Gwatter06, 11/15

We had a very interesting class session this week after our test on Tuesday, which I have to admit was a bit more difficult then the first. We covered Foucault and his different concepts on discipline, surveillance and power within society. Dr. Rog did an interesting little display in class on Thursday to help the class get a feel for just what Foucault tries to discuss in his readings. Dr. Rog explained that surveillance is everywhere in our society, whether we are conscious towards the fact or if we’re not. By performing his weird shindig, he expressed that even if we were aware of surveillance taking place and that we knew we were constantly being watched that it would have a direct affect on those being watched. I think this affect works both ways, negatively and positively. I feel that if those who are unaware that they were being surveyed but become conscious of the fact that they would have a negative reaction to it and feel as they their privacy was being invaded and in turn would be reluctant to power. On the other hand, I think that some people thrive off of surveillance as we saw with the examples of facebook, youtube and that new website that Dr. Rog showed us where you can upload videos as status updates. These people take surveillance as an avenue for being known and getting their image out to society, Foucault would call this relinquishing power to those who survey others. Foucault exhibits this notion by stating, “induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power” (98). Foucault explains here that Power is automatic, you give it up even if your not being watched. He backs this up with the statement, “A real subjection is born mechanically from a fictitious relation” (99). Foucault explains that we give up power to those who we suspect are surveying society even if the surveillance doesn’t exist or is fictional. I found this the most interesting thing that we covered because it relates to Althusser and his notion that “the author and the reader…both live…naturally in ideology.” The fact that we give up power to surveillance even if we don’t know that the surveillance actually exists is a notion and matter of naturalization. Our society has naturalized the fact that “Inspection functions ceaselessly” (94).