Mohammed Dawoud
Felix Mettke
Sima Al Tabbaa
We chose to use this scene of the first episode as it can help us examine the elites present in the made up country of the TV show. In his book of the Power Elite, C Wright Mills studied the concentration processes happening in the United States and how leads to an emergence of a power elite. A similar form of power was also present in our TV show, as the power triangle that Mills describes in his book was also present. The elite in our case represents a powerful family whose power expands to the circles of politics, military and economy. The royal family can therefore serve as a representation of an exclusive club that is able to run each and every aspect of social structure. It is a unique form of power play, as one cannot enter this narrow circle unless it happens due to family relations. This is why it also presents us with a form of hegemony that rules over justice, business, media and military. The scene we presented can be used to analyze the interdependence of the power elite present in the country. Since the ruling family can afford the best of the best due to their social class they tend to purchase their belongings, cars, clothes from outside the country. In the scene you see him driving a Lamborghini, which is Italian, the people around him have probably never seen such a car expect on the Internet because they live in very poor conditions. Mills uses an example of power elite and how it works in the United States, However in “Abudeen” the country in the show which represents the country of Iraq, power is taken into a whole other level and is abused in all forms. With the power they have over the country, no one can question them or what they do. As mentioned before having military power can play a big role in ruling the country because even of people decide to have a revolution they do not have any military power or weapons in order to defend themselves. Another example how close the family is to each other and how each member of the family more or less have been put in high positions in running the country to make sure that no one can oppose them.
Felix Mettke
Sima Al Tabbaa
The first scene depicts the power relations between the top and bottom
of society. This can be seen when the King of the country gets into his
Lamborghini. Not only does this clearly depicts the economic
differentiations between the bottom and top of society, but also shows
us the possible consequences of not accepting these relations. In the
scene we can also see that the majority of the people surrounding the
Lamborghini are actually low in economic status, yet do not try to steal
the Lamborghini. This shows us the power hierarchy present throughout
the nation, as the majority of the population fears to overthrow their
superiors. This is likely because such acts will be punished in harsh
ways, showing us that the power elite of this country is also in control
of military operations and other forms of social infrastructure such as
police force etc.
Not only does it show the power of economic
might, and how one is born into this power spectrum, but also the
unequal power distribution. Whereas the King is able to drive around in a
Lamborghini, the rest of society can only admire him or be jealous of
his possessions. This also represents a form of everyday power relations
happening inside the country, where the majority of the population is
not in a negotiating position when it comes to available power. The
power present is not one of reward, or superior knowledge, but rather a
matter of growing up in a certain social group. This is extreme position
of power is not similar to the one found in the United States. In the
United States there are no single entities holding might over the
population, but rather the combination of a large variety of powerful
actors.
We chose to use this scene of the first episode as it can help us examine the elites present in the made up country of the TV show. In his book of the Power Elite, C Wright Mills studied the concentration processes happening in the United States and how leads to an emergence of a power elite. A similar form of power was also present in our TV show, as the power triangle that Mills describes in his book was also present. The elite in our case represents a powerful family whose power expands to the circles of politics, military and economy. The royal family can therefore serve as a representation of an exclusive club that is able to run each and every aspect of social structure. It is a unique form of power play, as one cannot enter this narrow circle unless it happens due to family relations. This is why it also presents us with a form of hegemony that rules over justice, business, media and military. The scene we presented can be used to analyze the interdependence of the power elite present in the country. Since the ruling family can afford the best of the best due to their social class they tend to purchase their belongings, cars, clothes from outside the country. In the scene you see him driving a Lamborghini, which is Italian, the people around him have probably never seen such a car expect on the Internet because they live in very poor conditions. Mills uses an example of power elite and how it works in the United States, However in “Abudeen” the country in the show which represents the country of Iraq, power is taken into a whole other level and is abused in all forms. With the power they have over the country, no one can question them or what they do. As mentioned before having military power can play a big role in ruling the country because even of people decide to have a revolution they do not have any military power or weapons in order to defend themselves. Another example how close the family is to each other and how each member of the family more or less have been put in high positions in running the country to make sure that no one can oppose them.
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