13 ms·

I can't be the only one thinking we've passed 1984 already?

bernardom 5y ago
Is there a telestrator in your living room that will cause you to go to jail if you mutter something negative about the government?
- undersuit 5y ago
  Alexa, remind me not to order a telestrator.
  - robotresearcher 5y ago
    I'm sorry. I can't do that, Dave.
- astrange 5y ago
  That's what people remember about 1984, but that actually only applied if you were middle class like Winston, since they didn't control his boss nor any of the proles. So the actual message of the book was that living in England sucks, which as far as I can tell is still true.
- swader999 5y ago
  My smart tv spies on me. I think it's helping build my social credit profile that will turn on or off opportunities for me at some point. Much more sophisticated than jail.
- throwawaaarrgh 5y ago
  It used to be that if you muttered something about bombs and the president on the telephone, you could get two men in black suits at your door. Social media is monitored more than that, though I don't think you get the same response unless you're going through customs. Or are middle eastern.
  - ipaddr 5y ago
    Now it is through text, message apps and twitter chatter.
- AndrewBissell 5y ago
  The state has mostly learned that allowing a measure of dissent and criticism is fine, and even strengthens its claims to legitimacy, as long as it's of a mostly non-revolutionary character. This is why Noam Chomsky is allowed to inveigh impotently against American imperialism while keeping his university sinecure and book deals. On the other hand, if you start something like the Black Panthers, or MLK's planned march on DC, or the Ferguson protests, then something much more final than prison may be used to get rid of you.
- Shorel 5y ago
  I can be killed if I go to the streets to protest my government, yes. I can be killed if I am a journalist and dare to say anything bad against my government. So, not exactly the same, but not too different either.
- LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
  It is rumored that some Smart-TVs, Smart-Speakers and other smart things have that capability.
throwitaway1235 5y ago
I personally believe we crossed that Rubicon once we granted the play store our vaccination status, contact tracing strangers etc. That was the undeniable shift towards hard totalitarianism.
- swader999 5y ago
  The censorship on vaccine talk, questioning election results, woke speak. Seems like they are ramping up aliens to be the next big thing to fear. Google and Facebook have way more on me than a telestrator ever could. It's almost God like what they can see. They've made deals to share this with the Gov to bypass constitutional limitations.
- Bud 5y ago
  Um, clearly it's not undeniable, because I deny it. What precisely scares you so much about vaccination status being somewhat public? There's precisely zero threat to any real liberties there. And it's laughable to call this "hard totalitarianism". As an aside, this didn't even happen, of course; we didn't "grant the play store our vaccination status". Never happened.
  - swader999 5y ago
    Because it's practically being used to restrict travel, employment and access to many things. What if you've already developed immunity through infection? Why should you be forced into it? This received emergency authorisation when public debate on the matter was heavily censored through government and big tech partnerships and complicit centralized media outlets. If treatments with drugs like invermectin were given a fair consideration then it's likely these vaccines couldn't have been authorised under the emergency use protocols. More on this here: https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/05/i-dont-know-of-a-bigger-story-in-the-world-right-now-than-ivermectin-ny-times-best-selling-author.html https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/05/i-dont-know-of-a-big...
    - loopz 5y ago
      Vaccine status may grant more freedoms to more people, but can only happen with some degree of controlling the masses. You have to at some point, see beyond your nose tip.
Shorel 5y ago
Yep. It was called the Soviet Union, and it fell in 1991. The fear is: if something like it happens again, we now have the technology to make it a hundred times more oppressive.

Is there a telestrator in your living room that will cause you to go to jail if you mutter something negative about the government?

undersuit 5y ago
Alexa, remind me not to order a telestrator.
- robotresearcher 5y ago
  I'm sorry. I can't do that, Dave.
astrange 5y ago
That's what people remember about 1984, but that actually only applied if you were middle class like Winston, since they didn't control his boss nor any of the proles. So the actual message of the book was that living in England sucks, which as far as I can tell is still true.
swader999 5y ago
My smart tv spies on me. I think it's helping build my social credit profile that will turn on or off opportunities for me at some point. Much more sophisticated than jail.
throwawaaarrgh 5y ago
It used to be that if you muttered something about bombs and the president on the telephone, you could get two men in black suits at your door. Social media is monitored more than that, though I don't think you get the same response unless you're going through customs. Or are middle eastern.
- ipaddr 5y ago
  Now it is through text, message apps and twitter chatter.
AndrewBissell 5y ago
The state has mostly learned that allowing a measure of dissent and criticism is fine, and even strengthens its claims to legitimacy, as long as it's of a mostly non-revolutionary character. This is why Noam Chomsky is allowed to inveigh impotently against American imperialism while keeping his university sinecure and book deals. On the other hand, if you start something like the Black Panthers, or MLK's planned march on DC, or the Ferguson protests, then something much more final than prison may be used to get rid of you.
Shorel 5y ago
I can be killed if I go to the streets to protest my government, yes. I can be killed if I am a journalist and dare to say anything bad against my government. So, not exactly the same, but not too different either.
LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
It is rumored that some Smart-TVs, Smart-Speakers and other smart things have that capability.

throwitaway1235 5y ago

I personally believe we crossed that Rubicon once we granted the play store our vaccination status, contact tracing strangers etc. That was the undeniable shift towards hard totalitarianism.

swader999 5y ago
The censorship on vaccine talk, questioning election results, woke speak. Seems like they are ramping up aliens to be the next big thing to fear. Google and Facebook have way more on me than a telestrator ever could. It's almost God like what they can see. They've made deals to share this with the Gov to bypass constitutional limitations.
Bud 5y ago
Um, clearly it's not undeniable, because I deny it. What precisely scares you so much about vaccination status being somewhat public? There's precisely zero threat to any real liberties there. And it's laughable to call this "hard totalitarianism". As an aside, this didn't even happen, of course; we didn't "grant the play store our vaccination status". Never happened.
- swader999 5y ago
  Because it's practically being used to restrict travel, employment and access to many things. What if you've already developed immunity through infection? Why should you be forced into it? This received emergency authorisation when public debate on the matter was heavily censored through government and big tech partnerships and complicit centralized media outlets. If treatments with drugs like invermectin were given a fair consideration then it's likely these vaccines couldn't have been authorised under the emergency use protocols. More on this here: https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/05/i-dont-know-of-a-bigger-story-in-the-world-right-now-than-ivermectin-ny-times-best-selling-author.html https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/05/i-dont-know-of-a-big...
  - loopz 5y ago
    Vaccine status may grant more freedoms to more people, but can only happen with some degree of controlling the masses. You have to at some point, see beyond your nose tip.

Shorel 5y ago

Yep. It was called the Soviet Union, and it fell in 1991. The fear is: if something like it happens again, we now have the technology to make it a hundred times more oppressive.