When I was watching the new episode of South Park last night it made me think about discipline and punishment. The episode is about how the media, the tabloids, and in general the paparazzi harass Britney Spears and document and intensively monitor her every movement, especially the more embarrassing, less flattering ones, and how the general public is completely engrossed and fascinated by all this information, and in particular the information that documents her self-destruction. Towards the end of the episode the parents of Kyle and Stan inform the kids that the whole society is part of this cruel torture, from the paparazzi to the media consumers, and announce that "Britney Must Die" and explain that killing celebrities through the media and harrassment is the modern form of torture and human sacrifice. The basic premise is that someone special is choosen and admired and then torn apart and killed for sacrificial reasons (in the episode's case, to enhance the coming year's corn crop), similar to older rituals of human sacrifice. This made me think about the changing form of torture and how perhaps the means may have changed but the ends are the same. A great deal of people still take pleasure in other's pain and misery, but now the form of it makes it more bearable and less explicitely cruel, like the punishment of prisoners. Does anyone else have thoughts about this or other examples of how torture has changed?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
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3 comments:
I think thats a really good point. Our ability to see others suffering has changed from the blatant display like in the opening section of Foucault's book into less obvious, but in some ways more painful, ways. Old forms of torture seem more cut-and-dry, one commits a crime, they are punished in accordance with the crime as decided by a higher power. They are made a public example of what happens when one breaks the law. In today's society, it seems more often we slowly break people down, both physically but also emotionally. In the case of celebrities like was mentioned in the original post, what do most people like more than watching celebrities humiliate themselves (Britney's bald head?) or lose their way from the innocence they had in the beginning of their careers (linsey lohan's demise?) This process breaks down the celebrities who we must also remember are human, in a physical way (stalking by the paparazi) but more deeply, an emotional way. While it is undeniable that torture in its original form sought to punish for wrong doings, i believe some people's strange desire to see others in pain (just like the observers at public tortures) is still alive today. Glad someone brought up celebrites, its a very interesting thought.
FYI, this sounds right on to me. The shift from "blatant display" to "less obvious, but in some ways more painful, ways" is exactly what Foucault is after in describing the shift from torture to discipline.
It's not really that we torture these celebrities (they are not being flogged, beaten, etc.). It's rather that we "slowly break [them] down." That's exactly the right phrase.
In any event, whether he is right or not, this is the shift Foucault is interested in talking about.
Thanks for the helpful question and comment.
I don't necessarily think that the way the media and society treats people like Britney Spears is less explicitly cruel, but less violent. The cruelty that is involved in treating people like Britney Spears the way that the paparazzi does, by criticizing her weight, her looks, the way she raises her children, etc. is extremely cruel as well. The mental damage and emotional damage that is inflicted on her and other celebrities is probably so immense and is probably what drove her into a 51-50. If she was not a celebrity and did the same things that she had been doing (i.e. ate the same things, treated her children in the same way, etc.) she would probably not be as distraught. I completely agree with you that people take pleasure in other peoples pain and that no one is really taking responsibility for the damage that has been done. At least in the the time of torture, the king or whoever took responsibility.
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