aro0823, 4-19

In class last week we discussed two very… unique thinkers. The first, Derrida, reminds me of the kid in every class who, during a highly philosophical discussion, raises his hand and asks: “Why are we even talking about this? It really doesn’t matter.” Derrida recognizes that language is based on a lie, a false concept. Though we claim otherwise, it is literally impossible to capture it while it actually occurs. Language is meant to give us a sense of stability and it does, until one digs a little deeper and discovers the nonsensical illogicality of it all. The greatest thinkers can write the most inspiring sentences, but when push comes to shove and the words are deconstructed, differance takes over and everything is seemingly meaningless. The fragile instability of our system makes people fear postmodernism because it would literally mean the end of life as we know it. Similarly, like we discussed with Jameson, if we stop buying things, our whole capitalist system would crumble upon itself. So, the ideology producers have to work harder than ever to make sure these meddling postmodernists don’t deconstruct everything and ruin the order they’ve tried so hard to infuse into the collective subconscious.
One way the hegemonic thinkers keep people in order is, as Foucalt would say, surveillance. “The gaze is alert everywhere,” Foucalt notes, discussing the ever-increasing presence of a technological big brother who serves to keep people in line. As I lay here in my dorm, I recognize that many of my neighbors don't lock their doors. I easily could break into their rooms and steal their things, however I don’t because (aside from having a seemingly straight moral compass) I know that the RSA could easily come and track me down using the latest forensic technology. When I poke my head out into the hallway, I don’t see any members of the RSA physically there, but the “automatic functioning of power” is so thoroughly inculcated into my unconscious that I will continue going about my normal Sunday instead of wreaking mass havoc across Rollins campus.