No, not the TV show. I’ve never actually seen the show anyway, and have no desire to.
I’m speaking of the book, 1984. I read it back in 9th grade, oh so many years ago (not that many). When I first read it, the book freaked me out big time. I mean…the idea of someone knowing exactly where you are every time? The reason why I bring this up now is because of how things operate today.
Where I work, I have a card that scans by the door and lets me in. It’s not just the main entrance, but it’s also at the specific office I want to go into. So basically, every time I need to go to the bathroom, I have to run my card by the scanner and it’ll let me back in my “office.”
Where I live, I also have a card to let me in the parking garage and my apartment building. I have this fear of being locked out of my building and not being able to get ahold of my roommates because we don’t have a landline (so I can’t just call up to the apartment.) And I don’t always carry my phone with me, so that means I can’t text them. Although, on the other hand, I could easily follow someone into the apartment building and then everything would be okay.
Then there’s my use of credit cards. I don’t like to carry cash unless I’m going out for the night (then I normally only use cash). However, when I make purchases (gas, food, clothing, etc). I use my credit card, because it’s easy.
When I go on the metro, I use my SmartTrip card. Because that particular card is registered to me, they know when I’m using the metro. So someone knows where I am at, at all times. That’s creepy. It feels very Big Brother.
I’d say the only time when someone doesn’t know where I am is when I’m in my car unless I go to fill it up with gas. Then they know where I am. On the plus side, if I ever went missing, all they’d have to do is follow the trail and they’d be able to figure out exactly where I could’ve ended or when and where I disappeared.
In theory, kidnappers are basically screwed because missing people will be found a lot quicker these days. All that’s based on the trail that they leave.
(Yes, I do have a crazy imagination.)
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6 Comments
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Please do not say that you have a crazy imagination, Erin!
Our society become more watchable and recorded due to the possibility of technology to monitor our life.
If you want to escape somewhere from the law. I urge you to toss all your American dollars because they are embedded with the tracking modes - thin metal line (inserted into the hemp-woven cloth - American dollars). So the law enforcement officers could not track you in the woods.
The airport screeners and government officials could tell how much you bring your cash money out of country or into the country.
People finally realize that their post-1996 cars are equipped with the black box to record the driving data, etc. Law enforcement officers of the near future could find out whether you go or not go (destination). So they could check out whether you are telling the truth where you are.
More people find out about the installation of black boxes within their brand-new cars. Is that really the invasion of privacy? Or the excellent tool for the law enforcement?
Welcome to the world of George Orwell! You ought to watch the futuristic film, “Brazil” real soon. So you would get the full idea of what our future society will be.
Or we will have the Neo-Luddities socio-political revolution in near future? Who knows?
You ought to read George Orwell’s another book - “Animal Farm”.
I recently read the government-issued printing for young people about Ray Bradury’s latest interview about the “Fareheit 451″ novel. I am surprised to learn that Bradury just wrote this novel in 9 days due to the limited typewriter use at the library - 10 cents for half hour use. Whoa!
You also ought to watch Truaffant’s “Fareheit 451″ film. Mel Gibson consider to remake the film on same title and novel few years ago, but never completed it.
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
Orwell’s main reasons for writting this “negative utopia” were to warn his readers against communism, but after the fall of communism, we can view it as a caution against the excessive power of mass media, or the immoderate power of any government!!! Things that we take for granted today - cameras everywhere we go, phones being tapped, bodies being scanned for weapons, and so on. Now with the Internet today, people can spy on other people wityh webcams or people set up their own webcams on purpose to let others watch them. Can you imagine that the government watches everyone and knows what everyone is doing at all times - watching you shower, watching you having sex, watching you eat, watching you go to the bathroom and ultimately watching you die. Also, the government knows what we are doing on our daily life basis by scanning any kind of cards. Well, one positive thing about it is that a missing person or a thief, fugitive, and whoever can be tracked down. Yes, you are right about screwing up the kidnappers’s plans. That’s another nice thing about it. BUT STILL… do we want to be closely watched by the goverment? Today it’s not that bad but it will be worse in the near future.
Have you read the recent Yahoo newsreport about the Dallas guy witnessed the ongoing crime spree in UK thru the live camera broadcast of the tourist spot (the Beatles) and report to the authorities?
RLM
Yes, it is all Big Brother.
The worse thing that could happen is a crime being committed near the place or time where/when you used your credit card.
This is one of the reasons why I am very selective in the use of my credit card. Otherwise I pay by cash.
As for cars being tracked - so far there is no such tracking here in New Zealand, but who knows when that will happen? It wouldn’t surprise me if that happens, eventually (under the guise of polls).
Finally, if one advantage of Big Brother is to prevent crimes from being committed (such as those survilience cameras), uh oh, unfortunately it won’t stop crimes being committed “at the heat of the moment” or by thick people to know about such cameras……
What about the futuristic crime prevention like the “Minority Report” film?
Thoughts and actions are two different things. Should our pre-planned thoughts about committing any crime be used against us?
If we are too overprotective of our youngsters like not lettingf the toddler from accidental fall on the ground. That will result in the false sense of security around ourselves to be taken care of.
“People finally realize that their post-1996 cars are equipped with the black box to record the driving data, etc. Law enforcement officers of the near future could find out whether you go or not go (destination). So they could check out whether you are telling the truth where you are.”
Is it just part of your wild imagination? :) Post-1996 cars?