Post Structuralism

Michel Foucault’s theory applies to our modern day society so well it is almost uncanny – One of the key arguments involves policing and control – individuals can be essentially conditioned to “police” themselves through systematic and often subtle reinforcement periods (i.e., posts about risks of legal troubles should an individual pirate content off the internet can creep its way into someone’s head and eventually discourage them from doing such acts, in reality their chance of an arrest is no higher now than before, but they choose to avoid it as assurance.) The nature of these “posts” or recommendations can often be deceiving – as the BBC video pointed out, subtle reinforcements here and there, and all it takes is a little time before an individual becomes conditioned without knowing it. Be it a post causing distress, or a post making someone very angry or happy at something, social media can almost certainly be used – and it probably is – as a tool for control, or at the minimum a device for imposing external influence on the masses. Yes, the individual is making their decisions, but to what degree? 

Post Modernism

Postmodernism has meaning for Judith Butler personally. Judith Butler, in contrast, applies the skepticism of postmodernism to our own bodies and sexuality. She has had a significant impact in challenging the fundamental tenet of feminism, which holds that sex differences between men and women are biologically based. Instead, she places a strong emphasis on gender performance, mirroring postmodernist ideas. She contends that rather than being determined by the biology of our own bodies, our sense of gender identity is created and maintained by this performance. In order to comprehend sexuality and sexual preferences, Butler uses parallel thinking. For example in today’s world Butler emphasizes walking and speaking in ways that consolidate an impression of being a male or female. Thus according to postmodernism, the value of the performance (or presentation, to use Butler’s word) has superseded that of the reality being shown. Nothing, according to some, is more tangible and real than our own bodies. Butler, however, argues that our experience of gender is not based on the physiology of our bodies. In today’s culture, it affects our gender identity through influencing how we present gender in every contact, every day.

Comparison and Conclusion

Both of these theories relate to each other when analyzing the ‘truth’. To Foucault, the absolute truth claimed by the state is not actually the truth but a tool to gain and exercise power over other people. His denial of the objective truth directly talks to Judith Butler’s beliefs. She believes truth varies person to person which indicates Foucault’s theory of the non-existent truth. Because if postmodernism is all about personal beliefs then every individual is making up their own truths. For instance, she believes people are not born with a gender, they create it for themselves. But for people who believe in absolute truths unlike Butler would argue that people have certain genders from the moment they are born. In this way the intriguing question arises ‘Who’s truth is absolute truth and why?’. Micheal Foucault had also raised the same question while analyzing the truth. 

In summary, both argues and reacts to the notion that society should operate under a defined set of systemic standards, while post structuralism approaches it much more academically with theories such as panopticism and distribution of knowledge, post modernism would expresses these ideas in the form of art. Be it visual or auditory, since it concerns a lot more with the way we view the world, a lot of it through media.