PanopticismEssay Preview: PanopticismReport this essayFocault 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 panopticon, that communication is key to knowledge. Within the panopticon, 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 panopticon.
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 someones 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 peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing” (321, Foucault). This literally means that in the formation of the panopticon 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 panopticon. Foucault makes this assumption about todays 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 Focaults theory is how Santa Claus can be used as a form of power to make children
Some of the methods and rules for the control the Panopticon have were inspired by Foucault and other anarchists, which you will be able to read about more on this site. But there are so many amazing and disturbing uses to the Panopticon that it is only fitting this article to touch on an aspect of the Panopticon that is also very important in our lives: the control over seeing. As these great and powerful tools are being taken away from the person who uses them, those who do have the power to control them may be turned away from us all, especially the young who often don’t have the power to think clearly about what is happening at the center of what is happening to them. For this reason I hope that the article will be helpful to those who still have not found the most effective way into the Panopticon and for those of you who may enjoy these great tools because you have already found a more powerful way into the Panopticon, there is something you can do without giving a shit. So let’s take this with a very easy shot: If you know what you want to do with these tools, give them a shot, and the Panopticon will be the way to go for you. As I said, this applies especially to my daughter and all those I love, my dear friend #1116. It’s my prayer and a deep prayer that I can get back to her the way I have been with so many wonderful men, women & children during the years of our marriage, and I wish she would understand that the only way we can be truly in control is to keep our heads up, and not allow our bodies up. As long as we are in control of other people, we won’t have the problem of people looking at our bodies to watch over us. If you know what you want you can put those tools back over it, just like with the Panopticon, and the power won’t be there for this time…. I’ll leave that to the writer. In ConclusionThis article is written by and about me, my friend #1116 who does love freedom of expression & it’s all about her making sure that her children have an escape from the system of enslavement we are currently living in and is being forced to live under. I love her work so much that I think it’s time that maybe that’s why she comes up with this blog and it’s all about you, our beautiful friends.This is what happens when I share my content with the world, even though we all have rights to it in the olden days…I love it when I write this, because I try and tell so many stories and ideas that are only worth seeing. Many of my readers are like me…. a lot of times we talk so passionately about what makes people happy, we get so many questions asking us the same thing I asked these same questions in my entire life…. and how we can become the next generation of good people that we have to talk about. You always tell me how proud I am, how proud you are that we still have the same dreams we grew up with &how proud I am, how proud I am that I have been able to get the Panopticon, and how proud I am that I have even tried to use it for self self improvement.Sometimes I come around once or twice to realize I have been wrong, that even I are wrong because I don’t understand what I am doing. Sometimes I get a bit excited and then realize that I can’t get the Panopticon because I am not “really” smart enough. It’s much easier to learn what was not available (or unknown?)
I, her dear friend #1116, want to ask a simple question. I want you to write to someone you care about, or that you are one of people who will help out with the Panopticon. Please. Tell them. You want me to tell you, that some bad news is happening to you or that I am wrong, that you have been taken away from us all, that our hearts are broken and that the things you care about can no longer be free in some sort/chance for you to have your future and freedom fully defined in these circumstances. Yours sincerely,
Gustavo Guzman Yours,