Blog Post 5

The Hunger Games; Hegemony in Dystopian Societies due to Surveillance

Thesis: In this paper I will explore the question of how power and control are constructed and deconstructed within The Hunger Games book one and film one. Both adaptations gives a great examples of what Michael Foucault’s panoptic outcome was said to be; the surveillance placed on the districts causes a structured behavior among all of Panem’s inhabitants. It also explores the idea of a synopticon, the games serving as entertainment for the many to watch the few. Although the film is not a complete “Panoptic” society, the result from the hegemonic tendencies and the games themselves forces the outlying districts to be in full compliance, without any resistance or challenge. It is not until one young girl unknowingly challenges, and continues to resist the power struggle the Capitol has placed on the country of Panem.

Rough Draft

In the film The Hunger Games, the post-apocalyptic society called Panem, which in Ancient Roman times stood for “bread and circuses”, comprised of twelve districts is completely controlled by the Capitol, and the districts blindly follow in that control due to the powers that have been put in place. The film explores a dystopian society that is powered by this Capitol; it is thriving and glamorous, and solely reliant on the other twelve districts. The turning point is when Katniss Everdeen, tribute in the games, unbeknownst to her, causes an uprising with the smallest of acts. This then challenges the power of the Capitol and puts in motion a force that neither she nor anyone could have expected.

            Jeremy Bentham originally created the idea of the Panopticon, an all seeing, all knowing, power structure that would induce good behavior among those being watched due to the watched not knowing when exactly they are being watched. While Bentham’s idea was structured more for prisons, schools, and places of work, the idea had transcended its original function into a power system. This system has been utilized in film, TV, and novels, over the years which helped to convey a message about what surveillance can do to societies. George Orwell’s Nineteen-eighty-four is a great example of a heavily surveilled society in which “Big Brother” is the ruling entity, the all seeing power that no one is ever aware of. Unfortunately the panoptic society triumphs and the main character ultimately succumb to the will of Big Brother. In a more recent rendition of a surveillance society, the synopticon is utilized. A synoptic society is where the many watch the few, opposite of the few watching the many. The Truman Show released in 1998 tells the life of Truman, who is born, raised, and lives in a society that revolves around him. His every movement and action is recorded and televised to the world, unbeknownst to him. It isn’t until a woman falls in love with him and tells him of the lie that is his life that he begins to challenge the hegemony that fights to keep him within the confines of the television show. Ultimately he succeeds and exits the broadcasted world he’s known and been a part of his whole entire life. 

Blog Post 4: Summary/Strong response

Fisher, Mark: PRECARIOUS DYSTOPIAS: THE HUNGER GAMES, IN TIME, AND NEVER LET ME GO. Film Quarterly (65:4) [Summer 2012] , p.27-33,3

The article I read focused on the dystopian society presented in three different films. The one that I focused particularly on was the Hunger Games. It briefly describes the basic plot of the Hunger Games and its post-apocalyptic nature. It talks of the roles of control, motivation, and force within the society of Panem.  It talks of the politics within the film and how the fiction movie has a more political representation than some of it’s other films, such as the Harry Potter or Twilight series. The representation of government control is mentioned as it’s constant power structure is used to control the districts within Panem, “Ultimately, the Capitol's oppression of the districts is perhaps most obviously read in terms of colonial domination” (Fisher, 2012, 30). The audience this article would be intended for would be any film studies, media studies, or communication studies field.

I chose this article because it had briefly touched on the ideas I am trying to focus on for my paper. The power structure used within Panem and it’s surveillance of not only the tributes within the games but in the districts themselves forces the people of Panem into an “order of things”, where they are constantly controlled by the threat of the Capitol. This idea is incredibly interesting as it not only gives a fictional idea of what could be, but shows an interesting view on how surveillance impacts a population. The resistance within the film is something else that should be noted, the rejection of control and the uprising that undermines the Capitol’s authority. By challenging the Capitol’s regulations of the games Katniss, the main character, starts a “fire” that the Capitol in later films tries to put out. But everyone’s oppression within the films was clear, it was the courage to stand up against the power structure that controlled them that made the difference in everyone’s mind. It only took one rebel to take down a power structure that had been in place for years. 

Summary/Strong Response #1

First Article

Rooney, Tonya. 2012. Trusting Children: How do surveillance technologies alter a child’s experience of trust, risk, and responsibility. 344-355. http://www.surveillance-and-society.org | ISSN: 1477-7487

The purpose of this article was to identify the effects that surveillance and  its technologies can have on children and their ability to trust. From infancy onward they are constantly in a state of trusting their surroundings, loved ones, and themselves, and  in order to develop that trust over time there needs to be a sense of respect and independence for the child as his or her own “human agent”. “So, when we talk of ‘trusting’ children, it is helpful to consider an expanded notion of trust with two key dimensions: the notion of trust as relying on others for a certain benefit or non-harm to the person doing the trusting; and, trust as a positive expression of confidence in the child.” (Rooney, 2012, 348).  The ability to trust during childhood is a vital component of developing as an adult. While there is always the want, as a parent, to be in control and watch over our children via drug testing, CCTV camera’s, baby monitor’s, tracking devices, etc, there has to be a sense of freedom and individuality for trust to grow, and the self sufficing independence to be trusted to do the right thing.

I chose this article because while I am not a parent, it makes me think of my younger sister whom I frequently stress and worry about, but constantly have to remind myself to trust her in her decisions. My parents raised me to have my own independence and make my own decisions, and that trust proved to be the most powerful tool in not only making the right decisions, but also to maintain an open and honest relationship with my family.  I agree with the majority of this article, that technology modifies a child’s ability to live life freely, with the guidance, not constant surveillance of a parent.

