Theoretical Perspectives as Rituals of Power and Knowledge

Theoretical Perspectives as Rituals of Power and Knowledge

Pornography is a panoptic function . It is everything watch by a mechanical eye .Optics is the genius of the West , and voyeurism is its major mechanism of control

--Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor , The Great Cosmic Mother ,

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In to begin to understand panoptic functions ' such as the function of pornography as expressed in the headlining quote , one must understand these functions as structures for generalization , in to later deconstruct deeper and more hidden meanings . In this sense theoretical perspectives are always

selective , yet it is within this selectivity that we can begin to unearth very deeply layered psychological and societal mechanisms of control

This essay will outline three historical mechanisms of social control (Christian demonology , classic criminology and the sciences of the medicalization of social control , and will juxtapose said mechanisms against the backdrop of sadistic pornography as a highly structured ritualized agency for power and the creation of the Other ' The essay will conclude with suggestions for a reduction in social mechanisms of hegemony and the creation of otherness ' through an individual reduction in the psychological creation of Other

Christian demonology

Christian demonology is an early tactic of the Roman Catholic Church and a subsequent tactic of the modern-day deliverance-oriented Pentecostal ministries . In the case of demonology , the ecclesiastic power center felt that there was a need to utilize hegemonic tactics by creating a clear enemy in the form of a spirit force given all the qualities abhorred in humans . A clear evil was created for the reduction of deviant behaviors . A study into demonology will render a comprehensive list , given by the Church , of characteristics and activities in humans that create an association or an invocation for a possible demon take-over . Such activities as yoga , martial arts , female prayer gatherings , telepathy , seduction , and divination are all examples of activities that bring about demon possessions in human beings . Often demons are said to be the creators of negative emotions in humans . Many times , the Church would appeal to demonology for the explanation of any perceived deviance in behavior , particularly among women

The organization (in this case , church ) outlines clear behaviors and psychological characteristics deemed as offensive ' or sinful ' The power structure then creates an outside force that has the power to take over the most intimate part of a human being : his /her very soul . The soul is captured by a fictitious being incapable of eradication by the human . In The Great Cosmic Mother : Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth (Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor , we can see how , through fear tactics , the human being has been placed in a situation of inferiority and must then appeal to the Church itself for the remedy and the perceived deviance . The female element , the relationship of the human to the all-encompassing reality out there , has become territory of the white male dominating power

The Church , in this fashion , is both the creator and the eradicator of evil , of sin...