It seems that no matter what you do these days, someone is watching you. George Orwell was on to something when he wrote his book 1984 back in the 1940's. The correlations that you can draw between what occurs in that book to events unfolding today are uncanny. Every year we inch closer and closer to full life disclosure, or in simpler terms, a point where everything we do will come under scrutiny. As it is, most of us can't go half a day without something we do or say being monitored by someone or something. Whether it be an influx of public cameras, the monitoring of the Internet, or simply nosy neighbors looking for that ethereal "something", our lives are increasingly becoming not our own. I know this all may sound a tad bit over the top, but look around you, look at your place of work, look at your devices that keep you connected to the world; everything is turning into a monitoring device. Our government just a few years ago tried flying under the radar with their supposed "right" to illegally wire tap any phone line. Security and traffic cameras are used for more than their intended purposes. While mostly performing their necessary function, they can also be used to track the whereabouts of individuals. Even what we write on the Internet can be called into question and used against us. Just look at companies not hiring individuals due to their Facebook profiles or their online life. Society, and our government, is moving closer and closer to full surveillance of our lives.
So why am I writing about this today? Mostly because I keep on hearing and reading stories about in which people being watched, scrutinized, and having a sense of fear imposed upon them by those in power. I have specific details that I could disclose about what exactly is making me write this today, but for the sake of those involved, I won't. There it is again, that fear of what might happen should I say something in a public sphere that is keeping me from going into full detail. And you know what, it completely pisses me off. I should be able to say what I want without fear of reprisal for myself or anyone else, yet things don't work that way. Trust me on this, the details I am talking about are not in regard to anything horrific, nothing illegal, and nothing that could cause physical or emotional harm. Despite all that, I still can't talk about it because someone might lose their job or their life might be made hard enough in their place of work where they would quit. If this doesn't sound like big brother, then I don't know what does. Even more, I am simply talking about my inability to say things, not even about what events are actually transpiring. But enough, let it suffice to say that it is all because certain people in power want everyone to follow blindly without questioning. Isn't that what most places of work are becoming? Follow your leader blindly or lose your job. Especially in this wavering economy where one day things are good, the next things are bad and no one wants to lose a job; employees are following their employers blindly because there is a fear instilled in them about what might happen. How far is too far? The end always seems just within reach, the point where people will say "I have had enough" and put an end to the madness, yet the end never seems to get here. Everything gets explained and justified away and in the end people cave in and keep on working.
Its sometimes frightening when you step back, consider our lives and the possibility for surveillance, and then realize how little privacy we actually have left. Just look at the incident where a college student spied on his room mate via web cam and broadcast it over the web resulting in that room mates suicide. If a college student can use a web cam to spy on others, is it too far of a stretch to think that corporations and our government can't do the same? In my mind, no, but I try not to think about it too much. It seems like the only way to truly get through life un-scrutinized these days is to walk around with your head down, not talking to much, and not interacting too much. Even then, though, someone might call you in because you are acting suspiciously. Enough is enough. We shouldn't have to fear living our lives or watching what we say because someone could use it against us in the future, but here we are doing that. Companies already do everything in their power to analyze our buying trends to use for marketing and sales, but does it end there? I would hope so. Anyway, I need to stop writing about this mainly because I don't want to sound to apocalyptic or like a maniac fostering all these conspiracy theories. Just take some time and consider the world around you and how it has changed over the years. It is drastically different than even ten years ago and in another ten years will probably be unrecognizable. But here we are, trudging along, seeking only to live our lives in peace. So watch out for Big Brother, all those cameras, and be careful what you say on the Internet.
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