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This bit: Snowden himself is I think the most interesting part of this because he’s a so-called Millennial. His ethics and allegiances are not those of his fat
by codeulike 13y ago
This bit:
Snowden himself is I think the most interesting part of this because he’s a so-called Millennial. His ethics and allegiances are not those of his father or grandfather and certainly not those of the politicians and intelligence leaders he’d love to bring down. So the old rules, old threats, and old reward structures don’t work with this guy, making him even more dangerous.
I think that’s good. In fact I think it’s the system re-regulating itself. We created Edward Snowden by disappointing him so. Our leaders, representing the old culture even as they presented themselves as representing the new, gave him no morally acceptable way to be successful in his own culture. We made him do what he is doing now. And if you think that’s bullshit I suggest you think again because this guy has been very clear about his motivation.
There's something in this. The old 'for king and country' type stuff isn't as strong as it used to be. The average person views "people in power" very differently to 50 years ago. We all have mixed feelings about power now.
- gcb0 13y agoWe've seen this cycle all the time. New generation comes, brings down two generations worth of powerful influences. It's no coincidence that all the revolts in the world are happening somewhat in the same decade. Arab spring, Turkey, now Brazil... and I don't even follow the news.
- walshemj 13y agoFrom what we have seen so far in the Arab spring the "progressive elements" are getting squeezed out by the reactionarys - Just like the Iranian Revolution. This is what the secular protestors are worried about in Turkey. Brazil is slightly different always wondered if the hardline clearance of the favellas for the world cup/Olympics would come back to bite them on the ass.
- cinquemb 13y ago>From what we have seen so far in the Arab spring the "progressive elements" are getting squeezed out by the reactionarys And the profiteers in some cases[0]… but alas, this is nothing new… [0]: http://www.cfr.org/qatar/tiny-qatars-big-plans-may-change-mideast/p26143 http://www.cfr.org/qatar/tiny-qatars-big-plans-may-change-mi...
- alexqgb 13y agoJudging from this photoset, it's biting them hard. http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/protests-spread-across-brazil/100536/ http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/protests-spread-a...
- roc 13y agoThe interesting part, from where I'm sitting, is that I don't think the younger generation will see any "error" in Snowden jetting to Hong Kong, nor in revealing information about NSA surveillance on foreign targets. I think they see "people who are online" as a sort of kindred/nation in a way the older generations reserved for countrymen or foreign adherents to their own religious faith. And I don't mean to say they lack national identity or anything; nor that it's an extreme identification. I just mean that it seems, to me, their outrage is more about being spied on on Facebook, rather than being spied on in America. So if China had to find out about the spying for Americans to find out, I don't think they're going to rank "China is not our great friend" as more important than "online spying is wrong" and be all that divided on the issue of whether Snowden did anything wrong.
- tswartz 13y agoThat part rang true for me too. Completely agree that millenials are going to be disappointed with leaders representing the old culture.
- walshemj 13y agoI am shocked shocked that the generation of 68 sold out to the man :-)
- cinquemb 13y agoWhat about Binney and Drake? Sometimes I wonder if people get caught up so much in the current generation "heroes" and skip over that pretty much everyone else in that generation is still behind their desk greasing the gears in the machine…