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How Ideological Narratives Shape Public Opinion How Ideological Narratives Shape Public Opinion People have dissimilar opinions in their perception of nature. This public opinion varies depending on the category of media or political presentation that one deems suitable. For example, there are groupings such as conservatives, liberals, and socialists, which delineate the perception one has on the society. Ideological narratives present ideas that skew the ideas and reasoning of individuals. This ideological labelling is largely based on ingenuousness, experience, and what the media presents, as evidenced in Barry Levinsons “ Wag the Dog”. Narratives provide dissimilar meanings at both the individual and social level. In addition, they structure human perception in a religious, political and personal level. Advancements in technology and globalization in the present century have intensified the changes in public viewpoints. In the main, matters pertaining to facts, uprightness, and even holiness are argued out based on conflicting religious, chauvinistic, cultural and ideological narrations.
Barry Levinsons “ Wag the Dog” is a petrifying political satire that is both worryingly conceivable and swift, side-splitting and endearingly mouth-watering. There is a media bombardment that accompanies any present-day international predicament. In the movie, it is clearly evidenced how easy it is to concoct public agitation and the dubiousness that accompanies the intentions. Levinsons movie is a satire of how reality can be altered to serve certain interest and produce a public perception. Stories are created and some cooked up with an aim of deceiving the press and influencing human reasoning. For instance, a representation of a smart bomb disintegrating into an Iraqi smokestack imprisons the nations imaginings to a point that their opinion on the government or the Iraq inhabitants changes. After watching the movie, one finds it hard to trust any information from any media outlet. The story evidences that human opinion is undeniably controlled by the office-bearers for their own personal interests.
Joan Didion’s “ Fixed Ideas” explores the government’s efforts to construct an imperial America based on the 9/11 assaults by extremists. This has largely created a disconnection among Americans who now hold varied opinions. As a result, the society demonizes personalities who do not uphold their standpoint or present dissimilar viewpoints. Didion prods into the logic and hidden agendas of the policymakers on matters concerning warfare. The narrative ideology is evident in the way the State House presents its stories to the masses and drowns stories that may hamper their operations. In the book, Didion explores President Bush’ speechmaking and media approaches based on “ fixed ideas” that stem back to previous administrations.
Narratives based on murder, for instance, engage the minds of individuals on issues such as the death penalty. As evidenced by Joan Didion’s “ Fixed Ideas”, ideological narratives have a dominant influence in legal discussions presented by the press. The intricacies and incongruities of different cases present different viewpoints that alter public opinion. Stories about warfare such as the Iraq war, or murderers and their trials determines how a conservative, liberal, or socialists will argue the judgment that was arrived at in a case. For instance, the death penalty has been ideologically constructed and may be ideologically critiqued depending on human opinion. At times, it all seems like an imaginary world in which everybody presents and holds their judgement as the most valid.
References
Didion, J. (2003). Fixed Ideas. New York: New York Review Books.
Levinson, B. (1997). “ Wag the Dog”.