George Carlin said: “When fascism comes to America, it won't be in brown and black shirts. It won't be in boots. It will be Nike trainers and Smiley t-shirts.” This quote couldn't be more relevant in Dave Eggers' novel The Circle where the company of the same name is able to usher in capitalist totalitarianism not by force, but through the consent of the masses in the form of zings and smileys. This consensus is produced through the Circle's hegemonic control of the superstructure of society where, as gatekeepers of information, they are able to control the narrative and give rise to a false consciousness in which people eagerly participate in their own exploitation. In this way, The Circle can be seen as a parable of the dangers of neoliberalism left to its own devices and its need to justify the contradictions and absurdities that are inherent within it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Historically, one of the most important ways that leaders and societies justify exploitative systems is through religious ideology, which Marx famously called the opium of the people. So it's no surprise that Eggers consistently links religion with The Circle. Rather than daily prayers to enter heaven, Circle users must send zings and emoticons to get their dopamine fix and hopefully climb the ranks of Internet stardom. Instead of worshiping God they worship the mysterious triumvirate of wise men and instead of being watched by God there is mass surveillance and Big Brother. Perhaps one of the most direct connections can be seen in the opening line: “My God, Mae thought. It's heaven” (Eggers 1). These connections are not coincidental and serve primarily to bring attention to the fact that both Circle-following worship and religion are forms of what Gramsci would call cultural hegemonic control. These ideologies exist to justify and naturalize the absurdity of the system and make exploitation not only the norm but hidden from view. One of the main aspects of Gramsci's definition of cultural hegemony was the ability of institutions to change a society's fundamental beliefs, values, and morals. This is something The Circle does constantly. The Circle is not only a dominant and powerful company in monetary terms, but also in terms of media dominance. By having near-total control over the Internet and media, they are able to become the gatekeepers who control what information is transmitted. As a result, they are able to define dominant narratives and control what is defined as moral and immoral. This becomes more than evident when The Circle comes out with the 1984 mantra series “SECRETS ARE LIES, SHARING IS PAYING ATTENTION, PRIVACY IS THEFT” (Eggers 350). These ideas about morality preached by The Circle are strikingly similar to the moral code of almost all religions. These moral imperatives preached by The Circle are strikingly similar to the moral code that almost all religions establish, and both exist to justify exploitation. In The Circle their mantras are seen as objective moral truths that should be followed by every honest citizen. This means that the Circle's constant expansion and its systems of mass surveillance are seen as an extension of morality rather than an exercise in oppression. A religious parallel would be the idea of ​​holy wars and particularly the Crusades. Those in power at the time wanted to increase their territory and wealth, so they simply framed imperial wars asGod's will and therefore brutal acts of violence were seen as moral. So, because The Circle has control over what is defined as moral, it can essentially shape its own reality and justify any of its exploitative actions and reframe them as progress. Another important aspect of the company's moral ideology is the inherent missionary aspect of loyalty.users of The Circle. If those around you do not participate in and embrace the Circle, then they are hindering progress and morality itself. This is disturbing to the Circlers and so they embark on what is essentially an evangelizing mission to convert those who have yet to see the light. Mae constantly tries to convert Mercer, but he remains fiercely opposed, no matter what her arguments. This reaches its conclusion in the chase scene where Mae proclaims "something about her inability to give up, to admit defeat, or at least recognize the incredible power of the technology at Mae's command...she knew she couldn't give up until he had received a certain sense of acquiescence” (Eggers 464) he goes so far in his attempt to convert Mercer that he ends up dead at the bottom of a ditch because he felt he had no other choice to the individual characters in the book but also applies to the masses. When Mae and Francis are at a bar celebrating DeMoxie, a man sits with them and explains how he thinks Demoxie is the final step in bringing God's will to the people and carrying it forward. a universal morality. He states that “This has been the work of missionaries for millennia” (Eggers 398) and that The Circle will allow everyone to reject God's wrath, judgment and forgiveness. But just like in Christianity and others religions, this will to God is nothing more than an amalgamation of the ideology of the ruling class. of any opposing ideology. The first opposition we see in the novel is that of a congresswoman who claims that The Circle is a monopoly that should be dismantled. She goes further to state that “The Circle's dominance stifles competition and is dangerous to our way of free-market capitalism” (Eggers 174). Weeks later, however, authorities discovered child pornography on her computer that had clearly been placed there by The Circle to discredit her. It is the definitive ad personam attack of the modern era and completely discredits everything he has previously said. This is also not an isolated incident and towards the end of the book, Ty even says, referring to Williamson, "This is about the hundredth person Stenton has done this to" (Eggers 488). Furthermore, they are also capable of framing those who do not. they do not adhere to their ideology as social outcasts who unfortunately are misled without any direct action. This is clearly exemplified in the character of Mercer, who is characterized as a backward-thinking Luddite. When Mae reads his letter, it explains her principled opposition to The Circle and her withdrawal from the company. As it is streamed through his camera, there are immediate responses from the audience berating him. One says "Now the Sasquatch will return to its natural habitat!" (Eggers 437) while four Mercer hate clubs are also noted to form almost instantaneously. Mercer's position is like that of an atheist in a Puritan society. What's interesting about this situation is the fact that, unlike the acts of blackmail, these reactions were organic and not created by The Circle, but were an accurate representation of how people saw him. So the result of this hegemonic control is that The Circle does not need to coerce or use force to advance its agenda. The Club.