Pre-class Foucault

In the excerpt from Michel Foucault’s 1977 Discipline and Punish, two examples of mass control- a form of plague quarantining from the middle ages and the Panopticon envisioned by Bentham- were described. It is interesting to note how the depiction of the plague quarantine included much more of an emphasis upon the physical consequence of death, where as in the Panopticon, the mental aspect of constant surveillance was the largest threat. There must be some physical threat envisioned, if not employed, with the concept of the Panopticon because constant surveillance, although disturbing, does not necessarily in itself prevent unwanted and illegal actions.

First, the concept of modern surveillance of technologies does not mean and has not meant that the use of these technologies only lead to legal acts. Any computer can easily be traced, and all the savings and travels (online, etc) of that computer can be tracked and recorded. The threat of surveillance alone is certainly there. However, what is missing for media pirates, predators, scam artists, and the like is the pairing of the surveillance threat with an eminent physical threat. Therefore, the illegal actions take place even with the potential for observation because there is no system for actual punishment- there is no fear associated with this type of surveillance.

On the flip side, even if there was constant surveillance and the fear of physical punishment, illegal activities would most certainly still continue in the holes and gaps reality will impose upon the system. Even theologically, the system is flawed by inherent potential for “good” and “evil” within anyone according to their situation and the rationale purpose of a prison (at least in the US) as a rehabilitation center. Our own system of jailing proves over and over again how fear only quells a desire for so long, before the desire overtakes the fear. For example, we have one of the highest re-incarceration rates in the world- why: because our main rationale for people inclined to commit crimes is not to teach and change their life in a positive way, but instead to give them the fear of being jailed again. Obviously, the fear goes away after a time and the emotions superficially associated with the negative are dulled, and the intrinsic actions reoccur.