the panopticon in action

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

once you step out of the elevators in my office building, there's door that leads to all the offices and everyone needs a keycard to get in; for a couple of days now that door has been propped open, yet all of us continue swiping our cards. what will happen if we don't? NOTHING, but at peak hours we dutifully wait in a very short-lived queue of three or more people just to hear that "beep" that lets us know we're official

have you noticed people (or you) voluntarily participating in a system of control, even though the enforcement of that system is no longer in effect?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

does being too scared to sit in the first class section of the Greenford - Paddington train even tho its highly unlikely there will ever be a ticket inspector on board count?

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, train tickets... but the ticket inspectors DO exist... don't they?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

You see this on the tube all the time when the ticket gates are open but people still put the tickets through. It's just habit I suppose.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:46 (twenty-two years ago)

true tho i think some of the time people are queued behind someone else and dont have time to even realise the gates are open so just put their ticket thru automatically.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Had they not put their ticket through could they have used it for another ride?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

no not really. the ticket comes out again unless its a single...and you're unlikely to be able to use that same single ticket to go somewhere else, unless the gates are open there too of course...

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 17 July 2003 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

in school our teacher said that in germany the vast majority of people will not cross the road without a green man (or whatever the equivalent is),regardless of whether there is any traffic in sight
anecdotal evidence obviously,but can anyone confirm or deny this?

― robin (robin), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

i tried crossing once in Scotland without the green man and those with me thought me clearly a dangerous lunatic

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Though that might have had something to do with your bloody hands.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude, you're supposed to run in front of cars and dart through them maniacally, everyone knows this??

― Ally (mlescaut), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know about Germany, but that happens plenty here. I always cross anyway and people look at me like I'm touching the monolith or something.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Tracer you don't work at the NSA do you?

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Tracer, surely everyone in the UK 'jaywalks' except the elderly and those trying to make a folorn bid to instill the Green Cross Code in their children? Or were you with Americans?

I am bemused by your swipe card story. Do you just forget or are you scared of getting in trouble? Though I must admit I feel like shouting "I do work here, it's OK" whenever I pass through behind someone who holds the door open for me. Weird guilty complex.

I sometimes don't notice open tube barriers but when I do I feel very smug and like I'm a real Londoner.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 17 July 2003 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

"Those with me" = an Australian who'd been living in Glasgow for 6 years (but she went outside like once every 2 months so maybe she's not representative).

The only point of the cards is to open the door, there's no way to get in trouble. We swipe on the way out, too. Just because of this I'm not going to do it anymore but I guarantee you it will feel weird.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 17 July 2003 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Is there a security camera planted near the door in question?

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 17 July 2003 20:14 (twenty-two years ago)

even if there were EIGHT security cameras we are authorized to go through that door anyway, it simply doesn't matter!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 17 July 2003 21:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh I was just wondering if that might have contributed to the sense of submission to the system of control.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 17 July 2003 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

The Germany thing is totally true; I was with a group that got hassled by the police in Freiburg for jaywalking. (Imagine the cop's confusion when he began lecturing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed member of the group in German and I stepped in and started translating! That was the best part of the whole experience.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 17 July 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Tracer, I could kind of understand it if the door were closed but unlocked, but you say it's propped open. You are a mentalist.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 18 July 2003 01:51 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, I'm at work today. NO ONE is here. The partners are gone, most of the executives are gone, even a bunch of unimportant peons are out. There are literally 5 of us here. We are throwing things at each other, dancing to really loud music, chair racing and wandering around. But none of us will leave! I'm not sure why this is.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 18 July 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Well it sounds kind of fun.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 18 July 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, especially since now we're singing real loud to "Pour Some Sugar On Me"! Actually, it's better this way, the question is why do I go to work the rest of the time.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 18 July 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Ally, no offense, but your office sometimes seems like something dreamed up by a second-string Hollywood screenwriter working on a sequel to Office Space.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 18 July 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Why would that offend me? I don't own this joint. I say this all the time. I don't quite believe I work in a real environment at all. I'm pretty certain that none of this actually is occurring and that I'll wake up from a dream, all soap-opera style.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 18 July 2003 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

"sometimes seems like something" is the title of my new album, due out july 23.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 18 July 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Ally's job sounds amazing

