#panoptic power

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

SOCIAL SORTING AND THE LCBO

"Fundamentally, the practice of sorting requires a means of differentiating one object from another - it thus necessitates a classification system - “a set of boxes (metaphysical or literal) into which things can be put to then do some kind of work" (Bowker and Star 2000: 10). In the case of the LCBO, the "boxes" were to be filled based on its prejudiced and stereotypical understanding of types of drinkers; the "work" at hand was to sort out those deemed unworthy of the permit privilege. Within these types of systems, classifications play key roles in building an understanding of objects and in providing for the analysis, comparison, and sorting of them. The classifications used and developed within a system not only represent social, political, and organizational agendas, but also act as a kind of social scaffolding on which social action is overlaid (Bowker and Star 2000: 102).

The first line of classification came through the liquor permits themselves in tracking the purchases of all permit holders across the province. The LCBO used purchase records as a means of identifying those considered to be problem users, as well as those in need of selective prohibition due to their own inability to resist the immorality and abuse brought on by liquor. In this way the Board initially separated those considered worthy of the permit privilege from those who - based on racial or socio-cultural considerations - presented an overly risky possibility of intemperance, corruption, and wrongdoing.

The Board's social sorting classification system and its subsequent means of perceiving/constructing individuals began with simple distinctions. Under the rubric of social sorting, the Board divided the population into five groups: (1) those who did not drink; (2) those who did drink but could handle the temptation to imbibe intemperately and impose self-control upon themselves;  (3) those who did drink and required extra supervision to avoid contact with (4) those who could not, or would not, exercise self-control; and (5) those who simply posed too great a risk either to the Board's reputation for promoting moderation and control or to the likelihood of exposing the Board to all. Each subsequent "sort" represented a perceived elevation in the level of all associated risk. The Board applied strict classifications to place individuals associated with these categories and differentiate how people should be treated and mediated as LCBO instructions and circulars made clear - depicting in different words the types of individuals to whom it restricted access to liquor (LCBO Circular no. 829, 1929, no. 1601, 1934).

The Board informed its employees of this classificatory distinction based on self-control, separating the second group, which could enact self-control, and group three, those who needed extra supervision to do so, from group four, the people who could not or would not control themselves. The technology of the liquor permit maintained these distinctions. In a 1928 circular the Board explained:

Persons who cannot or will not exercise self-control and moderation in the use of liquor are hardly suitable as permittees, since they create prejudice against the law, for which they voted. The law was not designed to facilitate excessive and harmful indulgence. An abuser of the permit privilege prejudices the welfare of himself and dependents, sometimes to an extreme degree. Virtually he is, by his immoderation, a "knocker" of the law. Such cases are comparatively few, as it is estimated that those who abuse the permit privileges are not more than 5% and certainly less than 10% of permittees, but they are the cases for us to concentrate upon, with a view to bringing them to reason, or terminating their permits... the real addict should not have a permit at all. (LCBO Circular no. 497, 1928)

To maintain the validity of the liquor permit as an identifier of those capable of drinking in a temperate manner, LCBO staff and policing organizations scrutinized purchases within the permit book; in cases of intemperance, displayed through drunkenness, bootlegging, misspending of income. For other violations of the Liquor Control Act or LCBO regulations, they were to suggest the confiscation of the permit (LCBO Vendor's Instructions 1927; LCBO Circular no. 333, 1928). The revoked permits were sent to head office (LCBO Special Instructions 1927; 6). However, people who had their permits revoked thus had no permits - stamped or otherwise - and the LCBO thus lacked a means of ensuring that those classified as "unworthy of the permit privilege" and in need of control retained this status and were barred from obtaining a new liquor permit."

- Gary Genosko and Scott Thompson, Punched Drunk: Alcohol, Surveillance and the LCBO 1927–1975. Winnipeg and Halifax: Fernwood Press, 2009. p. 89-90

[addasparkle]

Me going absolutely feral when we are learning about archives and the teacher mentions the panopticon

[harunayuuka2060]

Twst Unveil Event Part 3

Philomela: I hope everyone had a good night's sleep!

NRC, NBC, and RSA: YES!

Philomela: Great! Because you all are going to experience some body pain today!

The students: ...

Epel: Haha... Not everyone seems excited now.

Yuurin: She's never good in motivating anyone.

Malleus: How come she became your mentor?

Yuurin: My mother.

Malleus: Oh.

Philomela: I'll be explaining to you the mechanics now!

Philomela: Today will be the elimination round! You are free to attack anyone you please! And you have all the permission to use any type of moves even magic to your own advantage!

NBC student A: Eh? Isn't this a wrestling event?

NBC student B: If magic is involved, then we'll have better chances of winning.

RSA student A: Won't it be fair to not use any magic at all?

RSA student B: Yes. It feels wrong.

Philomela: Ha! Why? Do you think you can win just because you use magic?

The students: ...

Rook: Madame is right! There are many factors we need to consider!

Ruggie: Hm. Yuurin, you never used magic in any of your wrestling competitions, did you?

Yuurin: No.

Jack: I see. Does that mean...

Yuurin: Philomela is not impressed to any of them. That's why she's willing to give them a leverage to make this match worthwhile.

