In Pursuit of Real Privacy

Yesterday I was ready to stand on my soapbox and berate the Democrats for not blocking the expansion of the Bush Regime’s increase in warrantless wiretapping. Never fear Defenders of Freedom, I was going to kick the teeth of the Regime pretty hard as well. I was sitting at my work computer fleshing the writing out in my head when my co-worker’s 11-year-old daughter started talking about the gifts she received during her birthday party last weekend. Her favorite was a new webcam, and it was more significant, not only because she wanted it, but because it was her 5th webcam.

Us old farts in the office began balking at the idea of five webcams until the bright ‘tween talked about the fact that most of her friends have at least a dozen webcams, and one particular attention monger in her social circle has 42 including three portable webcams. Am I the only one who finds this a bit disturbing?

When I was this girl’s age, one of my favorite phrases was, ‘Mind your own business!’ I said it to nosy schoolmates, my mother, my siblings, and anyone else who stood outside my intimate circle of trust, or those who just annoyed the hell out of me. Privacy, to me, has always been about comfort zones. I started this blog to work through some stuff that was happening in my life, and because it was a lot more fun than weekly therapist visits. It was quite awhile before I began responding to comments, and even longer before I shared a picture of myself. I publish the real names of my immediate family, but keep co-workers, my place of employment, and other information on an alias-only basis. I have a firm grasp on how much privacy I am willing to give up.

What I’m wondering now, especially given our Reality TV obsessed society, is will the younger generation feel the same way? Will they be able to establish privacy boundaries that will allow them to be individuals, yet preserve a comfort zone of anonymity?

The most disturbing thought in all of this is that the government is using a Big Brother approach on a youth culture that is either unaware or doesn’t care. According to polls that I’ve seen, most reasonable people think it’s perfectly okay to tap a terror suspect’s phone and listen into their overseas conversations. With the recent expansion of warrantless wiretapping, the National Security Agency can now spy on emails, and has the privilege of listening into all citizens’ and non-citizens’ overseas conversations. One of my good friends has family in Israel, so that means the NSA will be privy to his weekly chats with Mom and Dad. This friend of mine also happens to be liberal in his thinking and doesn’t have too many kind words to say about the Bush Regime, does that mean he will eventually end up on the “No Fly List”?

At the heart of the issue is the fact that we are giving privacy away to anyone who wants to take a look without asking where our rights will be five years from now. We live in a culture that tells us every minute of the day that if we aren’t famous, we don’t matter. Our youth is constantly being reminded that education and realistic goals are secondary to being on TV, whether you have to humiliate yourself on a reality show, or sleep with half of Hollywood to be a tabloid queen, if you aren’t famous, you aren’t shit.

Perhaps I’m a bit too Orwellian , but my greatest fear is that one day soon we will come to a point where owning 42 webcams isn’t optional, having people watch our movements 24/7 won’t be up for discussion, and filters on email won’t be something that we control. How long before I’m put on the “No Fly List” for opposing this corrupt, corporately-owned government?

The solution in all this is to raise children with an awareness of what can happen when their privacy falls into the wrong hands. Orwell’s “1984” should be mandatory reading for everyone living in the United States. We should also begin flooding the blogosphere, emails, and phone conversations with our feelings, ideas and beliefs, particularly about the way our country is being run. They can catch a few of us free thinkers, but that can’t catch us all! Mostly, we should encourage journaling; pen to paper, hidden under the bed, never to be seen by anyone, and not to be published after our deaths. Getting active about privacy rights needs to happen immediately, because right now we can call ourselves the United States, but with the loss of these rights we are only a heartbeat away from becoming Oceania.