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 18 July 2003 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

reminds me of when i used to work for a nma in this derelict old workshop and when the boss was out pitching for new clients we'd spend most of the afternoon playing football in the adjacent room, yelling out the names of forgotten TV presenters haphazardly whilst listening to Warp's '10 + 3 remixes'

happy days

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 18 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I suppose I could leave here whenever I wanted this morning but I still have to do a desk shift in the afternoon, so.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 18 July 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

One of my workers asked me point blank "Why are you here? Isn't it Friday?" and at first I thought she was referencing some new no-work-on-Fridays policy. Sadly, it's just that I was taking off next Friday, and she was confused.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 18 July 2003 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

stevem, I use the first class compartment (on South West Trains) every other day. I've had my ticket checked three or four times while I've been in there, and the inspector hasn't had any problem with me even though I'm not a first class ticket holder. Try it - my assumption was because it's just a commuter rather than an inner city train, it's overlooked or even acceptable.

See also: men who queue for urinals even though there are stalls free.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 10 March 2005 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

everyone at my office is supposed to enter their access code to get in but i don't if i can slip in w/ the person in front of me.

HA.

― the cunterforce, Thursday, 10 March 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

in Stockholm citizens tended to cross the road at crossings only when the lights changed and the 'cross now' sound came on, as opposed to just crossing when there was no traffic (often), this plus cars and buses all travel at about 10mph round there anyway - it is great.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Thursday, 10 March 2005 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

men who queue for urinals even though there are stalls free.

i do this, i just prefer the urinal - less FD what with not having to flush or worry as much about spillage etc. (esp. when sozzled)

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Thursday, 10 March 2005 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

door has been propped open, yet all of us continue swiping our cards

People I've observed in similar situations tend to take their cue from the actions taken by others just ahead of them. Once the folkway is established, it holds.

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 10 March 2005 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

"security"

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 March 2005 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I am reposting this from the other thread:

At my old office we were all issued security cards to swipe to get into the main office building. HOWEVER there was no gate, or door. Just a swipe device, on the right hand wall of the lobby, near the elevators. I was just about the only person who DIDN'T swipe my card. I mean wtf?

OTOH I also continually used someone else's ID number to enter the office I worked in, which had a keypad you had to punch to open the door, because I didn't want them to monitor my comings and goings on my midnight excursions to the office to steal computers for ex-employees

― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha oh man I really want to nick this mouse I'm using, bigstyle, but it's so hard to tell where the cameras are. So I JUST ASSUME THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

JESUS GOD MEN WHERE DO YO UGUYS WORK.

MY BUILDING IS NOT THAT EVIL.

― hellokitty, Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

our buildings are fine it's WE who are evil

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Nobody in Canada jaywalks, I notice. Ever. The scene in 'Harold and Kumar' where he's waiting for the light to change at 2 AM, that falls totally flat with most audiences here.

― dave q (listerine), Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

everyone in montreal jaywalks!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

what's the movie where this guy is some zombielike alien/robot/braindead human and he just stops at a street corner at like 2 in the morning and it says don't walk and theres NO TRAFFIC AT ALL And he just waits there till it finally says "walk" and then he ambles across the road. saw that once on tv and then it went to commercial and i never did find out what it was.

― inquiririzer, Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

i wz wondernig that 2 hope sum1 can answer it

thx

― robin's nest of little people, Thursday, 10 March 2005 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

how about those cartoons where no car is visible for miles and then our hero steps onto the street and has his foot flattened by an onslaught of trucks?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 10 March 2005 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

how do you explain that?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 10 March 2005 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeez, I'm just impressed that Tracer Hand alluded to the panopticon in thread title. Them's big points where I hale from.

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 10 March 2005 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The panopticon is an awesome road in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 10 March 2005 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yeah, what neighborhood?

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Thursday, 10 March 2005 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Yup. Lots of commuter trains are listed in the timetable as "Standard Class Only". On them, you can sit in the first-class section whatever sort of ticket you've got.

― caitlin (caitlin), Thursday, 10 March 2005 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=40.0373~-75.018559&style=o&lvl=1&scene=1875532

― -- (688), Sunday, 27 August 2006 18:31 (nineteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.