Wireless Suffocation

The privileged few who reside power over the masses have made it their duty to find new and more efficient ways to rule the land. As a model of a small community the prison system serves as an effective guinea pig for the powerful who wish to obtain rule through the constriction of rights of those who are less fortunate. One of these ideas from the prison system has now made its way into our daily lives, my life in particular. This idea I speak of is the panopticon. The panopticon was a prison built in the 17th century that was centered around the assumption that a “watched” prisoner is more likely to obey the rules than a prisoner who didn't know they were being “watched” . A tower was placed in the center of the cylinder where the cell's were located. The prisoner could not see into but the guards could see out of and into of all the cells at any given time. Thus fear of being watched now could rule the masses. The idea of the panopticon has now found its ally in technology in the form of security cameras.
How this effects me is that I now work for a retail chain who had installed cameras in the store in order to prevent theft. Perfectly fine with me because even though I have many shortcomings being a thief isn't one of them. What I did find strange was that the cameras in the store were not faced towards the merchandise nor other areas in the store where a customer would steal. In fact, the cameras were only face towards the employees. But even this did not bother me. What I found the most devious was that months later corporate headquarters had a technician come out and install a feed from the store's cameras to a loss prevention station in another state that could be watch at any given time. There has been no case where this has become a deterrent of theft in stores. It is becoming evident to me that this feed was not for the problem of theft but more for the reason to gain leverage over its employees by making them fear that they are being watched. Like inmates in the prison system employees now have lost individual identity because they no longer feel as though they are a free people.
Conformity in the workplace is now the only way, and just as prisoners would perpetuate fear among themselves so have the salesman. Even I have said to another employee, “ Be careful what you do in the store because they are watching.” I now look back and realize what a tool I have become. Have we as a society become so weak that we can no longer distinguish what is an imposition on our rights and what is not? Security cameras are a breach of the innocent's right to live as a free citizen whether they are on the job or not, and a person in another state should not have the right to watch nor the right pass judgment of a person they view on a security feed unless an actual crime has taken place.
James Battle

To Be Aware or Not To Be

Phoebe Marie Knox
Blog 4
At the end of my ideal work day, I come home and kick off my shoes. I aimlessly search my bed for the remote; I turn on the TV, get in the shower, bathe then relax on my bed. That is my idea of free time, doing absolutely nothing and procrastinating on the things I need to do. What I actually do in my free time is laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and going to the gym. My free time is spent organizing my life for work and school.
In the essay Free Time by Theodor W. Adorno, Adorno explains that “free time” is socially constructed and that it doesn’t truly exist. Free time is an illusion created by mass society. It is the “word” used to identify individuals when they are not in a professional setting. Free time is supposed to be the time used for individuals to recuperate before they return to work. Free time can be occupied by reading, sports, and/or hobbies. “Free time” is not really leisure time because society is not free, only followers of mass society. According to Adorno, a mass society is suppose to have a real culture and is autonomous. However, in reality mass society is dead, repetitive, and has no value- autonomy is lost.
Adorno explains, “Unfreedom is expanding within free time, and most of the unfree people are as unconscious of the process as they are of their own freedom.” (168) Adorno discusses that individuals can be set free if they are aware that they are captives of mass society. By becoming aware of their limitations people can attempt to make un-coerced decisions, or live a more self governed life. Although I understand the concept; I disagree, ignorance is bliss. If an individual is not aware that they are a socially constructed zombie, they will think they are an individual and in control of their idea of free time. Adorno’s idea of freedom only reveals a mental prison.
Adorno’s idea of unfreedom is similar to the theme of the major motion picture the Matrix. The Matrix is about a man being exposed and fighting for freedom and control from a computer generated society. Neo, the lead character, has an option to be part of the real world or remain in the computer generated society. Neo is propositioned my Morpheus, the leader of the unplugged, to either take a red pill or a blue pill. The red pill will awake Neo from the computer generated world that he thinks is reality. The blue pill will have Neo remain in his current reality and unaware of the truth around him. This is an excerpt from the movie between Neo and Morpheus,
Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere, it is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, or when go to church or when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind. (long pause, sighs) Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.
(In his left hand, Morpheus shows a blue pill.)
Morpheus: You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. (a red pill is shown in his other hand) You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. (Long pause; Neo begins to reach for the red pill) Remember -- all I am offering is the truth, nothing more.
(Neo takes the red pill and swallows it with a glass of water)
The rest of the movie consists of Neo and the crew of unplugged fighting for freedom from the computer generated world. The revelation of the truth becomes its own prison and fight. The Alice in Wonderland world that Neo opened himself to is autonomous because it is opposite from the mass society that are controlled. However, Neo was not aware that he was not in control until it was revealed to him that it wasn’t. Neo may be aware to the truth, but his new reality has its own limitations and poverty.
The concepts that are in the mass society: “the pursuit of happiness,” “life is what you make it,” “be all you can be” ECT. make individuals feel although they are in control. Adorno’s idea explains that those with money are more privileged and that concepts of mass society are socially constructed.
To become aware will only make apparent the cages mass society is constrained to.

you gotta fight, for your right, to.... freedom.

