Comments on: So, Not Only Can Google Be Our Big Brother…

By: Keri

Keri — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 01:18:12 +0000

What’s next for our kids? Electric fences to keep them contained? =P

I’m raising my son in an environment that does not restrict him physically. Instead we are building a collaborative relationship through trust. He’s only an infant but for now that strategy is working. ;)

By: Fred

Fred — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 15:44:50 +0000

Definitaly bushwhacked, aint we.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 02:42:26 +0000

JT’s Husband: Big Brother — perhaps; with the passing of the Patriot Act and other dubious initatives by the present governmental regime, things are a little different than even a few years ago. Bush’s wiretapping program is a small example. And “Big Brother” is firmly ingrained in our vocabulary now as a pejorative (derogatory) term to describe overly enthusiastic surveillance attempts. Heck, they’re using red light cameras to solve crimes (even though they swore up and down that they’d only be used for speeding tickets), it’s not much of a stretch to keep on going down that slope…

By: David Evans

David Evans — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 01:32:20 +0000

Nice new pic. :) But back to the topic– I disagree. Kids and parents got along fine without harnesses, GPS systems, invisible fences, and the like for thousands of years.
So why the sudden need now?

I don’t think it’s realistic, although I’m sure there’s tons of people out there that will run out and buy these things. But relying on technology does not substitute for responsible parenting. One of the passages parents must go through is letting go, realizing that their children are in that netherworld between childhood and adulthood, and trusting that you’ve taught them and raised them well enough that they will do the right thing. Knowing when and where to set boundaries, enforce rules, play the heavy, and even harder, knowing when to let go and pick and choose battles.

I don’t think it helps that the media sensationalizes cases where things went awry; for every missing kid in Aruba, there’s thousands of kids that turn out reasonably well.

Another thought– are the harnesses/tracking systems/what have you for the kids, or are they for YOU, the parent? What do such items teach kids?

Just my two cents…

By: Jt's Husband

Jt's Husband — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 21:35:19 +0000

Big Brother is an irrational Orwellian fear. I would know, I did my research paper on it.

There is a delicate balance between security and privacy. The slippery slope argument that we’re falling towards a world like “1984″ is a leap from a single new innovation that somewhat calms the minds of worried parents.

By: Bobby Cox

Bobby Cox — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 20:12:51 +0000

Big Brother at home is OK, but Big Brother in government is not? Is there enough a line between the two? :)