Session 8: Dangers in Political Socialization


    Many aspects of the reading for session 8 drew my attention. The concept of ‘hidden curriculum’ is something that I completely realize the significance of. In fact I think that the hidden curriculum in schools, i.e the content that the teacher subconsciously imparts to her pupils, is powerful in shaping the mind of a young individual.  The hidden curriculum can consist of norms, values and very often stereotypes which are dangerously instilled in the minds of students. It is interesting to note that simple sentences like ‘you should be more well behaved since you’re a girl’ are strong enough to remain embedded in a child’s mind and make her think of how she ought to behave solely because of the fact that she is a girl. It is no surprise then, that the hidden curriculum plays a huge role in the political socialization that takes place in a school. The teacher’s own remarks regarding different societies and governments do not miss the students and hence I completely agree with Marshall McLuhan when he says that: ‘the medium is the message’.     Furthermore, another intriguing matter brought up in this reading was that regarding the role of the media as a ‘propaganda machine’. What the media chooses to show us, tells us a lot about what the government may or may not want to tell us. In a society with minorities, the minorities’ voices may be quelled by the media. Fox News makes some major ‘blunders’ when attempting to impart news, but then again these can be seen as a method of molding the mindsets of the viewers themselves. It’s when one sees movies like ‘American Sniper’ winning awards and being considered as ‘moving’ that one realizes how effective propaganda really is. It’s also crucial to take into account the wordings presented in the news. A white man having killed three Muslims by shooting them is merely called a 'trouble maker'(Chapel Hill shooting), and its fairly easy to fathom what a Muslim killer would be called in the news channels of America.     One feature of this reading that proves to be pretty fascinating is the exploration into the concept of charismatic authority. Although I always thought of charisma as something innate, the reading clearly showed that it is something adopted through the politician’s artful use of campaigning, his or her oratory skills and way of presenting himself. I can’t help but think of how it is the masterful use of these resources which can easily lead to a people being manipulated and living under a brutal regime.  The examples of Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini are enough to show the dire consequences that people have had to face after being impressed by them.