If anyone is doubting this newspaper, it's one of the best critical newspapers we have. More on-topic, this sounds more like the start of a movie than reality. Sadly I've become quite 'NSA-tired', almost indifferent to what horrible privacy breach they've done this time.The malware can be controlled remotely and be turned on and off at will. The ‘implants’ act as digital ‘sleeper cells’ that can be activated with a single push of a button. According to the Washington Post, the NSA has been carrying out this type of cyber operation since 1998.
You know, I'm not surprised that you've got NSA fatigue. I would also bet that a whole lot of other people are suffering from it too. Sadly, this is how outrageous things persist. People love to get outraged about things, love to say that they care, but in the end outrage, care and concern are only as potent as our attention spans, which of course are not infinite. The reason I keep posting these things is admittedly, a bit selfish. By putting it up in a place I frequent, I remind myself that this is something that I disagree with. I think it's reasonable for countries to gather intelligence on other governments, but to me, gathering data in the hopes of catching people with their pants down is a shitty way to govern.
You've encapsulated the problem perfectly. Outrage blooms, persists, gives way to fatigue, cynicism, and blitheness, till eventually yet another new low in the status quo gets voted into being by mass acquiescence. This relates to how I feel about all available forms of protest, that they have essentially been co-opted, invited to become a part of the spectacle, a venting of outrage in a context wherein meaningful change has already been taken off the table. It's like the bleeding off of steam, releasing force outside of the machine so it can't have any internal consequences. And I think that your method of avoiding complete disconnection is a strong one. It's not just that you're forced to regard the offense. It's that _you_ have forced yourself to regard it. This all invites us, though, to the real pressing question: what avenues remain open to us for meaningful change? What, if anything, can we do about it? I'm looking for peaceful, positive actions here. Perhaps removing one's self from the equation is the only alternative. Say what you will about the Amish, but if the NSA want to violate _their_ privacy, they have to do it the old fashioned way.
Talking of this always makes me think of this Lew Welch quote, which I came across via Gary Snyder: "We remain alert so as not to get run down, but it turns out you only have to
hop a few feet to one side and the whole huge machinery rolls by, not seeing you at
all. "
Yes, this is how it seems to me too. I feel like the population is being managed by people who have great insight into what the public's tolerances are and not always for the public good (to put it mildly). This is a tough question, especially without a great view of the map, so to speak. At this point, what tools do the public have to effect change in both government and in business? I suppose that people could stop working AND stop paying taxes, but that puts the public in a vulnerable position too. To extend the lines a bit, the most effective thing might be to remove the public altogether, since they are the source of labor that generates income for two groups that at the moment, seem bent on destroying their relationships with the public. Of course, this is not practical either and in fact, the portion of the population that is leaving, is causing some problems. In my former field, (TEFL) there was such an influx of new teachers who had just graduated from college in 2010, that they drove the wages down across the board for TEFL and CELTA people in Vietnam. Some of those assholes were taking on kids classes for $7 an hour. For context, I used to teach kids classes for no less than $17.50 an hour. The question is, where to hop without stepping on other people's toes, or sweeping through like a cloud of locusts? I do think that there are peaceful and positive solutions, but peace and positivity take hard work. It may be that this confluence of issues might galvanize people into trying new things. I haven't really read much Gary Snyder, or Lew Welch. What would you recommend by them?This relates to how I feel about all available forms of protest, that they have essentially been co-opted, invited to become a part of the spectacle, a venting of outrage in a context wherein meaningful change has already been taken off the table. It's like the bleeding off of steam, releasing force outside of the machine so it can't have any internal consequences.
This all invites us, though, to the real pressing question: what avenues remain open to us for meaningful change? What, if anything, can we do about it? I'm looking for peaceful, positive actions here. Perhaps removing one's self from the equation is the only alternative.