Adorno And Hill-Collins Analysis

Adorno, as part of the Frankfurt School of Sociology, saw mass media being used by fascist governments as a control mechanism on society which the masses accepted. Similarly, Hill-Collins argues that controlling images are used by the elite to control African-American women and justify the many years of oppression seen since slavery. Both scholars argue that the masses have accepted the images portrayed to them, however, Hill-Collins argues that the African-American community has accepted these images unaware of how it reinforces oppression. In addition, both Adorno and Hill-Collins argue that media is a tool in society used to control societal ideology. However, their arguments differ in the way they believe these images make the audiences …show more content…
Adorno argues that, “culture identity is anti-enlightenment, progressive technical domination of nature, becomes mass deception and turned into a means for fettering consciousness (Adorno, 1991: 106)”. The effects of culture industry will ultimately lead society to mass deception where people lack individual judgment and could ultimately hinder societies ability to practice true democracy. On the other hand, Hill-Collins argues that the elite groups choose and coordinate images to deviate society from the real problems behind inequality. Hill-Collins states, “assuming that Black poverty in the United States is passed on intergenerationally via the values that parents teach their children, dominant ideology suggests that Black children lack the attention and care… such a view diverts attention from political and economic inequalities that increasingly characterize global capitalism (Hill-Collins, 2000:76)”. Hill-Collins discusses the effects of controlling images that lead to the justification of disparities in African-American communities. Although, both Adorno and Hill-Collins discuss the effects of media on society, Adorno simply provides a foreshadow of the consequence of culture industry, whereas Hill-Collins states the contemporary disparities controlling images have had on African-American …show more content…
Adorno argues that the culture industry is chosen by the masses to free themselves of the daily consequences of capitalism. Adorno believes that as a result culture industry will lead society to lose individualism, making them more prone to mass deception and control. On the other hand, Hill-Collins argues that controlling images have been tactically coordinated by legislature and media to justify and hide the injustices that African-American communities face today. Although both Adorno and Hill-Collins argue that media is used to control the masses, Adorno suggests that people have the ability to choose to ignore and change pop culture, while Hill-Collins argues that controlling images are harder to defy and change due to the many years of circulation and