{"id":91644,"date":"2023-02-04T14:12:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T18:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=91644"},"modified":"2023-02-08T16:35:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T20:35:21","slug":"roland-barthes-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/roland-barthes-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"Roland Barthes: Myth’s Creation, Function, & Dangers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s a myth? How is a myth made and used? Are myths dangerous?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to 20th-century French philosopher Roland Barthes, myth is all around us. In Mythologies<\/em>, he discusses the process of mythmaking. He identifies the basic components of myth<\/a> and explains what function they have in society. He also warns that myths can pose certain dangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to understand Barthes’s take on myth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Roland Barthes on Myth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before discussing how myth appears in society, let\u2019s first define myth as Barthes presents it. According to Barthes, myth is a message that\u2019s conveyed when an object, image, or phrase becomes associated with a concept or value, and thus takes on a symbolic meaning. For example, a national flag may be associated with the concept of freedom, conveying a message about that nation to its citizens. Myths shape the way we view the world and hold power over us when society\u2019s dominant institutions\u2014for example, the government, the advertising industry<\/a>, or Hollywood\u2014craft these messages for us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Use of Imagery to Reinforce Power Structures<\/strong>

In his 1972 book, Ways of Seeing<\/em><\/a>, art critic John Berger discusses the ways that art can be used to influence public perceptions and understandings of the world. He refers to this manipulation of the public by the powerful as mystification<\/em>, a term drawn from Marxist rhetoric<\/a>. In Marx\u2019s view, the ruling class<\/a> intentionally mystified the concept of capitalism<\/a> by creating mythologies around the merit of hard work and free enterprise and obscuring the realities of the vast economic and power inequities it created. Similarly, Berger says throughout Western history, art has been associated with the wealthy elite, who have used it to promote specific perspectives and obscure others, in order to reinforce class distinctions. Berger includes a discussion of the use of advertising imagery in service of capitalism<\/a>, which we will see is a focus of Barthes\u2019s as well. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Components of Myth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Barthes argues that myths have two basic, interrelated components: a form <\/em>and a concept<\/em>.<\/strong> The form <\/em>of a myth is concrete: It is the actual object, image, or phrase that we perceive with our senses. Anything can become the form<\/em>, or raw material, of a myth\u2014it could be a song, a photo, or an everyday object such as a car or an article of clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barthes explains that, on their own, these materials have a literal meaning. When we see a car, we recognize it as a vehicle of transportation. When we listen to a song, we understand its words. However, the power of myth is that it imbues these things with additional<\/em> meaning<\/strong>. Myth occurs when society connects the raw material of form <\/em>to an abstract concept<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barthes suggests also that myth doesn\u2019t just add<\/em> new meaning to the raw material\u2014it also distorts <\/em>the original meaning. According to Barthes, this receding of the form\u2019s meaning is important because it allows myth to appear perfectly natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Creation and Function of Myth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that we understand what Barthes means by myth, we\u2019ll turn to a discussion of how myths are created<\/a> and utilized in society. It\u2019s important to recognize this because myths are being employed every day to influence our thoughts and perceptions of the world<\/a>. <\/strong>According to Barthes, myth is essentially a means of culture creation. But, more specifically, he argues that it\u2019s the creation of an \u201cideal culture\u201d that obscures reality and diversity. And, particularly in the examples he analyzes, from 1950s France, he says myth is created by<\/em> the \u201cbourgeois\u201d (upper-middle class) for<\/em> the \u201cpetit bourgeois\u201d (lower-middle class) and \u201cproletariat\u201d (working class). So, although Barthes doesn\u2019t use the word, he\u2019s essentially arguing that myth is propaganda.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He suggests that institutions in society (for example, the government, the fashion and advertising industries, and the media) create associations between certain signs and concepts, and the general population internalizes these associations and comes to see them as natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barthes specifically aims to critique the class constructs that underlie the myth in his own culture (1950s France). He says myth is like a mask that presents a falsehood and shields people from harsh realities, which serves to sustain the social order and reinforce class distinctions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dangers of Myth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Barthes suggests that a defining characteristic of myth is its ability to appear as \u201cnatural\u201d even though it is constructed. This means that people don\u2019t question the myth and instead accept it as fact. When society\u2019s dominant institutions utilize mythology to influence the population\u2019s thoughts, this can serve to perpetuate and reinforce social inequalities. In this way, by not questioning the mythology around us, we participate in our own subjugation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: For example, sociologists and psychologists analyze the ways that women participate in their own oppression by supporting the norms and values associated with patriarchy. This often comes in the form of \u201cbenevolent sexism<\/a>\u201d\u2014that is, the belief that women need to be protected and cared for by men. By adopting this belief, women relegate themselves<\/em> to a lower-status position in the social hierarchy<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barthes argues that myth is both necessary and problematic<\/strong>. It\u2019s necessary to some degree, he says, because it creates a simplified and comfortable world for people in the face of harsh realities. For example, he discusses magazine advertisements for cleaning products as promoting an idea of cleanliness and purity that\u2019s comforting and aspirational to people, while disguising the dirt and drudgery of domestic life. These ads typically depict a happy homemaker in a spotless, beautiful home\u2014the reality women aspire to\u2014while never revealing the hard work and sacrifice of caring for a home and children\u2014the reality women actually live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This example may seem relatively harmless, but Barthes points out that, when myth disguises the \u201cdirt\u201d of more serious issues like racism, sexism, or fascism, then we enter into dangerous territory, where people can come to accept these as natural and normal and fail to challenge them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Barthes, myths are everywhere in our society, and most people go through their day without recognizing them for what they are. Myth always has a motivation, however, and Barthes says it\u2019s the perfect vehicle for promoting political agendas. This has the dangerous implication that people can be manipulated into supporting social and political agendas that go against their own interests or values and uphold oppressive social structures.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mythology of the MAGA Hat<\/strong>

An example of mythmaking from recent US politics is Donald Trump’s<\/a> use of the red baseball cap, which includes his campaign slogan \u201cMake America Great Again.\u201d This is arguably one of the most iconic and powerful symbols in American political history. There are multiple layers of myth here. The slogan itself is an example of a myth designed to appeal to a nostalgia-based conservative political agenda. This myth is layered with the recognizable object, the baseball cap, an item most strongly associated with the American rural working class\u2014a demographic that Trump courted aggressively. Since Trump\u2019s presidency, the red baseball cap in America has taken on a whole new meaning, symbolizing not only support for Trump but many other assumptions about the wearer\u2019s political beliefs and identity.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What’s a myth? How is a myth made and used? Are myths dangerous? According to 20th-century French philosopher Roland Barthes, myth is all around us. In Mythologies, he discusses the process of mythmaking. He identifies the basic components of myth and explains what function they have in society. He also warns that myths can pose certain dangers. Continue reading to understand Barthes’s take on myth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":91666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,9,24],"tags":[893],"class_list":["post-91644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","category-psychology","category-society","tag-mythologies","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nRoland Barthes: Myth's Creation, Function, & Dangers - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to Roland Barthes, myth is all around us. 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