Floyd: Ne~ Mrs. Whale~ What other things we should remember for this elimination round?

Philomela: Nothing much, except that you have 30 minutes to fight anyone.

Floyd: Yay~!

Jade: Oh dear... *chuckles*

Epel: Can't I really join?

Rook: You'll get yourself hurt, Monsieur Crabapple.

Epel: *pouts*

Sebek: I promise to win this round, Waka-sama!

Silver: This is only an elimination round, Sebek.

Malleus: Do your best, Sebek, Silver.

Sebek/Silver: Yes, Waka-sama!/Malleus.

Ruggie: I guess this is the part where we start recording—

Philomela: Spectators! There is a designated room for us!

Malleus, Ruggie, Jack, Jade, and Epel: Huh?

Philomela: *leads them to a room that offers a panoptic view of the locations in the Kingdom of Heroes*

Epel: Whoa... *in amazement*

Philomela: Sick, isn't it?

Jade: Indeed. I've never been to such place before.

Jack: Ah! I can see everyone clearly!

Philomela: *laughs* Yes! This room will cater to your needs! Foods, drinks, and a good entertainment!

Rollo: *looks displeased*

Neige: This is great! Principal Ambrose will surely love this place!

Epel: Neige Le Blanche?!

Neige: Hello~!

Malleus and Ruggie: Flamme/Rollo.

Rollo: ...

Rollo: It's a pleasure to meet you again, mages.

Malleus and Ruggie: *smirks*

Jack and Jade: ???

Philomela: Everyone! Take your seats!

Epel: Um... But there are no seats— *a seat in front of him appears*

Epel: ...

Philomela: This room will cater to your needs. *smiles proudly*

Epel: Neat!

The students: *listening to Philomela's voice*

Philomela: BOYS! ARE YOU READY?

Floyd: Can we do a war cry~?

Philomela: *laughs* YES!

The students except Yuurin and Silver: RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Yuurin and Silver: ...

Silver: Good luck to you, Yuurin.

Yuurin: *nods* You too, Silver.

Epel: Wow... Just wow...

Jade: That's Floyd for you.

*Floyd unleashed a flurry of clothesline strikes, taking out multiple students simultaneously with each powerful swing.*

Ruggie: Poor NBC and RSA students.

Malleus: Sebek and Silver are doing well.

*Sebek asserts his dominance by executing his running bulldog move; swiftly seizing his opponents by the head and driving them face-first into the ground with decisive force.*

*Silver expertly wraps his arm around the neck of each approaching opponent, applying precise pressure to cut off their air supply and induce unconsciousness.*

Epel: Wow... Everyone is amazing— Wait. Where's Rook?

*Rook's grin widens as he expertly locks his poor opponent into the sharpshooter.*

Epel and Ruggie: ...

Ruggie: That savage.

Jack: Ruggie-senpai! Look! Some of the students are attacking Yuurin!

Philomela: *smiles*

*Yuurin remains composed as everyone closes in on her. Then, she swiftly grabs one attacker, lifts them, and slams them to the ground with a powerful spinebuster move. With each opponent, she repeats this action, using their momentum against them to quickly take them down, one by one.*

Epel, Jack, and Ruggie: ...

Ruggie: Oh shit, wait— I need to document this.

Floyd: Whoo-hoo~! This feels great~!

The students he defeated: *groaning in pain*

Sebek: Ha! I've defeated 25 students!

Rook: Oh! That's impressive, Monsieur Crocodile!

Silver: Should we be counting?

Sebek: How about you, Yuurin?! Bet you didn't—

Yuurin: *students piled up like a mountain beside her*

Yuurin: It seems we're the only remaining ones.

Floyd, Sebek, Silver, and Rook: ...

Sebek: WHAT THE HELL?!

[cupidvision]

𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓪- 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓰𝓮

𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎

hera is the child of cronus and rhea, as well as the sister of her future husband, zeus. she was swallowed by her father cronus, and was saved by zeus. since gods and goddesses are immortal, they couldn’t do anything, but wait to be released.

after this, the greek gods vs titan war begins. she sides with her siblings (the gods) and fights against the titans. during this, she is attacked by the titans, but zeus sacrifices himself to save hera.

𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒶

hera represents marriage, but she can also represent jealousy, which i will get into later in this post

she has powers such as, shape shifting, weather manipulation, mind control, and being able to change creatures into different creatures

she was said to help other greek goddess into having healthy babies and good marriages

𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒

zeus actually made attempts at courting hera, but he failed. he then turned into a cuckoo bird, and hera pitied the bird so she held it to her breast. he then turned back into is god form and pleasured hera. she felt much shame, so to cover it up, she married zeus. the had a very beautiful wedding, that the gods and goddesses enjoyed

during their relationship, zeus cheating on hera multiple times, which grew hera to become jealous, envious, and vengeful.

one of zeus’s lovers, leto, was a victim to hera’s revenge. hera made everyone shun leto, she sent a huge python to attack her, and cursed leto so she wouldn’t be able to find anywhere to give birth

another of his lovers, io, was turned into a cow and was watched by argus panoptes, who was a giant with 100 eyes, so zeus could never see her again

alcmene, was refused birth by hera, who was the mother of hercules. in some myths, it’s said that for a birth to occur, the goddess eileithyia, must be present. in which, hers forced her to sit outside of the delivery room.

