NETOPTICON
“In the Israeli reality, the methods of control and monitoring are integral part of the daily life. This reality is interpreted by most of the citizens not only as understood but also as necessary. Via the mass media stream of signs and messages every citizen is encouraged ‘to pay attention to all suspicious object’ (also person, attitude, etc.). The citizen is invited to be contributor of a collective act of control where all potentially become simultaneously suspects and guards. In the same way different speeches promoted by mass media and the political speeches grant legitimacy to practices of control and monitoring made in name of ‘the communal property’ and the ’security’. We all forced to contribute and to turn transparent in front of this system of control, easily identified, located, watched and differentiated according to nationality, religion or sex.
In each coffee shop in the city, in each store, mall, university, hospital and even on the ascent to bus, one is under a vigilant glance that guards ‘our security’ and the imminence of the danger reminding us of the constant presence of the control, built-in systems of paranoia, that become invisible at the moments of calm. An average citizen, must cross daily between 4 and 10 points of control (inspection of hand bags, documents, car checks, etc.), not to mention all the hidden tools of observation and control in the urban space and in the net. The edge between the public and the private body blurs. The situation for the Palestinian citizens, inhabitants of the occupied territories and of the Israli arabs citizens is considerably more complex than the one of the Israeli jews. The means of control are massive, and the level of suspicion is much higher.
Small daily acts of resistance can sometimes lead to dysfunction of the system and to dismay…”
via rhizome