1. The cousin in the story describes that in the historical context of the time, he finds a preferred composure of people in the marketplace, in which they seem to be "surprised by nothing" rather than acting more harshly, jokingly, and provokingly. This is in response to the main character saying, "The mass of the people has undergone the same experience as an individual who has seen many new and unaccustomed things and, along with the principle of Nil admirari, has acquired smoother manners" (9). In this example I find two layers of observation and subsequent reaction: the initial seeing done by an individual and their reaction (in this case the people in the market), and secondly, the observation of this sequence of sight and reaction as seen by an onlooker (in this case the cousin). To me, this quote speaks to ideas of desensitization: what people are and aren't used to seeing, and how they react in response (This occurring on 2 levels). What is deemed acceptable, and therefore paid attention to, is crucial in the social order and functioning of a society.
2. I found this text to speak to the ideas discussed last class of surveillance as a means for social order and control. On page 9, Robertson writes "So the populace does indeed have a sense that order must be maintained?" following a description of people in the market keeping a potentially violent individual at bay. In seeing an altercation, the fruit-sellers take it upon themselves to impose social order, which speaks to the idea of observation and subsequent reaction. Surveillance implies a watching with intention, in this case that intention being control of social order. In this way, the fruit-sellers surveil the individual, act according to their decided principles, and police him until the actual police can.