Cafe Discussion Part 3

Harrison, Kiki & Monica

In ” “On the Political Economy of the Fake”  by Ziauddin Sardar and “Recycling Modernity: Pirate Electronic Cultures in India” by Ravi Sundaram we discussed that Marx’s idea -the ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class- has a strong relationship to our present day capitalist society. His theory pertains to the replication we witness in cheap products that mimic expensive and high class products that Sardar talks about in his essay. Today, we live in a global society that values brands and money and therefore creates markets that make expensive and high class products available to the poor. 

Specifically, in Sardars essay, we read about Jimmy’s experience with buying Films that were videotapes from inside the theater. This is a particularly interesting dynamic towards marx’s ideas because the movie that the upper class in India is able to watch, can now be distributed to the poor for lesser quality. The producers and actresses in such films are usually  the ones coming from the upper class, therefore, the films probably contain ideas valued by the ruling class. The spread of ideas to the poor are reflected in films but produced by the ruling class is an example of Marx’s theory.

Another example is a bit more simple in that the lower class mimics the culture of the ruling class, and more specifically, of the western ruling class. We see this in cheap chanel bags or longchamp bags or addidas shoes when it comes to clothing culture, and we see it in headphones and music devices in technology culture. As the wealthy flaunt such products on television or in ads, the poor begin to follow such trends. This is yet another way that Marx’s theory is correct. The ruling class has influence over the ideas of society and markets across the globe.