This blog post explores how imagined order shapes social hierarchies and impacts individual identity and life.
After Homo sapiens emerged, they formed groups to protect themselves from external threats. Realizing that being part of a social group offered greater security than living alone, they maintained and expanded these groups. As groups grew larger, Homo sapiens built vast cooperative networks both within and outside the group to manage them efficiently. However, most networks had hierarchical structures, not egalitarian ones. At some point, a ruling class emerged, forming a hierarchical system. The subjugated class accepted this structure, sustaining the small ruling class with the surplus resources they produced. To strengthen their power, the ruling class implanted an imagined order within the group, solidifying the hierarchical structure.
An imagined order refers to powerful social norms capable of consistently aligning the thinking of group members. This order permeates deeply into the lives of Homo sapiens, to the extent that an individual has no choice but to leave the community to escape it. In modern society, this order is called ideology, and its influence grows stronger as the world becomes more integrated. Consequently, the characteristics of each society exert a powerful influence on individual identity.
Within this imagined order, an individual’s power is determined by their position within the group. This article focuses particularly on the identities that confer status, which form the basis of class systems and social discrimination. The primary identities include gender, sexual orientation, nationality and race, economic status, and religion. Society constructs ideologies around each of these identities, asserting that certain characteristics are superior to others.
Discrimination and privilege based on specific identities persist in modern society. While subtle changes have occurred over time, men still tend to be superior to women, heterosexuals to those with other sexual orientations, citizens of developed nations to those of developing nations, and Westerners or white people to other races. Economically wealthy people hold a position of superiority over the poor, and religiously, Christians hold a position of superiority over those of other faiths. What is surprising is that the basis for these characteristics holding superiority is very limited. This is merely the result of arbitrarily assigned characteristics holding superiority within an imagined order.
An example of gender identity is that it is not natural for men to hold a position of power over women. In ‘Sapiens,’ Yuval Harari explains this through physical strength, aggression, and survival strategies, yet acknowledges the lack of evidence. In the film “The Imitation Game,” Alan Turing contributed to the Allied victory in World War II by cracking Germany’s ‘Enigma’ code, yet was punished by the state for being homosexual. After undergoing chemical castration, he took his own life. Despite his immense intellectual contribution to the nation, he could not overcome societal discrimination.
Society places the characteristics of specific groups at a premium, exerting a powerful influence on the formation of individual identity. To overcome this hierarchical order, we must examine the pathways through which ideology is formed. An individual first encounters ideology from their parents at birth, and its influence subsequently expands through education, government, religion, and other channels. However, the most influential factor is the media. In modern society, the media serves as a pillar of the social structure, reinforcing and shaping ideologies. The ruling class utilizes the media to disseminate the ideologies they desire. An example is the Bud Light beer advertisement.
In this ad, a man repeatedly says “Dude!” in specific situations, embodying a stereotypical masculine image. For instance, when a man sitting on a couch feels uncomfortable as another man sits close beside him, he exclaims “Dude!” This conveys an ideology that views physical contact between men as taboo. In another scene, he smells spoiled milk and says “Dude!”, reflecting the stereotype that men do not do household chores. Through this ad, we naturally internalize stereotypes about men. John Swansburg of the prominent magazine Slate evaluates that this ad contributed to Bud Light securing its industry dominance because its message was easily accepted by the general public. The ad elicits empathy while further reinforcing stereotypes about male gender roles. In this process, the media instills the dominant ideology into group members.
Ideology has evolved throughout history. One example is societies abandoning imperialism and turning toward globalism and liberalism. For an existing order to collapse, a new order must be stronger. When a new ruling class adopts and disseminates it, group members become influenced by the new ideology. However, modern ideologies still fail to overcome existing hierarchical structures.
Media plays a significant role in bringing about change to the existing order. Historically, the ruling class has controlled media to reinforce hierarchical structures, but today, access to diverse media outlets is possible. Individuals can resist the existing order by critically engaging with media offering varied perspectives. Parents and education are also crucial factors. From the perspective of parents or educators, media should be used to disseminate autonomous awareness and convey the correct ideology. These individual efforts form the foundation for societal structural change and must therefore precede it.
Ultimately, overcoming the hierarchical order reinforced by the current ruling class requires a just and powerful new leader. If individual efforts coalesce to create social change and a leader embodying justice and humanity emerges, this leader can disseminate a new ideology through media. However, since the new ruling class may also become corrupt over time, members must not assume the current order will persist indefinitely and must avoid conforming to the hierarchical structure.
There is also concern that through the process of replacing the imagined order—that is, ideology—anarchy will eventually arrive when order is no longer needed. However, I believe anarchy is not chaos due to the absence of order, but rather the result of order becoming unnecessary. Through the continuous replacement and improvement of ideologies, I believe we can achieve a just and powerful imagined order.
