Eye in the Sky
Caught the news of the day yesterday and it was actually good news - homicides are down something like 53% in Buffalo over the last three years and violent crimes are also down about 10%. The police chief and the mayor stood together and accepted congratulations, but it was also reported that there was a sharp decline because of 67 security cameras on the streets of Buffalo.
Coincidentally, my wife rented Eagle Eye for us to watch, so I spent the night thinking of 1984 by Orwell and wondering about how much Big Brother is watching.
Of course, it is understood that we are being tracked by our cell phones, our computers, our credit cards, and the security cameras that mark our every move at the toll booths, and on the city streets.
Which is fine with me because I don't conspire to commit many crimes, but I'm sure that there are people out there who feel their rights are violated.
The movie made me feel uncomfortable in that every movement can be tracked, but can the reduction in violent crime be such a bad thing? Averting terrorist strikes certainly is helpful, and listening into the chatter of the bad guys can't hurt.
Of course, knowing that Santa Claus can see you if your naughty or nice has worked with kids for years and years, and there is a strong belief that God will know what you did and will punish or reward you when whatever here is done.
The idea that there is an eye in the sky watching my every movement was beaten into me by the nuns in grammar school, so I have lived my life believing that every bad thing I've ever done is recorded somewhere and that soon the whole world will find out - which is not a mind-healthy way to live, but it sort of keeps me in line.
I'm not sophisticated enough to know about illegal wiretaps, or the stripping of my constitutional rights, but I did start the movie hoping that good would prevail over evil and that the guy would get the girl, and that's all you can hope for when you don't fully understand who's watching what.
I'm off to take a shower now - if you're watching me, this might be a good time to fade to black.
Coincidentally, my wife rented Eagle Eye for us to watch, so I spent the night thinking of 1984 by Orwell and wondering about how much Big Brother is watching.
Of course, it is understood that we are being tracked by our cell phones, our computers, our credit cards, and the security cameras that mark our every move at the toll booths, and on the city streets.
Which is fine with me because I don't conspire to commit many crimes, but I'm sure that there are people out there who feel their rights are violated.
The movie made me feel uncomfortable in that every movement can be tracked, but can the reduction in violent crime be such a bad thing? Averting terrorist strikes certainly is helpful, and listening into the chatter of the bad guys can't hurt.
Of course, knowing that Santa Claus can see you if your naughty or nice has worked with kids for years and years, and there is a strong belief that God will know what you did and will punish or reward you when whatever here is done.
The idea that there is an eye in the sky watching my every movement was beaten into me by the nuns in grammar school, so I have lived my life believing that every bad thing I've ever done is recorded somewhere and that soon the whole world will find out - which is not a mind-healthy way to live, but it sort of keeps me in line.
I'm not sophisticated enough to know about illegal wiretaps, or the stripping of my constitutional rights, but I did start the movie hoping that good would prevail over evil and that the guy would get the girl, and that's all you can hope for when you don't fully understand who's watching what.
I'm off to take a shower now - if you're watching me, this might be a good time to fade to black.
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