Talking about surveillance and the whole sense of paranoia made be compare my culture's take on the issue.
I think that, and I definitely felt it, there is a more 'tense' aura in the USA/developed countries. For example: I am much more relaxed when in a Latin American/Third World airport than I am in first world airports. Because of established development of technology and embedded thought that in the first world things actually work, surveillance becomes more serious and possible. I think Americans feel this too. Take your typical college spring break to Mexico; you can tell how relaxed Americans get because not only are drinking laws different but they are also more weakly reinforced.
In developed countries, there is a feeling that someone is watching you and that laws will be imposed no matter what. It's funny because people from Latin America (from my experience) will actually change their behavior when in these countries out of fear. Police are a great example. When we talked about there being "dummies" inside police cars I was shocked. In El Salvador, you seldom even see a police car in the streets. There is an overall feel in the air that changes based on the level of 'surveillance'.
I am not saying it is good or bad. I actually think El Salvador may need a little more of it, but it is just interesting to notice this. I am constantly tense when I am here. I fear doing things wrong or getting into trouble. I don't feel this way in El Salvador or any of the other third world places I have been. Everything seems more relaxed.
I think that, and I definitely felt it, there is a more 'tense' aura in the USA/developed countries. For example: I am much more relaxed when in a Latin American/Third World airport than I am in first world airports. Because of established development of technology and embedded thought that in the first world things actually work, surveillance becomes more serious and possible. I think Americans feel this too. Take your typical college spring break to Mexico; you can tell how relaxed Americans get because not only are drinking laws different but they are also more weakly reinforced.
In developed countries, there is a feeling that someone is watching you and that laws will be imposed no matter what. It's funny because people from Latin America (from my experience) will actually change their behavior when in these countries out of fear. Police are a great example. When we talked about there being "dummies" inside police cars I was shocked. In El Salvador, you seldom even see a police car in the streets. There is an overall feel in the air that changes based on the level of 'surveillance'.
I am not saying it is good or bad. I actually think El Salvador may need a little more of it, but it is just interesting to notice this. I am constantly tense when I am here. I fear doing things wrong or getting into trouble. I don't feel this way in El Salvador or any of the other third world places I have been. Everything seems more relaxed.
I love your juxtaposition between first world countries and third world countries, and the overt differences in feelings of security and safety. Foucalt’s concept of the panopticon and the feeling of being “constantly watched” is one of the feelings that I think people of color often associate within a developed country. For example, I feel the level of surveillance increases for what society deems as potential criminals. I feel that bodies that are black and brown are surveyed more often than white bodies.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that the specter of surveillance is more notably felt by people of color. People of color are surveyed for minute actions, even killed for it. Agents of the RSA’s and ISA’s often purposefully survey and harass people of color, more specifically, people that they may associate with criminal behavior. These people are deemed as “enemies of the state” almost immediately.
For instance, at airports, I cannot count the number of times my family may have been held back for an extra search or seizure. Many times, my brother, my father, or my boyfriend would be held in suspicious by authorities. One of my good friends was held in an airport for up to a day, along with his family, because he shared a name and birthday with a terrorist. His children were held and interrogated as well. They were kids at the time.
When talking about the panopticon, it is important to note the undue burden of surveillance felt by women, men, and children of color. Whereas in some cases the panopticon can be ignored, for them it cannot.
Hey Luci!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate with you on this one. There is 100% more ‘tense’ aura for us in USA/Developed countries. Living in different countries around the world, I definetly see the change on security and surveillance within each of the countries airports. In an airport in Latin America no one will ever get double checked or ask for inspection because of your color or looks. In the USA, ALWAYS, and I am not kidding, latinos of colors are sent to ‘el cuartico’ ( the little room) when passing through immigration to ask a series of questions. In Europe, when I traveled to from Belgium and Amsterdam, you are suppose to pass through a simple security, but I had to go through a very complex one and when I turned around it was always people of brown/tan color like me, never a white person.
I understand we are living in a era where multiple terrorist attacks have happened, but there should not be a ‘race factor’ when looking on surveillance and protection for terrorism and mass massacres. Specially in the US, several of the terror and mass murders made by people from different races. Color does not represent the face of terror or danger.