One Example Of Many In Our Society example essay topic

Focault Panopticism " Our society is not one of spectacle, but of surveillance; under the surface of images, one invests bodies in depth; behind the great abstraction of exchange, there continues the meticulous concrete training of useful forces; the circuits of communication are the supports of an accumulation and a centralization of knowledge; the play of signs defines the anchorages of power; it is not that the beautiful totality of the individual is amputated, repressed, altered by our social order, it is rather that the individual is carefully fabricated in it, according to a whole technique of forces and bodies. (pp. 333-34) "In the essay, Panopticism, by Michel Focault, he makes the argument that we live in a society of "surveillance". Meaning that our society is based on amalgamation of "forces and bodies" all of which act to create the individual. It is principally this surveillance which forms the basis of power that draws the individual to believe that the world he lives in is one that is continually watching over him. This constant friction of mental forces (those who fear or have a certain curiosity) shapes who the individual becomes within the society. According to this passage, Focault gives support to the basic argument concerning the panoptic on, that communication is key to knowledge. Within the panoptic on, there is no communication among the prisoners or those who view them.

This becomes another aspect of power; it underlies the main idea of separation and communication as a form of shaping forces in the panoptic on. The first phrase in the passage testifies to the basic structure of our society. The goal for our society is "to procure for a small number, or even for a single individual, the instantaneous view of a great multitude" (333, Focault). The purpose of such a society is so that relations between the individual and the state can be better controlled. That the "infinitely small of political power" (331, Focault) who run the state can watch the many citizens. It must be acknowledged that to view each citizen is not simply to watch them, but to exercise the power that surveillance entails.

"And unlike the methods of judicial or administrative writing, what was registered was in this way were forms of behavior, attitudes, possibilities, suspicions - a permanent account of individuals behavior". (331, Focault) The powerful results of surveillance can be seen when Focault discusses lepers and plague victims. The persons with the plague (lepers were included in this group) were always observed to account for their presence. These people were supposed to be present at their windows for attendance.

Where they not present at the time, they were marked as dead. Their family would be removed, the house would be cleaned out, perfumed, and then, a mere four hours later, people would move back in. Obviously, the fear of not being observed would be strong in this situation, a direct result of the drastic measures taken once someone's presence could not be observed. Though this fear has the opposite motivation of the healthy citizens, who, knowing they are being watched, are afraid to do wrong, it works on the same basic principle.

That if one knows they are being watched, it remains a constant consideration in their mind, regardless of the presence of an observer, the fear will always be present. The Panopticon, a prison described by Foucault, "is a machine for dissociating the see / being seen dyad: in the ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing" (321, Foucault). This literally means that in the formation of the panoptic on those who are being seen can not see one another and the one who sees everything can never be seen. That is the most important tool of the panoptic on. Foucault makes this assumption about today's society by saying that we are always being watched whether we know it or not. One always keeps an eye over their shoulder as a result of the constant fear that someone is watching them.

This consideration forms the basis of power for those who have the control and power - society, government, and state. The power gives those in charge a safety net, making the individual conscious of the presence of a hidden onlooker, causing them to think one twice before any move. An excellent of Focault's theory is how Santa Claus can be used as a form of power to make children behave. "He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you " re awake.

He knows if you " ve been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake". Focault's theory shows that this song about Santa Claus is more than a simple Christmas carol, it is used to plant the constant fear in the mind of a child that they are being watched even when they can't see who is doing the watching. The mere threat at Christmas time of this hidden force is enough to keep children well behaved. This is only one example of many in our society. Furthermore, verbal communication in the Panopticon was not an option.

The prisoners were not allowed to speak to one another. This limit on communication dehumanizes the inmate - communication is what makes us people. If we could not talk to each other we would not have a social order. Nor could anyone learn anything about the situation, one could not build on the knowledge of others to find out when people are watching. If one cannot communicate, not only is new knowledge difficult to gain, but one cannot feel comfort in the simple knowledge that they are not alone. "He is seen, but does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject of communication" (319, Foucault).

Foucault is saying that there are people who know who we are, but we are never informed of that, and without communication we have nowhere to get the knowledge. Throughout this endless mind-game, people do not have the idea that they are fabricated and reshaped. Being under surveillance has brought a discipline under the guise of social order. "In the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen" (319, Foucault). Foucault describes the inside of the Panopticon where in the center of every cell stands a guard. Whenever we walk into a store for purchasing purposes, we are always under observation.

There is a circular glass piece on the top of the ceiling with a rotating camera looking down upon each of our movements. We think someone is watching us. How do we react to the surveillance? It is an act of societal conditioning and discipline. It has proven to be a form of behavior to give us a guilty conscious or the simple fear of being caught. "Our society is not one of spectacle, but of great surveillance; it is rather that the individual is carefully fabricated in it, according to a whole technique of forces and bodies" (pp. 333-34).

Foucault's argument may not be understood with his difficulty of writing, but with the examples and proof of such a mind-game that we live in our society today is a good way to understand his point of judgement. We live in a society that watches over one's movement to arbiter if their behavior or movement is wrong. We have many secret services in our world today that know more about us than we know ourselves. It is an ultimate fear, anxiety, and affliction that we live-out our lives everyday.

Panopticism.