hera poisoned, and successfully killed a majority of oenone’s island, by throwing a snake into the water source

the final story i will be sharing involves semele. zeus got semele pregnant, and this caused hera to be jealous and upset. hera then manipulated her into asking zeus to show her his powers to their fullest potential, which then burned her alive

𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈

other names: juno

symbols: cuckoo bird, peacock, cow, flowers, crown, pomegranate, sceptre

asteroid meaning(my opinion): marriage, fertility, childbirth, women, jealousy, vengefulness, envy, wanting to harm someone out of jealousy, being tricked into love, marrying/ falling in love with someone out of guilt or shame

dwelling: mount olympus

children: hephaestus, eileithyia, hebe, ares

dividers by @anitalenia @aquazero @i-mmaculatus

[calliopescorner]

HERA

CHAMPION:

Her champion is usually someone who she thinks can best back her up, understand her own hardship, and be a confident (and sometimes ruthless) leader. She needs them also to be able to bring her ideas to the table and represent her during times of conflict, both with other demigods and with the gods. She will grant them some of her divine power, and will allow them to sit with her and spend a week with her on Olympus during the summer (and winter, if they’re a year-round camper) solstice. Her champion can call upon her to deliver divine justice when needed. They are required to stay in her cabin, and she gives them a piece of jewelry with a special gemstone once she claims them.

BLESSED BIRTH:

If Hera is present for the birth of a child, Hera is able to bless the child. This gives them a few minor powers, and through the blessing, Hera strengthens the bond between the child (or children, if the mother has more) and their mother. She is able to also grant the child finely-tuned emotional perception, and the ability to understand how others feel. This is the only way Hera can technically have a “child,” although she will not be present for most of the child’s life, nor will they be claimed if they are a fully mortal child. She will also bless the child, that if they ever decide to become a parent, that they will have the operation of birth go smoothly for them. This same blessing is applied to the mother of the child.

CABIN:

The outside of the cabin bears resemblance to Zeus’ cabin, with large marble columns and smooth, electric-proof walls. The cabin walls on the outside have carvings of peacocks on them, as well as carvings of Argus Panoptes and Io. This was done by Argus as a way of honoring Hera for bringing him back to life to guard Camp Empeiria. On the front columns, there are pomegranate vines growing around them. There are also some carvings that have been made to keep the pomegranates there.

On the inside, it’s rather dark and cold, with a statue of Hera in the middle. There is a hearth underneath her, and it is the only source of light on the upper level. There are carvings of the various women in Greek mythology, with a carving of a wedding procession wrapping around all of the walls. However, if one pulls at one of the peacock feathers on the statue and locks in a special gemstone given to them by Hera, it reveals a secret entrance to the champion’s headquarters underneath the cabin.

The secret entrance leads to her champion’s headquarters. This offers them a bedroom, bathroom, and basically a small studio apartment, just underground. It allows the champion to live in protection and peace, even if Camp Empeiria experiences great distress. There are sets of armor, weapons, and a quality sized bed for them. They also have access to modern technology, so they are able to stay updated with the rest of the world. If need-be, it can be used as a bunker.

CABIN CULTURE:

Many campers see the cabin as rather inhospitable, with its cold interior and the general uncomfortable feeling most demigods feel around Hera. Many demigods know her mythical rage, and thus tread very carefully around the cabin.

The only person that even goes into Hera’s cabin is her priestess, which is usually just a demigod assigned to give Hera special sacrifices of food. This is done to keep her protecting Camp, and affords some level of enhanced strength to her priestess. If Hera doesn’t have a champion, her priestess is allowed to represent her at counselor meetings.

Her champion is given a level of respect at Camp, and is generally seen to be an authority on Hera and some of the other gods. It’s a very coveted position, essentially, which can make it also a position with a LOT of pressure. Hera also will keep in contact with her champion more than her priestess (if these end up being two different positions). She only chooses her champion in times of great conflict, so her champion will easily know that Hera has thought a lot about them.

SOME POTENTIAL POWERS:

Proficiency in leadership / relationships

Zoolingualism with lions / peacocks

Enhanced vision / light-resistant eyes

Resistance to electrocution

Immunity to emotional manipulation / Charmspeak

Minor photokinesis

Reblog or @/ this blog if it inspires you to make your own champion of Hera!

[robian]

Shin Sekai Yori

This anime isn't for everyone. I don't think I actually “enjoyed” watching this anime for a moment, yet I still think it was a great story that has a lot to tell. From the very beginning we are given clues that this society has been murdering children. If a child could not use telekinesis by a certain deadline they would die. If a child showed certain threatening emotion traits or signs of being a “wild child”, they would die. We learn this from Saki as she overhears her parents talking of their past children and the boy who cheated in a contest disappearing. The society did this in order to maintain order so that “ogres” or humans who lose control of their murderous intent would not be born.

