A society is a network of people. Social power is the ability to manipulate others within this network to behave in a desired way. I want Jill to be kicked, I convince Jack to kick Jill, Jack kicks Jill. In that instance I had power over Jack. I was able to use Jack in order to achieve an end that I considered desirable.
Jack likely has the ability to not kick Jill. That is, if I want power over Jack, I must find a way to convince Jack to kick Jill. I cannot simply push a button and Jack turns into an obedient Jill-kicking robot. As such, Jack has the ability to deny me power by not obeying me.
Power is the result of submission of one individual to the will of another. Social power of any kind is contingent upon the consent of the subjected.
In order to attain power, one must find a way to convince others to submit.
People are sometimes willing to submit for what they consider to be justified reason. For example, consider two friends, Friend A and Friend B. Suppose Friend A asks Friend B to kick Jill. It may be the case that Friend B submits to the temporary power of Friend A and kicks Jill because Friend B considers it mutually understood that Friend A will return the favour at some point in the future. Friend B granted power to Friend A with the understanding that Friend B would later be granted the same power. This is basic reciprocity.
It is also possible to gain power by dampening the ability of the subjected to identify or act against unjust power. Perhaps Friend A "forgets" when favors are returned and continually insists that Friend B perform favors. By playing off of the naivete of Friend B, Friend A may be able to attain more than his just share of favors.
If we extend the example of friendship out to other positions of power the same themes hold true. There are contemporary notions of what constitutes "just" power and people submit to this power willingly. For example, democratically elected officials can appeal to the popular vote to justify their power (and it would be rare for anyone to debate the validity of this justification in a contemporary environment).
Unjust power can be attained through a variety of means but one of the most important is through the control of information. By controlling information you can convince others that your power is justified even if it is not. For example, you could hold a phony election to fabricate the illusion of popular support. The subjected may then think that your power is justified and will continue to submit. You could fabricate the illusion of necessity in order to attain power. Consider, for example, how a largely imagined threat of terrorism has resulted in the submission of much of the world to those who provide a largely imagined protection from terrorism. Think about how 9/11 is still being used by governments all around the world to justify security and surveillance measures and eliminating rights to protest and free speech. If you can control information then you can present the image that you are providing the safety that people desire even if you are doing no such thing. The same is true of, say, economic prosperity. If you control information you can present the illusion that you are required for the good of the economy and that your position of power benefits everyone. In this regard consider how the wealthy in America are branded as "job-creators" in an effort to make the poor think that their wealth is justified and, that the disparity of wealth is good for everyone.
Now we get to the internet. A platform where information is, in many ways, free. Using the internet I can access and communicate information on an unprecedented scale, and millions of other people (powerful and non-powerful alike) can do the same. This is a tremendously dangerous tool for those who have unjust power. If they cannot control information, then they cannot maintain the illusion that they're power is just. They are at constant threat that the free exchange of information will result in their loss of power.
This is why there is tremendous effort to control aspects of the internet. Make it illegal to videotape police officers so you can't post that shit on you tube and reveal the police-state. Call any who oppose your internet surveillance bill pedophiles. Track all the websites you visit. Censor the undesirable. Label groups like Anonymous "cyber-terrorists" in an effort to sway the opinion of the subverted. I think it is inevitable that the powerful will attempt to control information.
This is the matter of importance that I want to relay in this post.I am not against power or the powerful. Differential power between individuals is inevitable. I am, however, against unjust power. The free exchange of information is the most important component of a just society. The resolve of the subjected to attain free information in all things should be unwavering. The internet is of utmost importance in this regard. Those who strive for free information are engaging in an important and noble fight.
No comments:
Post a Comment