How does the concept of "hegemony" help to explain why people often submit, rather than try to overthrow

Question

how does the concept of "hegemony" help to explain why people often submit, rather than try to overthrow, stratified political systems that oppress them?

thnx to all that answer

Answer 1

because hegemony implies force and it is less costly for the oppressed to submit than to overthrow. This, however, does not seem to be the case in Iraq where people appear to be determined to overthrow U.S. hegemony in the region. Cultural reasons, e.g. the concept of Jihad, may be the key in this particular case.

Answer 2

The situation in Texas with the religion in a compound.  1)They were told that outsiders were bad, 2) information was limited from the outside world, 3) leaders were more than human, 4) rewards (afterlife) were great and unavoidable, 5)trying to escape was shameful.

1) It is rather innate to think of others as bad because we really don't know anothers person intent and we are easily led to think the worst.

2) Humans crave information and to limit it creates a feeling of not being in the know and lowers the self esteem which is needed for submission.

3) Leaders have to be seen as above all others. You don't submit to an equal.  Education and wealth can lift people to these levels. War heroes and religious pious are on this level.

4) Promises of wealth, fame, security or punishments of some kind. Human aspirations./fears.

5) Isolation of some kind limits thoughts of possibilities.

Answer 3

Don't want to answer the question for you - but have a look at the work of Althusser, a Marxist (hegemony is a Marxist term) who coined the term. Hegemony implies a state having control over its individuals through the subtle power of ideology, and then also through the threat of the use of force by the police / military force etc..making alternatives to the dominant political order seem inviable, even though this is not the case in reality. For example we are all taught, and most of us believe, that the current system of Capitalist Democracy is the 'best' and 'only' political system that works, when this may not actually be the case (and modern democracy isn't real democracy anyway... what a joke). It's like George Orwell's doublespeak in 1984.. this is an aspect of hegemony.... the warping of language to political ends.