We also learn that humans are unable to kill each other due to a genetic modification where they feel intense shame at even the thought of killing their own kind. This means an ogre is a ginormous threat. Yet, at the very end, we learn that all along they've been killing their own kind who had become “Monster Rats,” or genetically modified humans who were unable to manifest telekinesis.

Similar to my last post on Psycho-Pass we are presented with a society that on the outside appears to be a utopia but could be very well seen as a dystopia. Similarly, both societies will eliminate anyone who is seen as even a slight threat to peace. Yet, Shin Sekai Yori rather than using the Panoptic method of forcing people to self correct, takes an alternative route of forcefully guaranteeing obedience through genetic alteration. Although the chances of humans randomly discovering they can use telekinesis is low, the idea of genetic alteration being used is a lot more likely.

Rather than simply thinking about telekinesis, we should think about what it represents. It's a form of power that people have over others. There are the Haves and Have-Nots. This concept is nothing new and it appears in society through many forms, especially through money. It could even be plausible that the rich and powerful would one day be able to afford better genetic alterations to the point where in comparison a normal human would look like a “Monster Rat”. Who's to say that this could not result in a similar outcome to that represented by Shin Sekai Yori. Just like Psycho-Pass, Shin Sekai Yori is a warning of what society could become.

[joytri]

We are neither in the amphitheater, nor on the stage, but in the panoptic machine, invested by its effects of power, which we bring to ourselves since we are a part of its mechanism

Michel Foucault

[gravity-rainbow]

"Our society is not one of spectacle, but of surveillance… We are neither in the amphitheatre, nor on the stage, but in the panoptic machine, invested by its effects of power, which we bring to ourselves since we are part of its mechanism." ― Michel Foucault, 'Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison'.

[mymiraclebox]

since you changed up some of the canon miraculouses, do you think the lineup would change up as well, either switching around or replacing characters?

I think the biggest impact that would come from my changes to the canon Miraculouses would be with Felix and the Peacock Miraculous. Since my Peacock Miraculous does not create new individual lives but rather a physical manifestations of one's mind, Felix would have no need to claim the Peacock Miraculous since it isn't being used to control sentient beings, nor would Felix be a sentibeing, so he couldn't be killed by it being in the wrong hands. (Felix and Adrien's births are still connected to the Peacock Miraculous, with it being used to help the Graham de Vanily sisters with their fertility struggles, but the boys are not creations of the Peacock themselves).

I can also think of some other changes I would make based around this and a few other concept changes, so I think the hero lineup (including the Butterfly and Peacock being rescued) would be like this if canon used my version of the canon Miraculouses:

Ladybug - Marinette (Ladybug) Black Cat - Adrien (Chat Noir) Fox - Alya (Rena Rouge) Turtle - Nino (Carapace) Bee - Chloe (Queen Bee) Butterfly - Felix (Viceroy) Peacock - Luka (Panoptes*) Ox - Ivan (Minotaurox) Tiger - Juleka (Violet Tigress) Rabbit - Alix (Bunnyx) Dragon - Kagami (Ryuko) Cobra - Max (Python) Horse - Zoe (Shire) Goat - Marc (Satyr) Monkey - Kim (Roi Singe) Dog - Mylene (Lassie) Mouse - Sabrina (Muroidea) Rooster - Nathaniel (Red Quill) Pig - Rose (Pigella)

I think the OG five have great match up with their original Miraculouses, whose concepts and powers stayed the same in my AU, so really no need to make any changes here.

First up we have Butterfly!Felix. Even if he has no reason for the Peacock, I still think he’d be down to steal magic from his uncle. I like this match because I think Felix and Nooroo could connect to each other with their similar pasts, and also I think they'd be a good influence on each other. Nooroo being Generosity could help Felix who is more self centered, while Felix could help Nooroo with his low confidence and pride.

Next is Peacock!Luka. Luka would be such a good Peacock. And seeing how canon treats Luka like everyone's therapist, and his whole ability to understand people and express it with music, why shouldn't he get the kwami of Psyche? Honestly I think he'd be a good match up with the canon concept Emotion as well.

Next up is Cobra!Max, I just always thought Max would do so well with these time powers, his ability to analyze, remember, and strategize would benefit with the gathered information and Opportunity he could create from the Cobra Miraculous. I also thought he didn't have a particularly strong connection with the Horse Miraculous, like it's okay, but not as perfect as some other pairings in canon, so with the Cobra opened up this was a no brainer.

Then we have Horse!Zoe, who I think matches this Miraculous a lot better than Max. As Zoe is someone who has never had much freedom and was always hiding herself to fit in I think the Horse would be perfect for her, and I think Kaalki would absolutely adore Zoe as well.

Is the main reason why Goat!Marc and Rooster!Nathaniel are here because I thought this was going to be canon? Maybe. But also with Marc as a writer I just can't see him not being a good holder for Imagination. I love the idea of Orikko and Nathaniel together, I think he'd be such a good confidence booster for Nath. Also I think Marc and Ziggy would get along so well too, both having a very sweet side.

