October 14, 2010

Big Brother Sneaking a Peek?
















I think that Big Brother is watching us with all of his many eyes. He also seems to have many hands; rather like an Asian deity. Big has been telling us what to think politically, socially, economically, and has even monitored our sexuality to an extent. Been doing it for over the last century. My parents and their people saw it happen during their lives. According to my Mom; Big Brother watched us very furtively in the 40's and 50's. However if she were still with us, I believe she would agree with me that the past 20 years have been even worse. The difference between today and then is this; people are afraid of getting involved personally where as at least from the 40's to the 60's a great many people tried to involve themselves in different causes and other peoples lives. I sight such things as Greenpeace, Antiwar Marches, Veterans Day, Draft- Card Burning, Harbor Day, Peace Marches, and Civil Rights Marches.

Honesty and integrity are at a premium in this tired old world. People are so much more suspicious of each other than they were when I was little. We don't know our neighbors or work together as well as we did in the 50's. I am not saying that criminals were not around, that there were not robbers or murderers. or that children were not bullied. It just seemed that there were more pockets of safety in society when I was younger. I noticed a great change around my 13th year. Perhaps my parents were doing their job better than some. Until I got a taste of the world beyond my family circle I didn't realize just how scary the world was even back then. And at the risk of sounding paranoid it certainly is frightening now.

Okay what does all this got to do with Big Brother? Well our anonymity with the government and in society in general works against us. Crime is committed on several levels these days. We not only need to be wary of criminals but the "law keepers and makers". We have complicated our legal world so much that it often works against us. The use of computers and all the other technology we have invented has us far more open to scrutiny with too many strangers.

No one in this world should be seen as more valuable or better than another person. However it seems that the disabled, the poor and the meek are often condemned in the legal systems of the western world more often than not. Their voices are simply not heard above the din. We can not guard our personal statistics, have a bit of privacy, or socially mind and have others mind their own business. Thank the powers that be or perhaps not for such things as Life-Loc, ADT, Protection One and Lifeline. But when you really think about it, these are but band-aids on the privacy and security problems many of us are having.

Our governments and the banking world have reduced our identities to a bunch of numbers. Not many people call us by name; when we are going about on our errands in the community. Big Brother is deftly watching and conducting our lives. A time machine would be a ludicrous panacea for our problems. What we need to do is be more open to helping each other. We need to help the people who have nothing and tax the ones that have more than they need. Our countries need to help the people in their own back yards; as well as helping those in the rest of the Global Village. The time for band-aids is over. Lets do an 'operation' now before the emergency is full of potential appendectomies!