Reality?

Foucault writes that “Bentham’s Panopticon is the architectural figure of composition” (63). It is an annular building at the periphery and a tower at the centre. The periphery building is also divided into cells and each have two windows. In this scenario, then, a supervisor is only needed to stand in the central tower. In each cell is a patient, or a condemned man, which can be seen from the tower. Each man cannot see anyone but can be seen.

What does this mean for his essay? Well, the social theory Foucault created is about control. Control can occur in two ways though. There are the things that we can see and control and then there are those that we do not see but still control in some fashion. Foucault goes as far to say that society is about surveillance. Like the Panopticon, there is always somebody watching us, even if we don’t know it. Just look at the explosion of reality shows nowadays. A prime example is the show Candid Camera which would capture people doing odd things without their knowledge. There are also reality shows that have over one-hundred cameras hidden everywhere to try and capture every moment of the occupants’ lives.

Foucault states that we have the right to be free. We have the right to do as we wish because we are capable of doing so. A human being, if rational, is able to cope with life and do just fine. The problem is that the state still has some control over us. Like reality shows, the people on the shows are free to do as they wish. There is also a script that they have to follow and the footage is also altered to make the ratings go up. This is similar, then, because there is the illusion of freedom but we are still controlled whether we realize it or not.