Second Article

Marks, Peter. Imagining Surveillance: Utopian Visions and Surveillance Studies”. 222-239. http://www.surveillance-and-society.org | ISSN: 1477-7487

This article focused on the use of three films and a novel to depict a utopian society, and how surveillance causes dystopia among it. The films Gattaca, The Truman Show, Code 46, and the novel The Traveller are examined thoroughly in the sense that they are at the root, what would be considered the dynamic of a utopian society. The problem with each and every text presented is that within those societies there are faults, due to surveillance, that ultimately cause the characters within the society to rebel, reject, and resist the surveillance that is thrusted upon them. The importance of this being that at the surface society seems well fitted and organized, but when you dig down into the heart of the society, the people, there is dissonance among them. “Utopian texts have a shelf-life well beyond their initial appearance. Collectively they offer us a vivid and informative history of surveillance concerns and predictions over the centuries.” (Marks, 2005, 225).  The films taking place in both the present, as well as the future, offer insight into potential societal issues that may arise with the rise, use, and abuse of surveillance.

I found this article interesting because it expanded on the chapter that I researched for the presentation; it highlighted some of the key films that were used in the chapter. I do agree with the rise of surveillance causing dissonance among societies. I think to implicate that a society is to be completely watched over at all times, with or without their knowledge, or to be controlled by surveillance in the efforts of perfecting a society, will ultimately lead to chaos among people.

Bentham and Foucault's Panopticon

Well to first start off, the first section is hard to read because all of the stupid S’s looks like L’s! Took a while to fluidly get through it! But all in all a big difference between Bentham and Foucault’s description of the Panopticon is the purpose it served and what it stood for, an institution compared to a mode of control. Jeremy Bentham saw the Panopticon as a containment center for more than just prisoners. The purpose for the specific design was to maintain good behavior and order among all who reside within the confinement by having an all seeing, all watching, at all times personal monitoring the residents. Bentham states, “the more constantly the persons to be inspected are under the eyes of the person’s who should inspect them, the more perfectly will the purpose of the establishment have been attained” pg. 3.  This circular building where there are a few watching the many, would provide for an ideal environment to house criminals or those who cannot behave in a consistently ideal and manageable way.  The way Michael Foucault saw the Panopticon was not only as an establishment, but its representation of power. It would, “induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power.” Pg. 201. The The ability to have a constant surveillance over a group of people would cause them to, by nature, behave in a certain way. When you think about your day to day activities it is easy to identify the way you behave behind closed doors, and how differently it compares to how you behave in public or while being watched. I know for myself personally if I know I am being watched, for example at work, while my manager is around I am on top of my game at all time, but when my manager is not around I am more laid back, while still performing my job dutifully I am given the ability to be in control of my own behavior without the judgment or discretion of a higher power. This is the concept that is being described, the ability to change a person’s behavior by placing the pressure of constant watch, as well as not knowing when and who is watching them. He describes the Panopticon as “a royal menagerie; the animal is replaced by man, individual distribution by specific grouping and the king by the machinery of a furtive power.” Pg. 203. This set up that Bentham created induces an ideal situation for any containment center, one which behaves perfectly and without flaw, because of the power structure that the inmates are threatened with. The inmates are a spectacle, and unbeknownst to them their demeanor and behavior is being controlled by someone they don’t even know or see. 

Introduction and Initial Reflection

I am a junior at the University of Washington Tacoma studying Communications. I went to Curtis Senior High School in University Place and graduated in 2009. I currently work at Forza Coffee Company, a local coffee franchise, and have worked there on and off for 6 years. I am partially fluent in Spanish as my step family is from Mexico, it has been a great cultural influence on me. After college I want to travel around and see all of the amazing places the world has to offer. I have a little sister who is 13 years old and she is the light of my life! I couldn't ask for a better sibling and friend, it is one of my greatest pleasures being able to watch her grow up and be a part of that process. In my free time I like to watch movies, play softball, dabble in a bit of video game play, play the guitar. I love doing hot yoga and romping around with my friends on nice days. I also love to shop, a lot.

chapter 7: surveillance visibility and popular culture

"The "viewer" society in which we live is not merely a surveillance society, where the few watch the many, it is also a mass media society, where the many watch the few." pg 140. This quote was really interesting to me as the media and popular has changed so drastic over the years. Similar to that in the movie "Wall-e" we have become a society that is constantly surveilling the few. This chapter explored different ways popular culture and surveillance have been superimposed on one another. How literary works have forged a basis for what surveillance stands for, how cinema has transformed surveillance into a seemingly negative concept, and the cultures associated with it. Using prominent examples like the films "Minority Report" and "Conversation" to further support the different ways surveillance is used or could potentially be used. It seems the juxtaposition between the synopticon and the panopticon is thoroughly discussed, and that we as a society have moved away from the panopticon and more towards the synopticon. As our culture had shifted more towards the use of media, technology, popular culture and the like, our curiosity of others has augmented, therefore creating more customers in the realm of voyeurism. This had propagated the world of reality tv, and our desire to watch those whom in the past had lived privately. Society has become fascinated with the "lives on display" type of media, and it has thrived and is still thriving. It seems that wherever we go in our popular culture the ability to identify surveillance is always present. As we are surrounded by media outlets, both current and primitive, that are readily accessible to us.

me and my baby sister!...who's taller than me.