To some level all marketing, social media, and news services are spreading hegemony. Hegemony is defined by Pomerance and Sakeris as “the privileging of a dominant group's ideology over that of other groups” (Pomerance, Sakeris, 2003, p. 20). There are many examples of scenarios where there is an ideal social norm and people being shamed or looked down upon for not meeting them. An example of this is in the tv drama series Loudermilk where the main character Sam Loudermilk is a recovering alcoholic who leads a substance abuse group as a counselor. This show demonstrates hegemony with the way they portray people who suffer from addiction.
Generally speaking, the hegemony view of people who are addicted to substances is as less than or as a lost cause. The show Loudermilk follows the story of a man named Sam who is struggling to resist the urge to drink continually as he goes through his everyday life. Everyday challenges that we face (for the most part) do not have the same life-changing impacts that someone who struggles with addiction does. Whether hanging out with a friend who uses substances or walking past the local drop stop, there are constant reminders of the mistakes you have made in the past. The show early on portrays Sam as a man who is trying his best but seems to be a lost cause.
In the show, Sam has a roommate who is supposed to be a success story. They show that his roommate who “has it all figured out” actually never recovered from alcoholism and has been secretly drinking the whole time. The main character Sam finds out later in the second season that this man who has been his idol, coach, and mentor is not a success story. There is then a downward spiral which is in line with the hegemony view that he is a lost cause. Do you feel that addicts can truly recover and reintegrate to play a positive role society?
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