Conner Snow Paper 3 Dr. Cecelia Mussleman 11/12/13 Final Draft Word Count: 1,2 !

Modern Panopticon W"en panoptic #ualities are concerned t"e first t"in$ t"at comes to m% mind are $o&ernmental institutions' ie. t"e ()S, C(*, F+(. ( "ear so muc" tal, a-out t"e oppressi&e force of t"e .nited States /o&ernment t"at w"en ( t"in, a-out control, it is t"e first t"in$ ( t"in, of. Surprisin$l%, ( am a su-scri-er to t"is train of t"ou$"t, e&en t"ou$" ( "a&e no personal e0periences to ma,e me so. +ut, e&en t"ese or$ani1ations, w"ic" are so #uic,l% associated wit" t"e e&ils of panopticism, can not -e understood to emplo% all of its features. ( personall% "a&e ne&er felt t"e presence of an o-ser&er or feared t"at ( was -ein$ o-ser&ed -% an% $o&ernmental institution. ( am well aware t"at t"ese institutions e0ist and t"at t"eir principles are law, -ut ( do not fear t"e power t"e% 2"old3 o&er me. ( don4t t"in, an%one, apart from some nut56o-s, fear t"at t"e% are constantl% -ein$ o-ser&ed -% t"ese institutions. 7"e presence of t"ese a$encies is felt too little for t"em to emplo% t"e fear created -% panopticism. 7"eir form of control is too secret for t"e pu-lic to understand t"at it is t"e su-6ect to o-ser&ation. ( do not fear suc" institutions -ecause ( understand t"at t"e minor insurrections ( commit will not -e o-ser&ed' t"at w"ate&er small re-ellion ( perform will -e o&erloo,ed, and ( ,now for a fact ot"ers "a&e t"e same -elief. 8ust t"e ot"er da% ( was sittin$ in colle$e writin$ and ( $lanced o&er at a peer4s computer screen. W"at ( saw did not surprise me, -ut it did ma,e me lau$". ( saw t"at in t"is peer4s most &isited

site list, 27"e Pirate +a%3 was 6ust fourt" in line. ( as,ed "er, 29a&e %ou -een downloadin$ on campus:3 ( didn4t e&en care t"at s"e "ad -een ille$all% downloadin$' ( ,now do1ens of people t"at do' ( onl% as,ed -ecause ( "ad "eard t"at downloadin$ on campus was muc" more trac,a-le. 7"is interaction, and man% ot"ers t"at in t"e name of friend5friend pri&ile$e ( will not dispel, "a&e pro&en to me t"at people do not worr% a-out -ein$ cau$"t for ille$al downloadin$. People $et awa% wit" downloadin$ music 5 and man% ot"er t"in$s 5 all t"e time. (n 2!!; onl% 3<= of all of t"e music ac#uired -% consumers in t"e ..S. was paid for >Writin$? and ( "a&e ne&er "eard of more t"an one or two cases t"at dealt wit" music pirac%. *nd so in most $o&ernmental a$encies panopticism is lost. W"en ( was readin$ t"rou$" Foucault4s 2Panopticism,3 t"e one "ierarc"% t"at ,ept comin$ to mind was t"at of t"e sc"ool1. 7"e capillar% control networ, emplo%ed in sc"ools is &er% similar to t"at proposed -% Foucault in panoptic institutions. 7"ere is one 2ruler3 w"o is t"e supreme o-ser&er, t"e principal, and e&er% teac"er and "all monitor answers to "im on t"eir o-ser&ations of t"e students. @ow, at least in m% old sc"ool, t"e principle was supposed to -e t"e o-6ect t"at created panoptic fear' t"e fear t"at one mi$"t -e o-ser&ed at an% time. (n m% "i$" sc"ool t"is fear was t"ou$"t to -e perpetuated -% t"e t"reat t"at t"e principle could enter an% classroom at an%time. *nd w"en said principle did enter t"e classroom, e&er% pupil was a model student' e&er%one -e"a&ed e0ceptionall% well' t"e teac"er tau$"t li,e a saint. 7"e class clown sittin$ ne0t to me and t"e teac"ers pet in t"e front row were suddenl% indistin$uis"a-le. +ut w"en t"e principle wal,ed -ac, out, order was once more t"rown to t"e wind. A&er%one started c"attin$' t"e teac"er $ot more la1%' e&er% iota of t"e discipline t"e principle wor,ed so "ard to ac"ie&e was lost. 7"is is t"e reason t"at t"e pu-lic sc"ool s%stem, at least in m% e0perience, does not compare to t"e panoptic institution. W"en t"e principal o-ser&er in sc"ool is not clearl%
1 high school in particular.

