Sally, 11/06

Deconstruction, surveillance, and binary opposition made for some very interesting post-class thoughts. I thought the exercise in deconstruction of words to be extremely interesting and understandable. It was amazing how "scholar" deferred to "erudite," to "learned," and so on, until we found ourselves back at "erudite." That tautology was demonstrated effectively. Language, and the deconstruction of language, is always a fascinating topic!

Surveillance - it comes in so many different forms and is increasingly prevalent in our society. I just finished watching the local news and got a dose of Foucault's perspective: "Our society is one not of spectacle, but of surveillance." (101) I have to ask "how on earth did we get here as a society?" A news story featured kids being subjected to biometrics (fingerprinting for identification.) Hmmmmm....and, "Why might that be occuring?" the reasonable man asks. It appears that a local middle and/or elementary school has come up with an idea that will require students to be fingerprinted in order to eat lunch in the school cafeteria. Are you wondering how the two are related, like I am?

An authority figure from the school gently and "logically" explained that this is really for the parents. Of course!!! Hah! It seems the school is implementing this invasive procedure under the guise of helping parents to know what their kids are choosing to eat for lunch. That will be accomplished by fingerprinting the child, then the child has to be subject to the biometric process in order to get his/her lunch. Guess what the critics say? Yep, "they" feel this will cause the children to become accustomed to "big brotherism." Can't say I find fault with their logic!!

I recall in the early 80s, the invasion of privacy I felt when my newborn son was required to "apply" for a social security number. Prior to the 80s, applying for a ss# was a right of passage....usually, a teen would do it when he/she was working a first job. I knew parents who balked at the "new" social security requirement on principle (it was never intended to be used for identification and even reflects that premise in "blue" on the card!) Eventually, the system was yielded to for practical reasons, and both my sons had ss#s before they could talk or even walk. It would have been too difficult not to "be like everyone else." The fingerprints are an extension of this (potential) surveillance - well, actually, it is truly surveillance because the kids are being monitored as to their eating habits in the school cafeteria. Geez. As an individual, that is offensive to me! It defeats the whole purpose of encouraging our children to make wise choices and giving them the independence to do so! This other approach of surveillance "keeps everybody afraid" and, therefore, controlled - another theme of Foucault.

The last topic I'd like to comment on is binary opposition. I'm really glad Derrida opened the door to Foucault to explore this topic further. The first example I think of is what's happening in the arena of high school or college sports - any team sports, for that matter. You have the teams and you have fans. Teams compete. Fans cheer. And, that's all that is allowed anymore, it seems. Before a Stetson basketball game recently, I listened to a 3 minute spiel given by the announcer that advised "the crowd" that expressive cheering, jeering, or jubilation that caused you to rise from your seat, would not be tolerated. That is not verbatim, but in principle, it is exactly what was said - sit there, in other words...clap when appropriate. So, we have binary opposition with sports: a pumped up team, and a deflated, controlled fan base. What's that all about? Thank goodness not all institutions practice such a policy....yet. Georgia Southern University in Statesboro has special memories for our family and, thankfully, the students there know what it's like to be part of a great fan base....there is true school spirit! Jeers, intimidation, and cheers all occur. You root for your team whether it's football, basketball or volleyball....and EVERYBODY has a great time. From what I hear, the institution is following suit with its prohibitions against excessive fan enthusiasm, but so far, they've not been successful in quelling "fan spirit." That's what sports is supposed to be about - the players get adrenaline rushes, and so do the fans! Increasingly, we're seeing binary opposites showing up in our educational system. I'll end with the "hug story" featured on the national news today. Hugs are prohibited in particular schools to protect the school from sexual harrassment. I'm not talking about out-of-place PDA, but comforting, friendly hugs....I'll end this by asking, "do we really need to make school an emotionless environment that prohibits even "hugs?" Honestly, where are we headed as a society???? The binary opposition I see with the educational system is that it sounds a call for a more civil and caring society, but in practice, it is conditioning students to be "fearful" of expressing a basic human emotion in the form of an innocent hug. Saying it doesn't make sense is an understatement........I don't think I'll watch anymore news tonight.