For Dog!Mylene I picked this because I never saw the Mouse as an overly good fit for her, and with the Mouse no longer shrinking holders down I felt it lost the visual match as well with Mylene being one of the shorter classmates. Then with my Dog as Detection rather than Adoration I don't think it fits Sabrina as much anymore. I swapped these two because I felt Detection would fit Mylene well seeing how active she is with trying to do good in the world, and maybe it could help her with her fears if she was more aware of her surroundings. Mouse!Sabrina I think would definitely maximize the possibilities of being able to be in multiple places at once. She’s very smart, and plus I think Mullo would help her stand up for herself.

And for everyone else... well, canon gave them a really good fit, even with the changes I made to my headcanons. Like with the Pig now being Love, it still fits Rose well, etc.

*Credit to @silverslate221 for the name of Peacock!Luka.

[rachelspoetrycorner]

Unrequited Love Song for the Panopticon (2020) by Franny Choi

In Episode 291, Rachel shares a panoptical poem!

Rachel: Anyway, she writes a lot about tech. Her first book of poetry was called Soft Science, it came out in 2019. She said the book came out of writing a series of poems that were inspired by and in the voice of a character from the film Ex Machina, Kyoko.

Griffin: Oh, cool!

Rachel: "When I watched that film, I had a particular combination of emotional responses that provoked a desire to write, a mix of love, confusion, and outrage. I started writing to try and understand what I was feeling about her and quickly realized that the poems are speaking to other poems about my own experience as an Asian-American woman, as a queer Asian-American woman, about moving through the world in a body that had been made an object of desire, fantasy, and power, living as a soft, fleshy, objectified human of the world."

This is one of the few poems that make me feel electrified after reading it -as if, when I touched the page, I got quickly shocked by the static it possesses. If you’d like to hear more about Choi's writing and work, you can do so here: Porous as a Spreadsheet, from 5:45 - 16:04

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Although the LCBO's system of panoptic surveillance was an effective social control tool, it was not without problems. Not only did these technologies carry a substantial cost in staffing, equipment, and finances, as annual reports and various circulars reveal, but they carried secondary and unexpected social effects. Along with certain patterns of resistance, the Board's intensive surveillance resulted in political problems both for the Board itself and for the provincial government in 1936-1937 (LCBO 1936). "Hepburn Agrees the Probe Liquor Administration as Opposition Insists,” announced a head line in Toronto's Telegram of May 25, 1937 (referring to Premier Mitchel Hepburn).

Within its first seven years the LCBO began to suffer under the weight of its surveillance apparatus as its budget reached the level of about $2,307,000 annually. Its document-intensive system was time-consuming, and supplies were difficult to maintain (LCBO Circular no. 1783, 1936, no. 3621, 1945, no. S-145, 1956). The weight both in person-power and equipment needed to successfully perform panoptic surveillance across such a wide population was substantial, requiring over two hundred head office staff and hundreds of local vendors buttressed by the large annual budget (LCBO Reports 1927-34). Coupled with the budgetary restraints associated with the Depression of the 1930s, the pressures of the system led to the changes in policy that slowly shifted away from "soul-training" and a surveillance system based on continuous oversight of human performance to one based on the auditing of records, document analysis, and statistical review, with the development of accountability and governance through the reconstruction of purchase histories and store-related events. The LCBO's use of its auditing and reconstructive technologies increased until its panoptic self-reflection and self-control-based systems were officially removed in 1958. By 1943 it had already been spending $13,708.59 in permit printing costs alone (Ontario 1943-1944, Questions 5 and 6).

From 1928, stores had been instructed to retain orders on file, with the exception of those stores in the Greater Toronto area, which submitted their records on a six-month basis until after 1951. The LBCO told vendors that Purchase Order forms were to be "neatly parceled day by day, endorsed plainly with the date, and arranged in order for quick and convenient reference in case of need, and kept under lock and key" (LCBO Instructions, 1927:4).  In 1934 the Board abandoned its policy of reviewing customer purchase orders at head office as part of the daily review of sales. As the Board explained, "Original Purchase Orders covering sales for residence consumption will not be forwarded to head office but will be retained by you on file for a period of 3 months" (LCBO Circular no. 1594, 1934). The Board's new policy centred on the ability to review the records when needed, that is, when other organizations requested purchase history information or when the information was needed in the Board's own investigations into permit holders or employees, or used to refute claims against the Board. Later on these regulations would change: the period in which documents needed to be retained was lengthened to six months for purchase records and one full year, beginning after the end of the fiscal year, for other store documents and reports (LCBO Manual 1951: 2).

After the stipulated period a Store Inspector audited the documents and “the Vendor and Store Inspector" signed a certificate indicating the material had been reviewed for accuracy and approved. The certificate was then awarded to the Chief Inspector of Stores at head office" and the original documents were destroyed. This was standard procedure for all stores across the province except for "stores in the Greater Toronto Area," which "instead of destroying their purchase orders and store records" continued to send them to head office (ibid.). 

Once the documents were not being submitted to a daily review they no longer exercised discipline over employees in a strict panoptic sense. Nonetheless, they remained central in enforcing regulations and exercising surveillance in a discretionary manner. The Board stressed its ability to review these documents upon demand, arguing that the myriad of forms still allowed for oversight through the reconstruction of sale, purchase, and in-store behaviours when considered necessary (LCBO Annual Report 1961-62: 5; LCBO Circular no. 3377, 1943, no. 3503, 1944). As time passed the Board increased its reliance upon this at-need model of control, and the head office decreased its manual oversight-based Permit Department and Store Inspection staff in favour of centralized statistic-oriented and trend-based Store Supervision and Store Auditing departments.