present t"e fear t"at "e ma% o-ser&e at an% moment is $one. 9e ruins t"e panoptic effect -% ma,in$ "imself clearl% &isi-le to t"ose "e is o-ser&in$. Panopticism is a &er% su-tle art t"at it seems is &er% difficult replicate. Man% aspects of our da% to da% life are e#uipped wit" principles of panopticism, -ut ( "a&e %et to notice an e0ample of panopticism in its fundamental form. 7"e ps%c"olo$ical control e0tended o&er t"e su-6ects of panopticism is lost in t"e aforementioned e0amples. Sc"ools and $o&ernmental esta-lis"ments do not "old suc" an iron $rip on t"e ps%c"e as fundamental panopticism. 7"e onl% or$ani1ations t"at remain a-le to do so' to coerce wit"out coercion, are police departments. Police departments are t"e onl% or$ani1ations t"at are near perfect representations of t"e ps%c"olo$ical effects of panopticism. 7"e% meet t"e standard re#uirements of a panoptic societ%' capillar% structure, inconstantl% o-ser&a-le o-ser&ers, t"e% "a&e t"e pu-lic to answer to, -ut a-o&e all t"e% "a&e t"e most fundamentall% important facet of panopticism' t"e people4s fear. Police officers more t"an an% ot"er $roup command t"e people of our towns and cities t"rou$" fear. W"en ( wal, down t"e street, especiall% "ear in +oston and particularl% around @ort"eastern, ( o-e% t"e law. 7"e police presence "ere is muc" more o-&ious to me t"an it is elsew"ere' ( "a&e ne&er seen suc" copious officiatin$. Bet, e&en w"en t"is presence is not so clearl% t"ere, t"e fear t"at it could -e is an o&erw"elmin$ one. ( don4t do dru$s or act out as ( wal, down t"e street -ecause ( am alwa%s fearful t"at officers will -e 6ust around t"e corner. W"en (4m at a part%, e&en w"en (4m not en$a$in$ in an%t"in$ illicit, m% "eart drops w"en ( "ear t"e police "a&e arri&ed. 7"e% "a&e $ot me under t"eir panoptic spell. *nd w"at is e&en more incredi-le is w"en ( wal, -% an officer in t"e street wit" a $roup of friends we all $o #uite, we aren4t doin$ an%t"in$ wron$, we arenCt -rea,in$ an% laws, -ut we are suddenl% su-ser&ient

-ein$s' model citi1ens ,eepin$ t"e peace and respectin$ t"e pu-lic. Police departments are t"e onl% remainin$ institutions t"at command t"is ,ind of ps%c"olo$ical control. W"at ma,es Police Department control e&en more fascinatin$ is t"at t"e% don4t e&en need to sta$e officers to o-ser&e. 7"ere are countless securit% cameras around -oston and man% on @ort"eastern4s own campus. 7"e presence of t"ese cameras -rin$s to mind t"e decidedl% more se&ere o-ser&ation in /eor$e Drwell4s 1984. People li&in$ in 1984s world li&e in constant fear of o-ser&ation -% t"e t"ou$"t police >Drwell?. 7"e fear most american4s li&e in is not"in$ compared to t"e paral%1in$ fear felt -% t"e c"aracters in t"is no&el -ut it is similar, especiall% now t"at pu-lic sur&eillance cameras are nearl% u-i#uitous. * C@@ article pu-lis"ed s"ortl% after t"e +oston -om-in$s states t"at 2in ma6or cities, in t"e a$e of terrorism, someone is almost alwa%s watc"in$3 >Eell%?. (n fact, in t"at same article t"e aut"or ma,es an allusion to +i$ +rot"er >t"e watc"er in 1984?. 7"e fact t"e ( as a pu-lic citi1en mi$"t -e -ein$ o-ser&ed at an% moment' as ( sit in t"e li-rar% t%pin$ t"is, or %ou sit at %our des, readin$ it, is w"oll% unner&in$. Police departments most nearl% e0emplif% t"e idea of panopticism -ecause panopticism is a ma6orl% ps%c"olo$ical met"od of control t"at stems form t"e ima$ined possi-ilit% of constant o-ser&ation. ( "a&e ne&er trul% felt t"e power of a fundamental panopticon, e&en t"rou$" police sur&eillance, and toda% ( don4t t"in, ( am li,el% to. W"ate&er ot"er esta-lis"ments rife wit" panoptic #ualities are left, t"e% pale in comparison to t"e mind num-in$ fear supposedl% created -% panopticon. 7rue panopticism is dead.

Wor,s Cited

Eell%, 9eat"er. F*fter +oston: 7"e Pros and Cons of Sur&eillance Cameras.F CNN. Ca-le @ews @etwor,, 2 *pr. 2!13. We-. 12 @o&. 2!13.

Drwell, /eor$e. 1984: A Novel. @ew Bor,, @B: Si$net Classic, 1;<<. Print.

FWritin$ )eport Default.F )(**, 2!13 We-. 12 @o&. 2!13.

*c,nowled$ements

7"an, %ou to @ico for readin$ m% ori$inal draft and ad&isin$ t"at ( reconstruct m% ar$ument. 7"an, %ou to Amil% S,e"ill for "i$"li$"tin$ t"e connections ( s"ould ela-orate on. 7"an, %ou Carlos for positi&e encoura$ement a-out m% ideas.