PANOPTICISM
Pervine Veliyeva
Hello dears!!!
What a beautiful weather, but we are studying. What is it??? Who makes us to do it???? Nobody, WE sit in front of the computer and write it. WE control ourselves. I think it is PANOPTICISM .Also we know that our Google answers will be READ (observed, watched). So we try to act appropriately- we watch, control our work. It is a rule and we as a "disciplinary students" discipline ourselves to do it.
In this article Faucalt discusses different ways (methods) that make people "disciplined". In this sense he emphasizes the idea of panopticism. Panopticism is a controlling power. "Hence the major effect of panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power." (From the article; page 4) Panopticism is a result of permanent "surveillance" - being watched. So as a result of it you always and consciously watch yourself. People are "themselves the bearers" of this "disciplinary mechanism". "It arranges things in such a way that the exercise of power is not added on from outside, like a rigid, heavy constraint, to the functions it invents, but is so subtly present in them as to increase their efficiency by itself increasing its own points of contact" (from the article; page 7) In simple words, there is an outside power. Under the influence of this outside power each person individually creates the inside - psychological power. And this psychological power controls us, meaning, we control ourselves. For example, when we leave the house we wear beautiful things and make-up. Why? No one makes us to do it. But inside we know that we'll be "watched" so we act properly. It is self control.
This "disciplinary mechanism" leads to "disciplined society". In this kind of society "discipline" is dominant and as a result of it "the controlled behavior" is produced.
I want to give an example of panopticism from my own life experience. There is a huge and very modern market near our house. You can buy everything there. You are free to choose whatever you want. No one hurries you (I mean sellers).Once I went there to buy a toothpaste. There were lots of them there-very different and of different costs. I remember how I handed nearly all of them; read the instruction, put back, took another one, then the other one, again. I spent nearly 20 minutes in front of them. And suddenly I noticed a little camera at the corner of the wall. Then I noticed the eyes of people observing me. I don't know why but I felt like a thief, who is trying to catch a useful moment to still something. From then on I feel very uncomfortable in all the markets I go. I can't choose freely. I try to do shopping quickly in order not "to be observed". Even if there is no cameras there. (It is safe!)
Also there is another case. I think you all will agree with me. Sometimes it happens that a boy/girl can't tell about his love to his sweetheart. So he sends somebody to tell her about it. And someone comes and tells it to her. Usually the girls don't pay attention (because of their proud). But you know what happens? They know that there is a man "somewhere near here" that loves her. And from that very moment panopticism begins. Wherever she/he goes, whomever they meet they always think that "that man" watches him/her. And they always control themselves and behave in a disciplined way. It is very, very bad, stupid and also interesting situation. It is the same with all of us. Usually we make jokes on our friends saying "Here he/she comes!!!" and they immediately get excited. But in reality we know nothing more than they do .hi-hi-hi. I want to support my words with the quotes taken from the article "The more numerous those anonymous and temporary observers are, the greater the risk for the inmate of being surprised and the greater his anxious awareness of being observed. The Panopticon is a marvelous machine which, whatever use one may wish to put it to, produces homogeneous of power." It works!!!!!!
Also in buses, canteen -generally in public places we feel like someone observes us and we control ourselves.
See you! Good luck!
Pervine Veliyeva
sudabe_...@yahoo.com
Panopticism is a social control and this control is based on
Surveillance. Surveillance means that there always people watching
your every move. And Surveillance appears in stores, markets for check
the stealing. We know that government and religion have disciplinary
power. Those powers control people's behaviors. In Disciplinary
society people are not free in their behaviors; there have norms which
control people's behaviors. People act as those norms allow them.
Discipline is a good thing, it helps people to control their
behaviors and it helps society. Let's think about Surveillance, it
makes people avoid from bad things. This is true discipline. But I
think there have "ill" Discipline, too. I think Panopticism doesn't
support our rights of freedom.
I think that our society is more compliance with Disciplinary
society. When people want to do something first of all they think
about others, about relatives, neighbors, friends and etc. They think
if I do it what others will think about me. In our society girls are
more disciplined than boys. If you are a girl you cannot do
everything.
Let's think about the thinkers, scientists, politicians, in
one word about all popular people. I think all of them were popular
because they break, destroy Discipline, the treated differently than
others. So sometimes we need to break Discipline. Discipline is not
constant conception.