Big Brother vs. Little Brother

[hexola]

Been thinking about a few incidents lately that involved citizens using cameras/recorders/cellphones to catch people - generally persons in positions of authority - behaving badly...

Like this...

http://www.canada.com/cityguides/winnipeg/info/story.html?id=fc7f8834-da59-4dc9-9f2c-90fb37bfe3bc&k=73960

Quebec school officials are considering banning the use of cameras and cellphones in all classrooms after two students secretly recorded their teacher's angry outburst and posted three clips on YouTube.

Or this...

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1163571262150640.xml?starledger?nnj&coll=1

A Kearny High School student has accused a history teacher of crossing the line between teaching and preaching -- and he says he's got the tapes to prove it...At first, Paszkiewicz denied he mixed in religion with his history lesson, and the adults in the room appeared to be buying it, LaClair said. But then he reached into his backpack and produced the CDs.

It seems they always want to punish the people who do the recording...???

Its the opposite of Big Brother...we are "Little Brother" - with all of our cellphone cameras, webcams...etc.

I think we need the right to record/take pictures - even covertly - to protect ourselves from Govt corruption, cover-ups, and lies.

These two cases are just the tip of the iceberg...

Can Little Brother fight Big Brother...?

Did Orwell ever address/anticipate the idea of Little Brother?

[treestar]

1. Yes, isn't it interesting that it only records something that actually

happened, and they want the evidence of it to be lower-tech, just he said/she said?

One thing Orwell did not think of - he only figured it could go one way.

[Auggie]

2. One would have to reply yes, it's just the beginning. And I say it's a good thing.

There's no telling what's in store as technology continues to improve.

[neoblues]

3. Transparency... The more, the better.

Not an Orwell expert, but in 1984, the concepts were such that Big Brother was so all knowing/pervasive that nobody could even have the technology to record anything--and even if they did, there was nobody in power who would care about any kind of recording you made--no matter how egregious--and they'd be so scared at the notion of being seen to even know about anything you recorded that they'd have to turn you in or face the end of their dreary existence. Remember, one couldn't even write anything. The government had the power, therefore to change the past to whatever it wanted it to be.

Having both courts and laws is of inestimable importance. Likewise, it seems to me, having the freedom to make such recordings of public (I'm considering public school/or even any schoolroom filled with young citizens to be "public") activities would be important. How much, when, and where recording "private" activities gets complicated--I see the need for rights to privacy (by corporations, individuals and in limited circumstances, government (ie. national security)), but so too is there a need to be able to capture evidence of crimes, abuse of regulation, whatever--in order to right what is wrong. Never an easy balance.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. The "right to bear arms" is not just guns

As the Second Amendmentists get orgasmic explaining, the basis of our right to bear arms is the belief that citizens have a right to protect themselves against government aggression and intimidation. I assert that any tool which allows us to protect ourselves constitutes "arms" in the Constitutional sense. That includes (but is not limited to) digital recording equipment such as cell phone cameras.

[The2ndWheel]

5. Which will make it easier

for everyone to be watched all the time, by everyone. Be they in position of authority, or somebody walking down the street. It won't stop corruption or anything, since they'll have something on you too.

Yippee!!

[hexola]

6. PM bump (nt)

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. It is very interesting, isn't it... how this technology cuts more than one way.

A movie like "Enemy of the State" presents the dystopian view of Big Brother wielding the all powerful technological surveillance tools. And in truth, Big Brother certainly has all the latest and greatest, and funding to boot.

But we are seeing many instances of the Little Brother, as you say, exposing truths with their own little pieces of technology.