Did white tablecloths in restaurants disappear for the same reason that public executions have disappeared?
White tablecloths don’t exist as a canvas for stains. Their purpose is to signal cleanliness, and they do so by being easy to stain. The same could be true of public executions. Foucault, in Disciple and Punish, says public executions disappeared BECAUSE they were spectacles. What if he’s wrong?
Now, we're ashamed to punish. Isn't the devil you know better than the devil you don't? If the government is going to condemn someone, why hide it? Doesn't that make it worse?
Medieval punishments were spectacles. Criminals were brought out and hung, drawn and quartered, or guillutined. Over time, punishments became less severe. Justice began to focus on intent. Public punishment became increasingly seen as inhumane.
Before, a person was punished based on their crime. Now, we ask about motivations, possible attenuating circumstances, and what this means for the person’s ability to live in a civil society. Instead of punishment, we look to rehabilitation. Now, if a person can be found to be mad at the time of the crime, they can be excused from any punishment.
I suspect that “spectacle” was how many people referred to punishments when the reality is that by making them public, the state makes it clear that it doesn’t find what it’s doing to be wrong. It shows the government isn’t ashamed to punish. I suspect referring to public punishment as spectacle is insidious. Whether people enjoy the event or not shouldn’t be the primary concern. When a waiter drops a glass, people clap. It’s not because they enjoy it. The spectacle is equivalent to the white sheet on the tabletop at a restaurant. Its purpose is not to present the mess, but to serve as a strong signal that the restaurant is clean. When everyone has to stop what they’re doing to witness an execution, you want fewer executions, and you appreciate the days when you don’t have to see yet another grisly event.