For your consideration: a sociological theory assignment that charged students to apply a theory to a movie. I chose Marxist socioeconomic theory and applied it to American Psycho. I have a bit of trepidation in publishing it here because I have the feeling that Marx may not have intended for the concepts to be applied to the bourgeoisie. If anyone feels like chiming in with an opinion or correction, feel free. The paper netted me an A+, so the prof must've bought it. Also, please don't plagiarize. Pretty please.
Our modern capitalist economic system has been criticized by myriad opponents. One of the most staunch critiques emanated from Karl Marx. Marx argued that capitalism prohibits humanity from realizing their worth, which leads to alienation, commodity fetish, and false consciousness. A standout example of the detrimental effects of capitalism can be found through analyzation of the protagonist Patrick Bateman in the film American Psycho.
All economic systems are characterized by the means and relations of production. Capitalism differs from other systems in that it does not derive value from the use or utility of an item but rather how much value the item can demand in an exchange. The use-value of an item subtracted from it's exchange-value equals profit. The exchange-value of an item will always be higher than it's use-value because of the human labor put forth in the production of the item. The value of human labor is calculated by determining a living wage (the amount required to feed, clothe, house and educate laborers). One of the goals of capitalism is to pay less than market value for labor. This technique is referred to as exploitation. (Kivitso, 1998: 11).
Reducing labor value can be achieved through lengthening the work day or shortening the time required to complete a task. Reducing required time is the primary method to gain profit. Capitalists reduce time through industrialization and mechanization of labor lines. Machines increase production, which in turn reduces the value of human labor, which leads to increased profit. Surplus labor pools allow capitalists the ability to dictate wages and further exploit workers. (Kivitso, 2011: 31).
Modern capitalism is characterized by the continual drive for profit. This requires expansion into new markets. Entering new markets is referred to as commodification. Commodification is an amoral exchange of money on the open market, further distancing the use- and exchange-value of an item. When the supply of a commodity extends past the demand, production must be slowed or stopped to reduce the loss of profit. This increases the available labor supply (unemployed laborers command a lower price) and concentrates capital in the hands of fewer people. (Allan, 2011: 48-52). The endless drive for profit and the exploitation of workers is the point in which Marxist socioeconomic theory begins to critique capitalism.
Marxist socioeconomic theory is founded on two tenets; species-being and the material dialectic. Species-being is the concept positing that humans find meaning through their ability to produce what is required to survive. The material dialectic is the concept positing that the means of production (material) directly influences continually striving social forces (dialectic). (Allan, 2011: 42-47).
Marx identified two primary classes in the modern capitalist system; the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie are the business owners; social elites who control the means of production. The proletariat are the laborers; the working class. Members of the bourgeoisie interested in furthering their capitalistic ventures have an obligation to maintain the division between classes and prevent society's progress.
Marx argues that meaning and consciousness are derived from humanity's ability to produce. Industrialization and commodification are harmful processes working against humanity's production, and therefore, humanity's progress. Separation from production causes alienation from the work process, the product, and from other people. Alienation leads to the inability to detect the oppressive relationship between labor and worth and distorts our awareness of society. An alienated understanding of reality which is not centered upon creative production is known as false consciousness. Marxist theory posits that a profit-driven economy combined with alienation leads to a consumer culture that links self-worth to the accumulation of property and money. This is known as commodity fetish. Commodity fetish controls laborers. “Workers become infatuated with their own product as if it were an alien thing. It confronts them not as the work of their own hands, but as a commodity, something alien to them that they must buy and appropriate.” (Allan, 2011: 59).
The combination of false consciousness, alienation, and commodity fetish prevents laborers from realizing their worth and fomenting social change to reinstate a socioeconomic system that values both equality and meaning derived from production. Oppressed proletariats divide themselves along trivial lines such as ethnicity, sexual orientation and identity instead of uniting under their mutual subservience and rebelling against the bourgeoisie. Exploitative capitalists rely on oppressed workers to maintain the current divisions of labor that result in profit concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people.
Alienation and commodity fetish are both influential concepts in the film American Psycho. As stated above, alienation is the feeling of detachment from society to which one should belong, and commodity fetish is the abnormal desire to possess signifiers of wealth. Both concepts factor heavily into the behavior of the film's protagonist, Patrick Bateman.
American Psycho is a film that centers on a circle of ultra-rich yuppies in the 1980s. Yuppies are young, well-paid urban professionals who lead lives of luxury and engage in conspicuous consumption. Bateman and his peers are successful New York businessmen and yuppie elite. The film's primary focus is Patrick Bateman's inability to interact with the rest of humanity, prompting him to commit an increasingly violent series of crimes which culminates in an episode of mass murder. The ending of the film allows a certain degree of ambiguity, leaving the audience to sort out what was reality and what was the product of Bateman's mental instability.
