Question 5

Ideology is "common sense." Hegemony is the construction of society using "common sense,"in places such as schools, churches, workplaces, etc. To males, when playing the Urinal Game, they are easily able to identify with the game, thus using common sense to get each level correct. In the game, each level has a different situation embodying it, making each level a little more complicated than the previous one. Men usually always discuss the fact that when they are in a bathroom with other men they choose the urinal farthest from any other male or the once closest to the door so they can leave as soon as they are done. These practices are not random, they have been culturally passed down from older men in society, such as family or friends who taught them or gave them insight on what to do when in these situations. As a girl playing this game, it was more difficult to pass all of the levels because this "common sense" about what to do in a men's public bathroom was never passed down to us or explained. However, we somewhat adapt this common sense from men after hearing them talk about it with other men. This is similar to the idea that girls always go to the bathroom together, but boys never understand why. The end up just accepting it because it is common and normal. Through ideologies, hegemony is created in society.