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Panoptic institutions: Bars and Clubs



The venue itself is a construct that can be related to the panopticon, as nearly every inch is covered by CCTV, the guards and the figures in place like cleverly placed chessboard pieces. 
The systems for discipline are in place; dont act too drunk or boistrous, do not be offensive, do not dance in such a way, do not question anyone involved in the structure of the institution, but all of these result in the same outcome, exclusion/banishment and possibly an even higher power will intervene to deal with yourself: the police. The tower is not fixed, but instead is the omnipotent force acting behind the scenes, sometimes completely hidden from the public eye, which leads the customers into a false sense of security,  by having a wide open space to coerce in, they have no idea that 'visiblity is a trap' (Foucault on Thomas 2000 p 80) this then makes the customer an 'object of information, never a subject in communication' (Foucault on Thomas 2000 p 80)

The bouncers/security guards are the visible authority figures. When most people approach a venue, if they appear to be jaunty and inebriated at any level, the subject to the institution (the drinker) almost immediatley calms themselves down, thus 'self-regulating' before they have even stepped into the institution. This is due to the figure of authority's 'right' to ' excerising individual control function... that of binary division and branding' (Foucault in Thomas 2000 p 79) if the person in question is either drunk enough to be a threat or drunk enough to contribute to the institution's code of entertainment conduct, basically to be let into the bar/club to drink.
 

Places such as bars and clubs have the authority figures such as bouncers, bartenders, security guards and a manager, as each person plays a part in the overall experience of a person's night out in the venue, it determines the outcome of how the person in question will act on the evening. 
The hierachal structure within the venue works on a relay of messages and relies on the communication of authority figures, cleverly disguised as docile bodies apparently lost in the tasks they have to do on a regular basis, eg collecting glasses, pouring drinks etc. It is their job along with the rest of the infrastructure 'to observe all disorder' (Foucault in Thomas 2000 p 76) and to keep up a 'system of permanent registration' which includes the 'reports from the syndics to the intendants, from the intendants to the magistrate' (Foucault in Thomas 2000 p 77) in this case the magistrate refers to the managar, or the security guard watching the CCTV. The CCTV is the 'omnipresent and omniscient power' (Foucault in Thomas 2000 p 78) which inevitably creates the 'institutional gaze' mentioned in Foucault's theory.




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Panoptic Institutions

This is an animation from the Northernly known David Firth.I chose this as another possible example of
panopticism. Obviously the school is an example of this, but if I fast forward to the part in the video, where the WCFBS(world centre for banning stuff) are the institutional power that dominates the viewers (entire public) by using quite blatant disciplinary techniques of responding to what they hear/see via a network of secret bugs, cameras, and undercover agents.

This helps to maintain social order by constantly being in the knowledge of what the public are doing in their homes, and eventually stirs the public to be in constant fear of what liberties will be taken away from them. This is also supported by the way the institute keeps order, by removing certain liberties such as privacy and objects that are relative to the norm of living, it slowly drives the citizens to madness.
Instead of hiding away certain individuals, or deviants, or miscreants etc, they segregate the entire "nations" sense of self, and as a result of their actions, the dominant power rips apart the individuals sense of self, and who they are in relation to each other.

At the end of the video, it becomes apparent that the situation has spiralled way out of control, with the dominant force losing all c ontrol of their once powerful institutional gaze, instead, the newly formed nation are now a collective of docile bodies! By eliminating the media threat that is always under survellience and rebranding of taboos that may damage us, they have created a panoptic utopia that Foucault would of had a field day at. After you watch your opinion may differ as to how relevant this particular example is, but I will think you will find it an interesting piece for discussion.

WARNING STRONG LANGUAGE. DO NOT WATCH IF EASILY OFFENDED.