In his writing Theodor Adorno discusses the concept of “free time” in which he claims that “in reality, neither in their work nor in their consciousness are people unfreely in charge of themselves.” Thinking about Adorno’s argument that what people may consider being free time is really a social constructed concept, I came to examine my own life and my perception of free time.

While in my professional life I am extremely occupied with work during the day, I am continuously thinking about work when I arrive home at the end of the day. Thoughts of what I need to get done that I have not finished or what I will have to do the next day take up the time where I should be in leisure. Still, when I take time to relax by having something to eat, arrange my home, and do chores, I find my self organizing and preparing myself for the next work day. As Adorno states, “unfreedom is expanding within free time, and most of the unfree people are as unconscious of the process as they are of their own freedom.”

In a social aspect when I take time for leisure to spend time with friends, work is one of the initial topics of conversation. When you meet new people one of the first questions that rise is what your occupation is. Therefore even in my free time I feel myself trapped in my work life.

The perception of what one does as an occupation and how much money they generate dictates how much time one can take for leisure. While in the work place I find myself getting distracted with thoughts of having free time to travel. However, even when considering taking a trip I must take into consideration being available in case I need to work while I am away. This completely defeats the idea of freedom because I am still trapped in work. Also the time I am able to be away is limited and controlled by my employer. Financially in order for me to be able to afford to take a vacation and have free time I need to make money so that I am comfortable and able to take a vacation. Those thoughts of having “free time” are complete function of an industry of profit.

The realization is that even my hobby and my idea of “leisure” is profit driven and a restricting institutionalized industry. I consider dancing salsa my hobby, I find that it relieves my stress, clears my mind and provides me with much enjoyment. However, when examining the process I must go through to enjoy my free time I see that my freedom is constrained. To take dance lessons I have to be at a certain place at a specific time. I have to pay a fee to participate in a class, a class that is framed as a work place. In a dance class structure you need to show up at a certain time, follow the instructions of an instructor that may be seen as an authority figure, a boss. The “boss” provides you with guidance and teaches you a set of dance steps. One needs to learn, memorize, practice and perform in a uniform way an exact task that is given, in order for the end result to be successful. My hobby resembles my work settings more than an activity that is supposed to be liberating.

As a result instead of leisure one finds themselves being confined to the class formation. This becomes what Adorno describes as a “pseudo-activity”. The fact that I have to plan out my day around being on time to take a dance class for my enjoyment eliminates the idea of freedom. “The pseudo-activities are fictions and parodies of the productivity society, on the one hand incessantly demands and on the other hand confines and in fact does not really desire in individuals at all”.

The notion of “free time” is a complete contradiction in our society because of the fact that even when we have free time we conform into some kind of a framed institution, must pay for our enjoyment or be under a time constraint.

Teeing Off On Panopticism

During lecture and discussion on Chapter 3 of the Cartwright-Sturken textbook, Foucault’s “panopticon” metaphor was brought forth. This idea, derived from sociologist Jeremy Bentham's “panopticon” design of a prison, where in a guard tower is strategically placed in the center of a prison so that a guard placed in the tower can observe any prisoner at any time, but never vice-versa, is that people behave accordingly without any knowledge or evidence of being surveilled. An example of this in class was the “Homer, Lisa and the 10 Commandments” episode of the Simpsons, wherein Lisa, taking the commandment “thou shalt not steal” to heart, feels guilty about Homer using a black box to get free cable television service. A prime example of the panopticon that I put forward is the game of golf. It is a game traditionally played by the affluent members of society who are expected to conduct themselves as proper ladies and gentlemen.

Golf, a game as old as its traditional participants are wealthy, remains to this day a unique sport due to the traditional way it is conducted. For the over ninety-nine percent of competitive participants who don’t play on television, it is a game where participants are expected to govern themselves accordingly, or in some cases, themselves and a playing partner (usually under the official United States Golf Association’s Rules Of Golf): everything from knowing where and how you can play your ball, to even assessing yourself a penalty of a stroke or more. Ordinarily, especially during competitive play, there are a handful of course rangers or rules officials who drive around the course, usually stopping at higher elevation points on the course or parked in a rather foliage-thick area, to both provide shade and concealment from any ill-intended competitors who seek to take advantage of their situation on the course.

