I think Foucault said somewhere that whenever he says 'power' he really
means 'relations of power' so keeping that in mind helps me but I still have
some difficulties. The moment of enacting from a position of power - perhaps
thumping someone in a fight feels powerful and it is understandable that a
person beleives s/he momentarily possesses power - but to take an another
utterly fatuous example;
paris hilton and her mate on 'A simple Life' openly steal a birdhouse from a
shop (putting it on their 'boss's account at the store) when confronted they
laugh it off - not only do they think they have rights, they know they have
'rights' -they can (and do) buy their way out of trouble. They actually
understand they will never be 'in trouble'. For the millions who watched
this in America and Australia isn't it easier to see those two, no matter
how idiotic, as possesing power they themselves will never 'have'?
and can I apologise in advance for naivity of the question - it is never
possible under a Foucauldian take for individuals or groups to posses power?
Margot Ford
neophyte Foucauldian!
>From: "Lionel Boxer" <lboxer@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Difficulty thinking of power as something which is not possessed,
>accumulated ..
>Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 10:04:30 +1100
>
>It is like the problem many people face when applying Demings 14
>principles. We live in systems that cause bias in our behaviour and our
>perceptions. We think we have rights that we do not have and we do not
>accept our duties. The moral order leaves us blind and we fail to engage
>in actions that we need to engage in to sustain society.
>
>Lionel Boxer CD PhD MBA - 0411267256 - lboxer@xxxxxxxxxxx
>Read my book chapter in The Self and Others
>http://www.intergon.net/books.html -- http://intergon.net/card
>We help align your culture with your aims
>----------------------------------------------
>Melbourne Volunteer Rifle Regiment150th Anniversary --
>http://intergon.net/rifles
>----------------------------------------------
>
>>From: "Margaret Robinson" <margaret.robinson@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>To: <foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>Subject: Re: (More questions on) power-knowledge
>>Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 10:30:06 -0800
>>
>>I noticed that my classmates and I had difficulty thinking of power as
>>something which is not possessed, accumulated, or stored until needed.
>>Maybe it's our comsumerism perspective. Just speculating, but if he
>>encountered the same problem among his own students, he may have found
>>government a better starting point since (to many of us, anyway) it's a
>>more
>>amorphous, abstract concept - and not one we think of as belonging to the
>>individual.
>>
>>Margaret Robinson
>>Toronto
>>
>>http://www3.sympatico.ca/moogie.robinson/index.html
>>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>You could be a genius! Find out by taking the IQ Test 2003. $5.50 (incl
>GST). Click here: http://sites.ninemsn.com.au/minisite/testaustralia/
>
_________________________________________________________________
We've 100s of NEW questions! Play Millionaire online to win $$$$. Click here
http://sites.ninemsn.com.au/minisite/millionaire/default.asp