Patrick Bateman is an extremely alienated individual. He is the Vice President of an investment banking firm on Wall Street. Investment banking is a profession in which individuals are completely removed from production processes and instead rely solely on deriving worth from the exchange of capital on the open market. This separation from production deprives him of a meaningful existence. Through inference and observation, the audience learns that Bateman's position as Vice President is neither the result of hard work or his Harvard education but merely the title given to him because of family ties within the company. Bateman does not complete any meaningful work at the office. Instead, Patrick is most often found at his desk listlessly doodling, listening to pop music and browsing magazines. His daily routine provides him with no satisfaction whatsoever, which worsens his self-worth and increases his alienation.
Bateman is aware of his detachment and alienation. Early on in the film the character professes the desire to fit in to society but admits that greed and disgust are his only two emotions. Both greed and disgust are byproducts of his alienation within the capitalist structure of his time. His disgust stems from his dissatisfaction with both himself and society. His greed stems from an upbringing and education which emphasized a cutthroat capitalistic attitude. Bateman's lack of empathy impedes on any success he may have at attempting to be normal. His detachment and alienation are both likely contributors to his compulsion to engage in the increasingly violent encounters he commits through the entirety of the film. Patrick's false consciousness is so thoroughly entrenched from his lifelong socialization process that he fails to recognize the harm in his actions.
The sense of alienation is further worsened by multiple instances of minor characters mistaking Bateman's identity with other Wall Street yuppies employed at other investment firms. Bateman observes that he and almost all of his counterparts dress in similar suits, wear similar glasses, and adopt similar haircuts. The audience is left with the understanding that any one of these individuals is interchangeable with the next. The knowledge that he can be replaced exacerbates Bateman's poor self-worth and disillusionment with his environment.
Bateman lives an opulent lifestyle centered around consumerism and commodity fetish. His knowledge of fine clothing brands, dress code, and gourmet dining is referenced throughout the film. Because he is so wealthy that he can purchase almost anything, his commodity fetish manifests itself in curious ways. Instead of purchasing the usual signifiers of wealth like sports cars, yachts, or jewelry, Bateman instead fetishizes mundane items such as business cards. Members of Patrick's social circle pass around newly printed business cards in an attempt to impress the rest of the group. Patrick demonstrates an extraordinary knowledge of typeface, paper quality, and color options. He grows furious with jealousy when he perceives the group's approval of a card that Patrick considers inferior. Members of Bateman's peer group also compete for reservations at posh dining establishments with preposterous menu items. The competition over restaurant reservations serve as another example of the fetishization in a culture where price is no longer an object. When money cannot buy an object, the urge to possess the commodity is even fiercer.
Bateman's alienation and commodity fetish combine with regards to his excessive consumption of pop culture. This is likely due to his desire to appear normal when among people with whom he shares no common ground. He displays an encyclopedic knowledge of theater events, celebrity figures, and entertainment statistics. Patrick easily recites complex music reviews by rote. When engaged in a conversation about the social problems America is facing, Patrick launches into a speech which takes a popular liberal-leaning stance so clearly not of his own opinion that his friends are incredulous. They assume he is being ironic but the reality is that Bateman is too far alienated and detached to identify with most other people. The speech is given because he believes that answer is the expected response.
Much like Marx urges the workers to rebel against their oppressors, Bateman rebels against himself. Bateman's internal crisis regarding his void, meaningless lifestyle reaches a tipping point and he begins to engage in a string of ultra-violent sexual encounters and commits a series of murders. His behavior is a 'cry for help' from his psyche to break free from his false consciousness. He derives satisfaction from his violence; a deranged fashion in which to address his urge to produce. Despite several obvious indicators regarding his criminal behavior, no one around him is even aware of the murders (save one person – a vaguely suspicious detective). Near the end of the film Bateman even confesses to his lawyer, who thinks the confession to be a crass joke.
The film ends with Bateman reaching the conclusion that he will not be apprehended for his crimes. He has escaped detection, largely because the society in which he resides is just as alienated and vacant as Bateman is himself. Because he has not been apprehended, nothing has changed. His inner rebellion has been quashed by his oppressor; his own capitalist lifestyle. He condemns himself and those around him to the world they have created.
Citations
Allan, Kenneth. 2011. The Social Lens: An Invitation to Sociological Theory, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press.
Kivitso, Peter. 2011. Illuminating Social Life: Classical and Contemporary Theory Revisited 5th edition. Thousand Oaks, California. Sage Publications.
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