Having played the game competitively myself and with others a number of times, I have run into this struggle on occasion. The desire to post a lower score or to benefit a team oftentimes clashes with the wanting to be an honest and ethical competitor. Upon the moment of beneficial alteration of one’s situation on the course, there is always that signature three-hundred and sixty degree gaze to make sure no one is watching. The possibility of someone discovering the cheating act and the player being labeled with the stigma of a “cheater” is oftentimes too thick of a cloud to escape. It is this fear of discovery that not only keeps Lisa Simpson and prison guards in line, but virtually all people in any structured environment.

Of course, there are ends of the spectrum. These include those who unabashedly cheat while participating in the game (doing whatever it takes to post a lower score), and yet those who carry a copy of the rule book in their golf bag with the objective of playing by rules in the strictest manner, and expecting any playing partner to conduct themselves likewise. These represent vastly different reactions to Foucault's idea of panopticism. One is driven to the most rigid obedience of the rules while the other is driven to disregard authority in exchange for benefit of their score.

Panopticism in the game of golf is a factor that has remained a staple in the game as long as the golf club, golf ball and hole. It is a fascinating glance into a person’s moral fiber, at least in approaching a game that has the potential to be as rewarding as it usually is maddening. There is the age old question: if you just hit a ball in the water - and no one was watching - did it just happen?

Theodore W. Adorno makes a brave claim on the idea of “free time” and what constitutes as such. Once separated from ideological forces and asseverations, he presents his suspicion that “free time is tending toward the opposite of its own concept and is becoming a parody of itself. Unfreedom is expanding within free time, and most of the unfree people are as unconscious of the process as they are of their own unfreedom” (168). If this is true, and what we think of as leisure activity in fact bears no resemblance to its true name, then what can we, the shackled working class venture to say is free time? In the world according to Adorno, true autonomy makes up free time and can only be reached when we’re able to separate ourselves from ideology and our “culture industry”. It is achieved when we do what we actually want to do, rather than what we think we want to do. I liken this idea to playing music, not necessarily writing or composing, or even listening to, but simply playing with the intent of achieving an aesthetic gratification that can be set apart from one induced by a mass culture.

I’m not privileged enough to gain any compensation for my hobby, and I only call it a “hobby” because it is not what I do, meaning only a small portion of my everyday life is allotted to it; playing the piano. This is what I do: I work and I go to school. This is what my world revolves around, not because I want it to, but because it’s what I’m told to do and so I do it. Adorno argues that he is truly privileged because he does what he loves and he gets paid for it. His “work” just so happens to coincide with his free time and autonomy takes place because the polarity between the two does not exist. “My work, the production of philosophical and sociological studies and university teaching so far has been so pleasant to me that I am unable to express it within that opposition to free time that the current razor-sharp classification demands from people” (168). He is ultimately free because of this description of his life. But I would venture to say that although I don’t get paid for doing what I love, and while I’m still bound to the work force that apparently sabotages most of my “free time”, I do have this “hobby” that remains unattached from the constraints of a valueless mass culture, one which I’d like to remain liberated from.

Any effort for myself or other want-to-be dissidents to seek abdication and a sense of disillusionment from the artificial framework of this mass (or commercial) culture will be difficult because, according to Adorno, most people cannot even tell what being free is, even in regards to music, which the culture industry has perverted and pre-digested in order to capture the masses. Adorno argues that Popular music, a product which serves as a sort of respite from work by inducing relaxation, is cheap commercial entertainment that is “patterned and pre-digested” in order to spare the masses the effort of any participation, “without which there can be no receptivity to art” or music, thus serving as only a distraction from what could be free time.

While my musical talents resemble mediocrity at best, regardless, this vehicle I employ to kill time is authentic and meaningful to me. Similar to Adorno’s description, playing music is a “hobby” which is an integral element of my existence, and therefore adequately satiates the space of free time.

The Lucky Few, The Lucky Free

I wish it were easy to list numerous examples of people I have encountered who have a passion for what they do after 25 or 30 years in their field of choice, but sadly it is a rare find to say the least. People are slaves to labor and are consumed by society’s social imposition of what ones free time should be. Adorno’s argument in “Free Time” is that people are not free during their work time or free time even though they consciously believe they do, “people do not notice in what ways they are unfree even in the areas where they feel the most free, because the rule of such unfreedom has been abstracted from them.” (Adorno, 170)

Specifically, my father qualifies for a unique spectrum of Adorno’s argument that breaks through the droll conundrum that many subconsciously endure because his enjoyment from his activities can not be limited to the term hobby.

He is a part of an elite club of individuals in society who get a paycheck for doing what they love, turning a hobby into a career which makes him the envy of many self loathing 9-5ers wishing they were anywhere but sitting behind their desk all day confined to a cubicle. My father is a Golf Course Superintendent for a private 36-hole golf course that he has access to 365 days a year. A part of his job description is “testing the greens” which is outlined in his job requirements meaning he HAS to play golf. If you talk to any middle class, middle age, white suburban male what the ideal job would be you could easily find a commonality within their answers concluding in, “I want to play golf and get paid to do it.”

