Tuesday, May 27, 2008
really? a 1984 reference?
After finishing Healy's essay, I noticed I felt much more discouraged than I usually do, even after reading criticisms of WC's that were more harsh in nature. I think it is simply because he used a 1984 reference-- a book that does NOT portray Big Brother in a positive light. I understand that without causal ability to oversee, it must be more deliberate, and this is a more threatening feeling, and the metaphor works. But actually quoting the novel brings discomfort, especially if you've read the book and remember the seriousness with which the Thought Police were described. It took me a minute to realize that WC's will (hopefully) never experience that degree of Big Brother-ness, but I can't help but dislike the reference anyway.
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2 comments:
I'm not sure whether Healy meant to give his essay a tone of foreboding, but mixing Orwell and Foucault certainly seems like a conscious act to elicit a reaction from the reader similar to Michele's. Perhaps this uneasiness is intensified by the knowledge that we are accepting levels of surveillance today that are reminiscent of both men's doomsday predictions, and mostly due to advances in computer technology. Jackie's description of the student who only half-jokingly wondered if a tutor was an "internet creeper" gives evidence to the fine line of privacy we walk every day because of the Internet, institutional central servers, computer and camera phones, cameras at stoplights and city intersections, etc. The concern about being 'observed' is an issue worth considering as we examine WC designs and services. It certainly calls into question the idea of a 'santuary' for writers.
I feel like I would be more worried about outside observers: teachers, administrators, etc, who didn't know much about the writing center being able to pick up thread at will. In that scenario, it seems like the opportunity for misunderstanding is much higher as are the stakes.
I wonder if Healy created that sense of doom in order to get people to work at ways of avoiding the Big Brother scenario.
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