This "just-in-time" disciplinary regime minimized the need for storage space and offered flexibility in the redeployment of staff, reprioritization of tasks, and technological automation. Moreover, the emphasis on "activating" inspectors on-demand created a leaner, more finely tuned, and dynamic investigation system highlighting the significance of the temporal dimension of surveillance, a point that Foucault (1977: 149ff) underlined with respect to "disciplinary time." This disciplinary power occurs in temporal sequences, co-ordinated patterns of events, and regularities such as schedules and routines.

The characteristics of secondary reconstruction - post-panoptic, selective, efficient, at-need, reassigned personnel, non-daily reporting - have the effect of lifting surveillance out of continuous time and into a depthless present that lacked a lived context in events and relations. In essence a documentary fragmentation of the present occurred along with a shift away from the disciplinary fabrication and individualization of social subjects to a system that was somewhat lighter and generally less visible - ephemeral, that is. It was based on reconstructing the social subject through a collage-like revival of the fractures of the present captured by the LCBO's detailed surveillance-based documentation, only when it was needed and the system became activated (targeted, efficient, sensitive, and, in short, super refined). In a sense, then, the shift was none other than the transformation of surveillance by means of its abstraction from an empirical field - to what David Lyon (2001/13) refers to as "disappearing bodies," with surveillance passing from a strategy of place to a strategy of time, speed, and projections of outcomes in a pure anticipation of the results (Bogard 1996; 76); even time no longer suffices to describe in a straightforward way how informaticized and networked surveillance enters into a "forever universe" (Castells 1996: 464). Specifically, as the regulatory forces of surveillance become unbound to a single place where someone is watching, and become able to convert social events and people's actions into captured data, the necessity of the physical presence of the body for surveillance and control loses its previous importance (thus "disappearing bodies"). Previously, when bodies and surveillance were rooted in a particular time and space, social action retained its context and meaning, but with the ability to "capture" these particular moments within data, surveillance becomes freed from its particular moment in time and space; and data can be called into question without its context, allowing for new meanings to be developed through that newly found freedom. As Bogard (1996: 76) notes, this freedom enables the development of socially influencing simulations of predetermined futures, while Castells (1996: 464) notes a time-disrupted "forever universe" in which social action regarding collected data has lost all meaningful sequencing and becomes an indiscriminate jumble of timeless moments.

Although the LCBO effectively employed Purchase Order forms to reconstruct purchase and sale histories, this shift towards lighter, statistical reconstruction-based technologies also applied to Board attempts to identify, gain access to, and control "risk" populations. Specifically, this shift came in the LCBO's relocation of staff to statistical Store Audit and Store Supervision departments, and in the shift from the use of person-power to high-tech solutions of tabulating and sorting machines as a means of assembling cob Cured fragments and elaborating prejudicial discriminatory practices (LCBO Circular no. 3940, 1948; LCBO Manual 1951: 25)."

- Gary Genosko and Scott Thompson, Punched Drunk: Alcohol, Surveillance and the LCBO 1927–1975. Winnipeg and Halifax: Fernwood Press, 2009. p. 78-80

[ryansanim-e-tionblog]

Psycho Pass Blog

Psycho Pass is an amazing anime that I have watched just recently earlier this summer. This time however, I will apply my knowledge of panopticism and visibility.

At the beginning of the show, we meet the driving force of justice of an advanced Japanese society, the Public Safety Bureau and Enforcers who wield a gun called the Dominator. The Dominator is a form of panoptics. It works similarly to a system designed by Bentham, a man who created a circular prison in which all the cells were aligned against the outer wall and in the center of the cells is a guard. Nothing can be hidden from the guards in the center of the prison. Just like the guards who have access to all the prisoners, the Dominator has access to the Sibyl System, a network which can read a person's state of mind and criminal coefficient. This system in turn causes people to become their own form of discipline. A machine for creating and sustaining a power situation which the people themselves are the bearer. The main character, Akane Tsunemori, is a detective who leads the Enforcers, a group of latent criminals determined by the Sibyl System who help the police force solve crimes.

Most all of the situations that the Public Safety Bureau is faced with is lead by Shougo Makshima, someone who we learn is determined to point out the flaws of the Sibyl System, although through extreme means. On such example would be by guiding outcasts to kill one of their idols on the internet in order to become them. While the crime is heinous, it begins to clue the viewer on how imposing the Sibyl System in on people's every day lives. When investigating the crime, Akane explains that it was unusual for a person to not have a job and to live chronically online. This is because the Sibyl System determines people's aptitudes and gives them a line of work to pursue, without people ever getting to explore what they would want. This removes people's free will to an extent further that just what Foucault explained in a panoptic system that ensures discipline to societal constructs.

