For the longest time.

On April 1st, 2009, I wrote an entry of one of my favourite quotes by Foucault.

"There is no need for arms, physical violence, material constraints. Just the gaze. An inspecting gaze, the gaze which each individual under its weight will end by interiorising to the point that he [sic] is his own overseer, each individual exercising surveillance over and against himself"
(Foucault 1977: 177)

Today, I came across this on my friend's tumblr which says foucault actually demonizes a great idea(of course foucault is much more influential and remembered), but her post is too awesome to miss. I copied the post below:



An Invisible Omniscience

The Panopticon is a type of prison building/layout designed by Bentham, a social theorist in 1785. The design allows an observer to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) prisoners without the latter being able to tell whether they are being watched. Thus, this results in self-regulation and self-discipline by the prisoners, as though they were watched. In Bentham’s words, effectively leaving the watching to the watched. Based on the idea of the Panopticon, Foucault and friends wrote extensively on the idea of a ‘disciplinary gaze’ in society. The heightened sense of possible surveillance in society results in self-regulation in public space, in terms of speech, behaviours and actions.

Today, being my usual nerdy self, I once again attended the visual politics lecture (I’m not a political science student, but seriously this shit is fascinating!). I thought the lecturer raised a great point: The academic work Foucault did was great, and it had indeed raised critical questions about society. However, the whole concept of the Panopticon prison was demonized in the process. Sully (his name is really O’Sullivan) reminded us of the original intentions of the prison - to better the lives of the inmates. English prisons in the 18th century was not fun(anyone who reads Great Expectations can guess that) - it was often under-staffed, unsanitary, overcrowded and disease-ridden. People usually did not get out alive after they were thrown in. Thus, this Bentham fellow came up with an effective way to house the prisoners - by making them watch themselves! Therefore, more funds can then go to bettering the prison environment.

This' from my self-proclaimed nerdy but actually very intellectual friend.
and no, she doesn't read this space. =)