Does Freedom Still Exist When Moral Values Are In Place?
Morality encourages the enforcing of laws and regulations on the public, creating as hegemonic society. A hegemonic society allows a social group to have authority and dominance over others. Individuals who choose not to follow their a common ideology come to be known as subalterns, lacking institutional validation. In order for people to avoid becoming subalterns, parents guide their children with society’s moral values so these children keep the hegemonic culture in place. As children, parents teach them what is right from wrong and tend to punish them when they decide to act on bad behavior or make a bad decision. Parents are the first to shape values in a children’s life, but who, in fact, has power to state what is right and what is wrong? Those who obtain this power are the ones who shape the perspectives people have in society. Those in power claim moral concepts may be necessary, or at least helpful, to ultimately sustain affirmation of a particular people. Mortality helps distinguish between right and wrong, and allows power to decide who is worthy of living heir lives with affirmation and who is not. Morality may help individuals disntinguish between what society accepts as wrong and right, but brings forward limitations on how these individuals are able to express their freedom at work, through their sexuality, and through media, creating inequality among all in society.
Morality in the Workforce
Through company management, regulations and rules are enforced on workers they must follow. These in turn affect an individuals freedom to express the feelings they have towards their labor. Arlie Hochschild mentions how Karl Marx explains labor in the workforce, but fails to explain the emotions the employers feel within the working environment. Employers cannot show their true emotions at work because management has enforced rules stating they must leave their problems at home. For example, Delta Airline employees are expected to greet the passengers with a smile due to company standards. Smiling and being polite are considered to be part of their uniform, make-up[… and] taken together orchestrates the mood of the passengers. Smiles and politeness are enforced on the employees due to the regulations management placed on them because it is part of their job. Therefore, workforce regulations have restricted and individuals freedom to express their true feelings because they must keep a nice image within the working environment.
Morality in Sexuality Acceptance
Morality has limited the freedom one could express about their sexuality. Heterosexuality is accepted in hegemonic societies, making individuals criticize all other sexualities claiming that it is not right. Being a lesbian, gay, transgender person in the United States means facing hatred by people who are willing to eliminate them if they could. These individuals are not accepted in society because they are not following society’s moral practices. Religion plays a role in those individuals who disapprove homosexuality. As people claim homosexuality violates the word of God, they are placing limitations on those who identify with this sexuality, even though there are several people who accept it now. Those who have begun accepting homosexuality claim they interact with sinners everyday and treat them lovingly. Living in a hegemonic society provides views on what sexuality is accepted while all others are not. Any person who does not practice heterosexuality is seen as violating the common and accepted sexuality in society; therefore, their freedom of sexual expression is limited.
Morality in Media Portrayal
Media institutions have placed moral views on their audiences that have affected the way they see other people in society and themselves. Since the beginning, Disney has portrayed high standards on beauty. Disney princesses are known to having hourglass shaped bodies, which have affected girl’s perspectives on what body shape is considered beautiful. When girls and women do not match these high standards of beauty, they then become body shaped because they do not look this particular way. Today’s culture teaches women they’re worth more through their beauty than their intelligence. Media has failed to portray hat all bodies should be considered beautiful, not just one body type that is imaged preferred. It also fails to show that intelligence should be accepted in society, and also considered beautiful in a woman. Stereotypes against woman’s body image creates inequality among all women because each and everyone has a different body shape, which in turn has helped these women use their body to express their freedom from these high standards. Women have begun using their body as a protest mechanism in order to get attention of the public. Their bodies are used as a sign against being objectified and having control of their bodies. For example, Kenyan women came together and banned sex, getting the public’s attention in order to have their words heard about not wanting to be objectified anymore. Women’s freedom on body image has been affected through the media’s perspectives and have begun taking control over their bodies through protest because words are proven not to be enough at times.
Morality and it’s Affects
Americans view freedom as an important value in their daily lives; however, they do not see that freedom is limited in a hegemonic society. People are made to believe that hey have freedom to express anything they wish, but fail to see hat there are limitations as to how much they can express. These limits and restrictions separate communities because morality changes wrongdoing to victimization, making one group superior over all other groups. Superiority allows a particular group to enforce regulations and rules on people, which they must follow in order to be accepted in society. Those who decide not to follow these regulations are seen as violation society’s common ideology, which is believed to be the best ideology. Limitations through this ideology has affected people’s perspectives on freedom, limiting expressions at work, through their sexual orientation and media portrayal on body image.
