In 1949, British author George Orwell published the novel "1984" which is perhaps most famous for its portrayal of government as an ever-present eye, watching and surveying the populace, surreptitiously encroaching on the rights of the people while under the guise of a helpful entity who's always got its sights set on the greater good.In doing so, the novel also gave us a term we have since popularized as the fear of a government SO over-involved in We The People's affairs that it crushes the privacy of We The People. This term is, of course, BIG BROTHER. The implication is that whatever you do and wherever you go, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.
Some people see this as cautionary tale; a sharp, satirical warning that We The People must safeguard our right to privacy, lest the powers-that-be take it away. Others have argued that this dark, Orwellian prophecy has actually come to pass under such policies as the Patriot Act etc etc.
But you know what? The old man was wrong.
I live in Florida, the source of 95% of everything that has embarrassed America over the past decade or so, and I can tell you this... when We The People get busted doing something illegal, short-sighted, stupid, unethical, immoral, evil or embarrassing... it wasn't government surveillance that put us on the news...
It was US.
The onset of the digital age has made it easier to record, publish and distribute media than it has ever been in the course of human history. Consider the fact that nearly every cell phone has the capability to record video and nearly every American has access to the Internet. Combine that with our growing national obsession with celebrity of any kind, and you've got a world that even George Orwell never saw coming. A world NOT where Big Brother is always looking over you, but where LITTLE BROTHER is always telling on you.
When Kramer got busted for using the N-word, it was Little Brother that told on him. When a Disney princess gets busted for sexting, it's Little Brother that tells on her. When Michael Phelps gets caught snorkeling in a very non-traditional sense, it was Little Brother that told on him. When a 22 year old decides not to wear undies to the club, it's Little Brother that tells on her. When an American Idol contestant has semi-nude "modelling" photos, has a profile on a gay matchmaking site or gets caught in drag makin' out with another dude in drag, it was Little Brother that told on them too.
TMZ is Little Brother. The Paparazzi is Little Brother. And guess what? Myspace? Facebook? And any other social networking site du jour? Everyone there may not be Little Brother, but that's sure as hell where he hangs out.
Big Brother doesn't NEED to keep an eye on We The People. All he has to do is wait. Sooner or later, Little Brother will have something to report.
So here we are, 60 years after the publishing of "1984" and the future has revealed itself - and talk about your twist endings. The ever present eye encroaching on our privacy wasn't some spooky, shadow cabinet, government entity after all.
It was We The People. And what's more, we've got video to prove it.
--F
