Reading response 1 ---- Foucault

In the section of “The Means of Correct Training” by Michel Foucault that I have chosen, it talks about the idea of observance and how it has progressed through time. For a long time, individuality was a sign of power and privilege. To be seen, written about, thought of, it was all a sign of strength—the Monarchy, writers, philosophers, painters, and so on. Over time, such attention to an individual has become more of a way to control and dominate than power. “It is not a monument for future memory, but a document for possible use.” I relate this to our time because technology and social media have made this “observance” something familiar. It is much more common to be observed and looked at nowadays than it used to be. Because of that, privacy is much more sacred. It is not to say that individuality is not power in the present, because it is. Celebrities indulge in fame because they are highlighted, looked at, talked about, seen. But that same individuality holds both power and vulnerability. Right now, there is so much that can be exposed to an immensely broad pool of people from all ages, places, and ideals. This is why, unlike many years ago, as technology progresses, the idea of observance and individuality now hold two sides; it can mean both power and the opposite of it.