This morning after driving to the
UofA like I usually do (despite the end semester stress), something that we
learned in class suddenly hit me. I was about to make a left turn and was
contemplating turning into the further lane instead of the one on the immediate left. I had to make a right turn after the immediate left
turn, so I thought it would be easier to just do it, despite it being illegal.
However, just as I was getting ready to turn, I decided to be a good citizen
and turn into the appropriate lane last minute—but why?
Well, it was simple—I did not want
a ticket. It was a peculiar reason, because there were no visible police cars
near me (I had made sure to check). Then, why was I so afraid to turn into that
lane. After all, it was definitely more convenient. As I went down the road, I
continued to do the legal thing—turn into the closest lane, signal over into
the right lane, make a complete stop, and go the posted limit. I was the
definition of a good driver. When I very legally pulled into a parking space
upon my arrival, I realized that I had driven so carefully because I was afraid
of a police coming out of nowhere and pulling me over. Now, this was actually
very rational as nowadays, unmarked police cars stroll the streets just waiting
to pull over unsuspecting citizens and other police cars are hidden in small
streets waiting to do the same—we are constantly watched.
This made
me think about panopticism and how everything is constantly monitored. Furthermore,
it made me think about Michel Foucault’s Surveillir
et Punir. A quick sidenote (as I am a French major): The translation of
this title caught my eye in particular—Surveillir
et Punir translated to Discipline and Punish, where Surveillir—meaning to
watch—is replaced by Discipline in English, which suddenly changes the meaning
of the title. Going back to the actual content of the book, there is a
mechanism in the book, where because it is possible that people are being
watched without them knowing, they do not risk doing something that will get
them in trouble. The discipline described by Foucault is as a “way to control
people by making them feel like they are under constant surveillance”.
In
conclusion, I felt the weight of this “surveillir et punir”-type situation
afterwards. The reason that I did not make an illegal turn was because I was
afraid. After passing by red and blue lights flashing from what seemed to be a
normal car so many times, watching in compassion for the poor guy that
had gotten caught, I had come to fear what I could not see. We follow traffic
laws because we assume that someone is watching, in an unmarked vehicle or not,
and will catch us on our mistakes. After locking my car and heading towards
class, I realized that I was a very well-disciplined citizen, meaning that all
the surveillance had had a very strong effect on me, which I suspect is the
case for everyone, proving how effective it is as a discipline method.
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