Sunday, April 21, 2013
a complex relation
so many things have been said about the boston marathon bombing. but possibly what stayed most in mind, long after the news were over, was how the suspects were identified through cameras. hundreds of them, thousands even. from CCTVs to handhelds. lenses that look and watch nearly our every move. like multiple eyes of the behemoth that is the System. the State. how these eyes are the eyes of the panopticon that is Michel Foucault's metaphor for the disciplinary power.
and when the armed forces moved to make their presence tangible, demonstrating the State's authoritative power directly over people's lives, stopping literally the movement of a town, of a city, we are reminded again of how complex is the relation between the individual and the State. like separate beings. even though at times the two may be indistinguishable from each other.
like separate beings wresting for power.
how the State flexes its muscles, showing its strength, saying: I will hunt you down. I will bring you down. you must not be allowed--as no one else is allowed--to question the Order.
how the resistance boldly makes its mark. taunting: Oh Power! see just how much it takes you to take down a 19-year-old boy!
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