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It's ironic that in the book 1984 all the citizens have hidden cameras in their TVs. Today, in 2019, all the citizens have non-hidden cameras and microphones i
by yters 8y ago
It's ironic that in the book 1984 all the citizens have hidden cameras in their TVs. Today, in 2019, all the citizens have non-hidden cameras and microphones in pretty much every electronic device they use. We also have the customary day of rage, where we all direct our collective rage at some political opponent. Don't get me started on the butchering of the English language...
- chrisjc 8y agoIt's been a while since I've read it, but wasn't everyone in 1984 well aware of the cameras in their telescreens? That's why Wilson sought out a corner of his room where he was out of view of the camera?
- chiefalchemist 8y agoI believe you're correct, 'cept that Wilson was Winston.
- hiccuphippo 8y agoSorry to nitpick but the cameras in the TVs in 1984 where not hidden. They even had a speaker and the government was able to talk directly to an individual through them. The problem there, and here, is people don't really care.
- bobthepanda 8y agoExcept people do care, as evidenced by the fact that this is even an article about a controversy in the first place.
- docker_up 8y agoSome journalists care. Don't conflate journalists or HN forum with the general public. Most people likely don't care at all.
- bobthepanda 8y agoPeople is just the plural of person. Journalists are people too. A small amount of disgruntled air travelers stranded on the tarmac led to the establishment of a Passenger Bill of Rights: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-expands-airline-passenger-protections https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-t.... So I wouldn't say that this is worthless or that this is not impactful.
- docker_up 8y agoThen say "some people" if you don't want to be deceptive in what you're portraying. Just saying "people" implies that most people believe it, which is not the case.
- JohnFen 8y ago> Most people likely don't care at all. I honestly don't think this is true. I think that most people don't realize the amount of surveillance they're being subjected to, and many of those that do realize it engage in a little self-deception (they aren't really watching/they dont'care/etc.) in order to be OK with it. But that's changing, and fast.
- docker_up 8y agoI think most people know, and they don't care. Look at UK as an example, it's literally 1984 with people on cameras talking to pedestrians to pick up their litter. Home voice automation with non-stop voice recording is the biggest privacy intrusion, and yet it's the biggest hit in the last couple of years. I really don't think people care as much as you think. HN is not a good representation of how regular people think or feel.
- imtringued 8y agoI don't think people on HN care that much either.
- chiefalchemist 8y agoCaring or not aside, the psychological and emotional "friction" from the constant din of surveillance takes it toll. Worst case, it influences your decisions / behavior to becomes less "suspect". There's no need to care, you've already been assimilated.
- chrisoverzero 8y ago> [...] all the citizens have hidden cameras in their TVs. The cameras weren't hidden. > We also have the customary day of rage [...] It was the Two Minutes Hate. > Don't get me started on the butchering of the English language... In the book, the changes to English -- to make it into Newspeak -- were controlled. No such control exists in the real world. > It's ironic [...] It seems not to be.