Furthermore, in another situation caused by Makshima that causes people to riot, we learn that the system has caused people to be incapable of conceiving crime, and even when being faced with battery and assault right in front of them and the Sibyl System camera, they can do nothing but watch. Makshima compares the citizens to sheep as they cannot do any thinking for themselves in this aspect. Furthermore, it points out the flaws of a surveillance society because during the rioting the Public Safety Bureau only had around 6 people to expend to subdue the rioting because the Sibyl System was created with the intent that no person would be able to revolt in the first place. As well as this, when a pharmacy worker was stabbed to death with a pen in front of a Sibyl System camera, it pointed out to me that a surveillance society can turn out to be a double edged sword. If there are bad actors on top of those who believe the system to be flawless, these bad actors can abuse the system as a result.

The show's main antagonist works as a direct criticism of a society that is based entirely on panoptic systems and surveillance. That any imperfections in such a system can be the Achilles heel to bring the entire structure down with it.

[loquaciousstrigidae]

This Is How I Would Fix Sword Art Online 

I will be quite frank—I do not like this anime. Long ago, I had watched it and disliked it and to this day my opinions have not faltered. Perhaps they have festered, even. 

I want to be forgiving of this anime to say that the concept of Sword Art Online has potential. I think that is why disappointment stirs within me when I think of these character developments, plot points, and world-building details.  

The virtual world of SAO and its entrapment of people’s consciousness is supposed to be a social experiment, yes? That is the show's strongest and most central aspect, yet we are robbed of any thoughtful analysis of it. When plots seem to hint at something deeper, we as the audience are only left in that shallow pool of wish fulfillment and fan service. Ah, so there are newer players that hold resentment toward the beta testers? Let’s antagonize them in favor of our edgy lone-wolf protagonist! It’s not as if that could be an interesting piece of commentary if focused on for longer than five minutes of screen time. Yui, the emotional support AI, has watched countless minds in torment longing for their loved ones? Yes, a quick montage should do the trick! I am bewildered that these topics simply get pushed to our periphery while our main characters simply vacation at some lake house. 

This series would be worlds better if it were an anthology.  

Consider—each episode takes the perspective of a new character trapped in the SAO virtual reality. Of course, it could still progress chronologically, and there can still be the undercurrent of a panoptic plot. However, a vast range of characters would much better fit the scope of the social experiment setup. We, dare I say, could actually see the experiment in action. There could be a number of different plots—from a more fleshed-out murder mystery to politically charged discourse between the most powerful guilds. We could see how the children trapped in this world struggled without their families and eventually formed ‘the orphanage’ that we see in later episodes. There could be more emphasis on players left in the wake of the more skilled fighters. There could be an episode dedicated to Yui in which we see her grapple with what it means to be an artificial being—to have empathy encoded within you with the inability to distinguish whether it is real or not. To be a walking contradiction. 

What is reality? Such a question is not sufficiently considered within what I’ve watched. It is touched upon—Asuna says she is beginning to feel that all her life has been within the simulation. She and Kirito share in the reality of their connection to each other and the beauty of the world and we begin to see a glimpse of that rabbit hole. Why simply attribute meaning to the realm in which we call ‘real’ when just as well, lives can be fulfilling—or even more fulfilling—in an imitated world.  

I think I will rate this anime 3.5/10.

[chaotic-would-you-rathers]

Would you rather...

A: Gain a random psychic power for one hour (of the list under 'keep reading') whenever someone drinks your blood (only one at a time) B: Gain a random psychic power for one hour (of the list under 'keep reading') whenever you drink someones blood (only one at a time) C: Gain a psychic power of your choice (from the list under 'keep reading') but you can only use it for 24 hours a month (you can distribute the hours however you like) D: Gain a psychic power of your choice (from the list under 'keep reading') permanantly, with no time restricitions on use, however, you cannot control it fully and it will activate erratically (and dangerously) when you experience strong emotion, physical sensation or when you are drunk/half asleep/otherwise not fully in control

THE LIST: Telekinesis, Thermokinesis (harder to control than pyro or cryo), Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, Mind Reading, Telepathy, Levitation, Nucleokinesis, Chronokinesis, Hydrokinesis, Aerokinesis, Geokinesis, Biokiniesis, Precognition, Panoptic Vision, Eye Rays, Self-Regeneration, Healing, Electrokinesis, Barriers, Teleportation, Gravity Manipulation, Spacial Manipulation, Mass/size alteration, Shapeshifting, Mind Control, Sleep Induction, Resurrection, Duplication (making duplicate bodies of yourself you control), Possession, Dream Manipulation/Invasion, Dream Oracles, Unfathomability (ability to make yourself an incomprehensible eldritch horror), Insanity Induction, Ultra-Durability (sufficient to be bulletproof, survive a few min on the surface of the sun, etc), Toxin Creation/Manipulation (ability to create and modify toxins, inclusing your own body fluids/parts), Spacial Displacement (ability to teleport a selected area/object/being to a random location within a given area around yourself (area dimensions can be changed)), Automatic Reincarnation upon death (only while ability active, your choice will carry over into the next lives you live this way), Trans-dimensional teleportation, Undead Creation/Manipulation (if the ability stops being used, they return to corpses), Entropic Dissolution (ability to accelarate the entropy of a desired object at will, speed customisable, in other words, it ages things rapidly), Psychic Energy Shield (a 3m diamater bubble of protection around you, can protect against any external threat (including keeping air in etc), however, something that can become deadly after entering can still harm you, such as a person, and it only works while concious), Object Repair (ability to 'repair' inanimate objects, repair is subjective, so can also be used to return things to base components, etc), Astral Projection, Pain Induction, 'Perfect Memory' (ability to remember literally everything with no mental overload, when active, you will regain all forgotten memories), Universal Language (allows understanding and use of all langauges, even ones you dont have the body parts or brain structure/senses for, like animal or plant languages), Instant-Evolution (adapts you or a selected living organism to its current situation), Imperceptibility (ability to be unable to be noticed by things, living or mechanical, even if they look right at you or view a video of the time), Memory alteration (of yourself or others), Technological Manipulation (movie hacker powers, plus you can control any machine at will if you can observe it), ability to see through objects, ability to see that which is unseen (radiation, nonvisible light, sound, the underlying structure of reality, invisible ppl, etc), Invisibility, Plant Manipulation, Ansectral Power (ability to call upon the memories and skills of your ancsestors), ability to learn skills at 1000x the normal speed, and finally, ability to create food/drinks you have previosuly eaten/drunk out of nothingness

