Nezar Alsayyad analyzed three films to give us a deeper insight into voyeurism.
First, the ‘pepping Tom’ behaviors are treated differently in different eras. Even though everyone thinks personal surveillance offense others’ privacy nowadays, the observation of neighbors like in the movie Rear Window was highly encouraged in the 1950s. Everyone recognized it as political behavior which intended to expose potential enemies. People’s attitudes towards voyeurism reflect the contradiction between political supervision power and personal privacy. As time passed, there was an increase in people’s intention to get their own private space.
As for voyeurs themselves, the way they satisfy their emotional requirements is different from others. As in these three films, voyeurs cannot live an everyday life because of the injuries or lack of communication; they treat surveillance as a one-way relationship with others. Their sexual satisfaction can come from watching in an active and controlling sense.
Ronghan Lin 3035845980
Your discussion about how the differential treatment of voyeuristic behaviors is interesting. Why do you think it was highly encouraged as a form of political behavior in the 1950s, and what factors could have led to this change? As the films discussed in this essay are specific to the American context, how would you relate the ideas to the one that may be more familiar to you?