Sinong di Mawiwilie?: A Critical Analysis of the Conversations between Willie Revillame and the Wowowee Studio Participants from an Ideological Perspective

ABSTRACT

This study examines how Willie Revillame, host of the popular noontime variety show, Wowowee, has assumed the political role of Ideological State Apparatus by propagating dominant ideologies in his conversations with the show’s studio participants. A line from the show’s opening theme, “Wowowee, sinong ‘di mawiwili?” (“Wowowee, who won’t get carried away?”) captures the phenomenon of Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA) like the mass media, which embed ways of thinking to perpetuate the status quo. On the individual level, a leader could maintain his hold on power by boosting his Moral Capital. One way to do this is by proclaiming an ideology that is appealing to his followers, albeit different from his real stand.

Hence, Conversation Analysis, Document Analysis, and Critical Discourse Analysis were conducted to understand the ideological subtext of the conversations between Willie and the studio participants, as well as to correlate the former’s personal and on-show ideologies. The conversations reveal a distinct power relation in favor of Willie, as well as a disparity between the egalitarian “beliefs” and the non-developmental ideologies interpreted from his statements. Furthermore, the studio participants have been shown to consensually accept Willie’s ideologies. Thus, Willie not only mirrors society’s dominant ideologies, but further strengthens them.

Papa, M.P. (2010). Sinong ‘di Mawiwilie?: A Critical Analysis of the Conversations between Willie Revillame and the Wowowee Studio Participants from an Ideological Perspective, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

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