Critical Theory makes use of criticism to prevent abuse of
power and oppression in institutions. The purpose is to point out and eliminate
practices that oppress the marginalized within organizations by constantly
criticizing the practices of institutions who abuse their power. For example, a
minority group within one organization may be taken advantage of or not given
benefits that the majority is; critical theorists would encourage criticism of
this institution so that the minority would receive full rights and benefits
and be treated equally to ensure a better work environment. Some employees may
not even realize that they are being taken advantage of or exploited if they’ve
worked in the environment for a while for “bullying” managers who have no one’s
best interest in mind but their own. These corrupt “leaders” are merely looking
to further their own interests at the expense of others; critical theory deals
with this abuse of power and promotes criticism of organizations to prevent the
victimization or marginalization of employees.
In
the 2012 film The Hunger Games
starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, the government forces people
from each district to “play” to the death against each other as a way of
controlling the people using fear and manipulation. Eventually, groups of
individuals begin to fight back as a way to break free from the tyrannical
system, which gives the film its plot. In the “real world,” this can be applied
to modern institutions using Critical Theory. For instance, sometimes those in
positions of power will force those underneath of them to do something they
don’t want to, simply as a way of showing and exerting their power. This method
of control is used by managers who exploit their workers or require them to do
things in a work environment that they may not be trained or prepared for. In
some instances, the people join together and fight back; and while rebellion is
not always successful, Critical Theory would encourage employees to constantly
be criticizing their work environment as a way to point out its flaws to
hopefully change the situation for the better.
Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) from The Hunger Games
Criticizing
authority can be done in many different ways. A Russian band, known as “Pussy
Riot,” protests patriarchal Russian society and Putin through their music and
demonstrations. The members of this group, who all wear bright masks in an
effort to conceal their identities, resist and protest the government, even
from prison after being arrest for “hooliganism.” Their obvious dislike of government
actions from political leaders above them has led them to anonymously speak out
and demonstrate against it, because revealing their real selves could land them
in prison for criticizing Russian society.
Pussy Riot band members during a demonstration to free fellow bandmates from prison.
The article #Activism by David Carr for the New York Times
addresses the use of social media as a tool to bring awareness to and further
social issues present in our world today. Simply “liking” or “favoriting”
something via social media on Facebook or Twitter isn’t enough activism to
actual do anything about a subject or conflict, but it can bring mass awareness
to a cause. For example, the #Kony2012 campaign on social media brought
awareness to over 100 million people about Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony and
the violent LRA (myself included). Although the trend eventually died out as
2012 came and went, the campaign was wildly successful in a short period of
time. Evgeny Morozov, the author of “The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of
Internet Freedom,” said regarding social media trends, “My hunch is that people
often affiliate with causes online for selfish and narcissistic purposes.” It’s
very easy to “like” a Facebook page about a particular event or campaign
instead of actively learning about or supporting the cause. What is
particularly interesting about the #Activism article that is related to
Critical Theory is that it criticizes this form of passive “activism” and
points out that, while it does bring attention to certain social issues, it
lacks any real action to do anything about them.
In Greece, there’s an act of throwing yogurt at someone who
is disliked, like political figures. Known as “Yaourtoma,” this act originated
in the late 1950s by a group of rebellious male youths who sported unique and
inspired fashions, known as Teddy Boys. Although Law 4000 was passed in 1958,
which made “yogurting” a punishable crime, it was withdrawn by Andreas
Papandreou’s government twenty-five years later. However, the act of throwing
food (which wasn’t just limited to Greece) has resurfaced as a popular form of
public protest against political figures. This practice can be applied to
Critical Theory, because yogurt-throwing is a way of criticizing leaders in
public office. Corrupt government officials and politicians frequently try to
push their own agenda or take money in the form of bribes from wealthy
corporations or donors; in Greece, pointing out some of these problems with
their leaders and expressing disapproval in a dramatic gesture. Forms of public
humiliation and criticism of political figures has occurred throughout history,
and with the modern technology and social media that is readily available
today, expressing disapproval is much easier and less personal. I think that
these types of practices will continue to occur (maybe not yogurting
specifically, but that’s just an example) for as long as individuals have free
speech and feel the need to express their criticisms of their public leaders.
Critical Theory’s use of criticism to point out abuses of
power made by those in leadership or powerful positions helps to eliminate
practices that oppress and abuse the marginalized. Constantly looking at an organization or
institution from an objective point of view and criticizing what is wrong with
it can help conditions improve for those who are downtrodden in society.
Through this Digital Badge Quest, I’ve been able to learn about Critical Theory
and how it can not only be applied to workplace environments, but it can also
be applied to almost every institution that is present in our lives.
Carr, David. "Hashtag Activism, and Its Limits." The New York Times, March 25, 2012.
Eplett, Layla. "Culture of Resistance: Protesting Greece’s Politics With Yogurt." Scientific
American, September
16, 2013.
16, 2013.
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