Three films in this article examine the growth of voyeurism, and the social concerns it reflects like privacy, power control and gender inequality. The author explained the difference between voyeur and flaneur. Flaneur is just a general observer with no other purpose, while voyeur refers to a person who derives pleasure from observing others in an unnoticed manner.
In the film ‘Rear window’, Jeff snooped through binoculars as he lived in a community where neighbors can see each other’s activities through windows. In “Silver,” surveillance allows Zeke to obtain about his neighbors’ secrets from behind the closed door of his private room. In ‘The End of Violence’, Ray can observe Mike from the control room. It began to reflect on the issue of surveillance and controversy about the monitoring system. On the one hand, monitors can aid in the detection of criminals and the tracking of dangerous situations so that they can be addressed in time, thereby lowering the crime rate. People who live under surveillance, on the other hand, are always terrified, not only of the breach of privacy, but also of the invisible control. People are increasingly debating the trade-off between privacy and security. We still need to consider if privacy should be compromised for social security.
Lam Tsz Ching 3035951090
Your first sentence concisely summarizes the essay, and I appreciate how you discussed the nuance of surveilliance from different perspectives in your second paragraph. Is there a more recent example that continues the debate following those in the film, perhaps in another context like Hong Kong? More broadly, can you think of any contemporary and concrete examples of how such a debate plays out in society?