Similarly, Adorno also categorizes himself in to “someone privileged, with the requisite measure of both fortune and guilt, as one who had the rare opportunity to seek out and arrange his work according to his own intentions.” (Adorno, 169) He states that his work is nothing that qualifies as a “hobby” because they are a part of passions that he occupies his time with, not treating his mind and body like a vegetable in a state of boredom.

Transitioning from my father who I believe to be of the working “Holy Grail” in which he likes his job tremendously to where it is not considered a task nor hobby, but something that has truly satisfied him for the past thirty years, to the norm of individuals who find themselves caught in the confusion of “free time.”

Indeed people are doing work in their unfree time whether they realize it or not and as Adorno mentions the growth of technology doing most of the things that once people had to use manual labor to accomplish; people have more free time on their hands. A trend in our society is to recoup from what people do for work on their downtime to do something that “regenerates labor power.” (Adorno, 169) Many people fill this “free time” with a hobby to occupy themselves outside of work and to give a sense of being well-rounded.

For Examples, DIY projects which are time consuming and never gratifying because no matter how well the average person does the project, it still is a cheaper imitation of what the end product should resemble making it unhappy experience for the worker to take on for a hobby.

Truly Adorno’s argument states a guideline that “free time should in no way whatsoever suggest work” (Adorno, 169) which is where people get the mixed message of what to do with their free time because the ideology of doing something productive makes since yet doing something in the field of boredom is what our culture reinforces for lazy Americans. Adorno says that “time free from labor is supposed to regenerate labor power” yet if you never feel that your working enough to take a break than you avoid the means of boredom or doing useless hobbies that are mindless and accomplish nothing productive to contribute to society or oneself such as sunbathing, like my father is fortunate enough to do.

The American News Media: The New Face of Propaganda

In chapter 6 of the textbook, Practices of Looking, Cartwright and Sturken discuss the restrictions of media content and the media blackout during the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003:

“The U.S. Military has systematically limited the activities of reporters and photojournalists in war zones since the Persian Gulf War of 1991.”

The chapter also explores how the U.S. military was instrumental in restricting reporters by implanting them in certain platoons and patrols among other things. This example shows how media coverage and reports can be used as forms of propaganda and how factual reports of what is really going on in the region can be manipulated to misrepresent information to the American public.

In the past two decades, the news media has become a 24 hour cycle, which made it much easier for the misinformation about the Iraq War to be spread. News channels such as CNN, MSNBC, FOX and others fell under the umbrella of the media blackout. What the media blackout entailed was that all the news channels had to obey the gag order due to “security” concerns. While some of these “security” concerns were legitimate such as protecting the locations of army bases and US and allied soldiers, other concerns have made it difficult for reporters to do their jobs. The video I have analyzed is from CNN, and features Howard Kurtz and CBS News reporter Lara Logan discussing the “negative” coverage of the war in Iraq. In this video, there is no audio to be heard or images to be seen concerning the factual situation of what is going on in Iraq which can be safely said that the gag order was well in effect at the time this interview was conducted.

In this interview with CNN's Howard Kurtz, Lara Logan appeared to defend why she was reporting “negatively” on these stories of the US Army losing control of the region and how the military has been making it increasingly difficult to for her and other reporters to do their jobs due to “security” measures in the region. In the video, Logan does not only criticize CNN and other news outlets for not reporting factually on the war in Iraq; she questions the nature of the restrictions the military has imposed on any news coverage. Logan says that US soldiers and innocent civilians were being killed because of the US military presence trying to control the region.

Logan also revealed that there were so many reconstruction project stories being played over and over on CNN in order to reassure the American public that the war effort has been successful so far and the troops had been successful in stabilizing the region. During this time, CNN's news coverage of the Iraq War consisted mostly of reconstruction efforts and projects located in one or two villages in the region, while there was little to no coverage about Iraqi civilians and US troops being killed in the bombings. CNN is not the only network that has done this, but this video exemplifies the point that Cartwright and Sturken discuss, which is the issue about deceiving the public at large and withholding information. In this video, Howard Kurtz is using a form of propaganda by disagreeing and arguing with Lara Logan in order to “reassure” the American viewer who is watching this video and doing so by discrediting Logan, even if what she was saying was factual.

This media blackout had lasted until 2006 when the public outcry became overwhelming and the public wanted to know what was really happening to the troops and people in Iraq. Not much has changed since the public outcry for factual reporting, but the stories coming from Iraq appear to be more balanced in their “negative” and “positive” coverage. This is propaganda at its purest form. This tactic plays to both sides that people have taken concerning the war and reached a compromise in order to lead the public to believe that the media is not controlled by the government and that what they are seeing is fact.

-Maricruz Gonzalez