The Ethics of Looking And The “Harmless” Peeping Tom

by Panzer
It’s often said that cinema,
by it's very nature, is voyeuristic,
because film offers the audience a window
into the hidden lives of others.
Watching people’s stories on the big
and small screen can indeed be
fascinating and exhilarating.
But the act of looking can also feel
uncomfortable, invasive, even violating.
Underpinning these uncomfortable moments
we can find some alarming messages
about the role of consent.
To explain, let’s start here
in the normal bedroom of a normal boy
doing normal boy stuff.
Normal stuff
like spying on the girl next door.
Popular culture is filled
with scenes like this one
Scenes in which one character,
usually a man
spies on another character,
usually a woman
without that person’s knowledge or consent
To be clear, we're talking about secret
surveillance of a person
while they're alone
in various states of undress
or engaged in sexual activity.
This is invasive looking
that violates a person's
reasonable expectation of privacy.
In a staggering number of movies
and tv shows, this type of spying
isn't done by the villain.
It is instead perpetrated
by "nice guy" characters.
"Slow down, baby"
These are straight men, who are otherwise