yellowdaisy 4, Foucault

Foucault’s reading was difficult to understand because it was hard to comprehend what he was actually getting at. When he explained the effect of panopticon which is “to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power”, I thought of the novel Brave New World. In this book, the people are almost like robotic, all following the same orders, doing the same things and set up in castes which already determine who they are. The World State which is their form of government is constantly watching them making sure no one acts differently. When someone is vocally or visibly going against the norm and has a different state of conscious, like the main character Bernard, then there are huge problems. I think Foucault was trying to explain how we are constantly being watched so we are afraid to do something different than the ideologies set for us because we think that the hegemonic group will catch us, usually leading to punishment.
This quote also made me think of how there are cameras in places like 7/11 so whether or not potential shoplifters are aware they are being watched through surveillance cameras, it will give the store power in either stopping them from stealing or catching them doing it. Most people today are more afraid to shoplift then in the past. This is because similar to what Foucault said, they “never know whether he is being looked at at any one moment” but the fact that they may be scares most people away from doing anything wrong.
Another quote that got my attention stated how “our society is one not of spectacle but of surveillance” which made me think of a certain reality show. While watching Cops for example, most people rather watch someone create a spectacle then actually do something themselves. This can even connect to panopticon in how the cops are the more powerful group that keep everything in line partly through inducing fear into people that they are watching. Society today rather be on the side viewing then creating the spectacle so watching Cops can make people feel more powerful and in control then if they were the ones being watched.