[keyboard-meister]

Shin Sekai Yori/From the New World (2012)

Yet again, I was incredibly confused most of the time while watching this anime. That said, it was clearly a critique on over-disciplining, eugenics, and the treatment of marginalized groups in a utopian society. While I felt the plot was all over the place at times, I definitely understood that the world in which Shin Sekai Yori takes place is an exaggerated version of today's society, one in which all our worst fears about children and the mentally unstable are amplified. The education system relies on heavy discipline and eugenics to ensure that it only produces perfect children who grow up to become perfect adults, who would never even think to enact violence on another human. I mean, their bodies would literally collapse in on themselves if they did. The education board kills off any child who does not meet their standard in fear that they would hurt others, like the one student who mass murdered his peers. This society seems to be so afraid of violence that it eliminated all humans without psychic powers in order to remove the potential threat they posed, once again relying on eugenics to eliminate a marginalized group that did not fit into their idea of a perfect society.

The education system of this anime felt very reminiscent of the American public education system to me, which was of course relatable to me as someone who is a product of it. While I have not personally experienced this, I have seen the education system consistently push out those who are not suited to its standards, leading many students to drop out. Much like the education system seen in the anime, there is no room for those who are not projected to lead successful, perfect lives by societal standards.

I quickly made connections between Shin Sekai Yori and Psycho-Pass while watching this anime, mainly in the way that the authorities of each society heavily monitor the actions and thoughts of their people. While Shin Sekai Yori approaches surveillance through preventing people from enacting violence by simply killing them automatically, Psycho-Pass's system constantly monitors its people's emotions and relies on police officers to punish people for illegal actions. Both anime take a panoptic approach to surveillance, however.

I'd consider giving this anime another chance, as I feel like skipping so many episodes contributed to my confusion while watching it.

[animatedintellect]

Reflection on Shin Sekai Yori

I watched Shin Sekai Yori and was immediately struck by its dark and unsettling atmosphere. The anime opens with a shocking scene of people using their psychic powers for violence. The depressing vibe, with its darker color palette backgrounds, sets it apart from other anime and keeps you on edge throughout.

The story is set a thousand years in the future, where a small percentage of the population has developed psychokinetic abilities. This leads to a society strictly controlled to prevent chaos and maintain order. The main character, Saki Watanabe, and her friends, who attend Sage Academy, begin to uncover the dark secrets of their world, including the fate of those who fail to awaken their powers and the existence of creatures called Tainted Cats that abduct children​​.

The anime dives deep into the concept of the "wild child," with Shun being a prime example. Shun's rebellion against societal norms and his tragic fate highlight the harsh consequences of defying the system. This mirrors the real-world phenomenon discussed in Arai's "The 'Wild Child' of 1990s Japan," where youth culture resisted societal expectations. Similarly, the infamous "Shounen A" case in Japan, where a young boy committed violent acts, resonates with the themes of hidden darkness within a controlled society depicted in the anime.

One of the most chilling aspects of Shin Sekai Yori is how the society deals with children who fail to meet its standards. The disappearance of these children is portrayed as a necessary action to maintain a utopian society, but it raises significant ethical questions. This method of "disappearing" children who are seen as unfit or problematic is a severe and draconian measure that reflects the darker side of striving for a perfect society. It suggests that the society's version of utopia is built on fear, repression, and the elimination of those who do not conform, rather than on inclusivity and understanding. This harsh approach criticizes the idea that a utopia can be achieved through such extreme and inhumane measures.

On a personal level, the themes of surveillance and control in Shin Sekai Yori resonate with modern-day issues of data privacy. Just like in the anime, we live in a time where our actions are increasingly monitored, which makes the show's message even more impactful. Connecting this to our readings, Foucault's Panopticism is vividly illustrated in the anime. The constant threat of erasure for deviating from societal norms reflects the panoptic principle of self-regulation under surveillance.