, argues that the migration of farmworkers is anything but voluntary. But that migration for agricultural work in the U.S. forced necessity for workers to support their families. Macario, says “there is no other option left for us” (pg.18) This relates to Hegemony because the immigrants are being used for work and being paid as little as posable to support their families, not knowing that there are better jobs out there that they can apply for.

Dominating and controlling others is a part of human nature as people have always organized themselves in some form of hierarchal structure, which is the blueprint for all societies, civilized or not.

Hegemonic internationalism by definition is a paradox within itself. Internationalism suggests cooperation among nations for common good, while hegemony is an instance when one nation has power over another nation. This leads to the belief that hegemonic internationalism is, in reality, one nation pursuing its own national interests at the expense of other nation. Nazi Germany, Iran and the United States are all examples of a nation pursuing hegemonic internationalism.

In a country of complicated decisions made by politicians about far away places and the people that live there, it's only a guess as to the motives behind each of these decisions. In Noam Chomsky's book "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance", Noam gives a scrupulously researched critique of America's quest for dominance at any cost that not only has cast us in the role of a rogue superpower but also jeopardizes the very survival of humanity. From reading this book, I will give an account as to what Chomsky says about American hegemonic ideals and give him credit for the attempt that he has made to expose historical truth.

Power and politics have always been around but seldom openly discussed. Power is learned at an early age through family and schools. Ordinary people such as scholars hesitate to talk about power. It is often equated with force brutality, unethical behavior, manipulation, connivance, and subjugation.

Though such institutions are capable of reaffirming certain statements of power, hegemony itself is, as Raymond Williams states, "a whole body of practices and expectations...our ordinary understanding of the nature of man and his world...a sense of reality...a sense of absolute" (4).

In “Biographies of Hegemony” by Karen Ho, she emphasizes that it is “only through the small and the everyday that we can understand the criteria of hegemony in all its particularity and contextuality” (168). To fully understand and evaluate someone or a group, people must look at the small qualities they have and the everyday stories each person has lived or seen. Smallness can be defined as certain experiences and individual characteristics that are overlooked, especially by big businesses and corporations such as Wall Street. By knowing a person down to their core and reviewing their small stories and individual experiences, people can begin to unravel and fully understand hegemony and how it came to be. Smallness tends to be overlooked and