Closed Circuit Television Promotes Social Inequality and Control In recent years there has been a growing trend involving the use of closed circuit television cameras. Many businesses are using these cameras to monitor shoppers large metropolitan areas have started using these systems to view people in public areas.These cameras can be extremely small and are often hardly noticeable. But few people it seems have stopped to consider the possible impacts these cameras have on our lives. And it is the negative consequences that may very well outweigh any of the potential benefits. Currently there are no adequate laws regulating the use of such cameras, and it is unlikely that without public outcry that there will be any instituted. Both the United States Congress as well as the Supreme Court have been decidedly silent on this issue. Due to the conservative nature of both of these institutions our personal liberties will most likely continue to be of secondary importance to social control interests. The main argument for the use of closed circuit television is, of course, our protection or safety. The benefit comes by making the consumers feel more secure while they shop. This in turn allows them to purchase more which directly helps the business. This may appear to be successful from a business perspective, but it cannot hope to solve the root issue of our social problems. All it can do is mask the fact that our society has these such problems. Until the basis of these problems are addressed they cannot be solved, and they will only continue to get worse. By ignoring these problems we can only aggravate them. The fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution is very explicit in guaranteeing our protection ... ... middle of paper ... ...nter productive things as eating or taking bathroom breaks. What is needed to eliminate the threats posed by c.c.t.v. use is a means of making the system accountable to the public. The surveillers need to be held responsible for what this information is used for. It is essential that we prevent such a powerful tool of social control from being used almost exclusively for economic benefit. Without democratic oversight of surveillance technologies such as c.c.t.v., we remain at the whims and desires of those operating the systems. It is naive to think that if we don’t challenge each instance of such social control that the situation will improve. More likely is that each step we take towards a police state that goes unchallenged will allow for each subsequent step to take place. And after each step it becomes increasingly difficult to reverse the trend.
What would actually happen if everyone was forced to be equal? Kurt Vonnegut envisioned the fatal outcome in his masterpiece, “Harrison Bergeron.” The story illustrates “what would happen if a government or some other power takes this notion serious” (Mowery). The protagonist, Harrison, who is arrest for “exuberant individuality,” escapes from prison and goes on national television station to declare himself emperor, only later to be killed by the handicap general Diane Moon. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut satirizes the movement toward egalitarianism and the effect of television on people.
Another issue discovered during the process of Snowden’s leaks is Over-classification. Allowing abuses to remain hidden and impeding information sharing can create risks to national security and obstruct the democratic process. Most importantly, these actions create distrust in government. Intelligence investigations must, of course, go forward in secrecy, but not all aspects must be so cloaked.16 Because of the secrecy surrounding the leaks it is difficult of the
a problem. And action taken by those such as McCain and Feingold are important, but we
all media types for any one of them to have any kind of impact of
When the first television was first successfully shown, people thought that this invention brought people to a new age, and that the television was a huge benefit to humanity. Unfortunately, since then the Golden Era of television's moral and standards have fallen drastically. We are far away from the days when Lassie and the town of Mayberry ruled the airways and were the talk of America. What was once intended as a benefit for society has become its detrimental fall, now instead of upholding American society's standards, television is working to corrupt the very society it intended to help.
Warning: your technology may be working against you. Our technological devices are seen everywhere and before we know it, they will control every aspect of our lives. This discussion has been discussed a plethora of times before. Such as George Orwell, author of the novel “1984.” According to Orwell’s novel, as new technology is developed, the more accessible it’ll be to control us. Who are these people controlling us you may ask? Well, that could be a long list of people. Some examples include the government, advertisers, hackers, corporations and more. The parallels of the technology we see today and the technology we see in Orwell's novel is undeniable. The parallels of our technology to the technology of 1984 include the infamous telescreen,
The breath-taking expansion of police power that the United States government took after 9/11 now poses as a troubling issue. Americans need to address the issues of government surveillance because it affects t...
Surveillance cameras have helped hundreds of law enforcement agencies solve thousands of crimes throughout the nation. They have become so helpful that most law enforcement agencies are planning on setting them up on street corners, buildings, publication parks, and on their own officers. There are many cities across the nation that have began to use surveillance cameras. Setting up cameras is a pivotal technique to solving and preventing crimes. Although, it is often argued that having law enforcement surveillance cameras set up throughout the nations communities is an invasion of privacy, citizens should sacrifice a little bit of privacy in return for their safety and protection of civil rights against criminals and police officers.
in the United States. About seventeen thousand people were arrested last year because of it. We
Thesis: Although there has been much controversy surrounding the use of body cameras, they are necessary because they can minimize the harm of innocent people, ensure
Body Cameras haven’t been around that long, but are making a big impact on policing. In the United Kingdom in 2005, they began testing a body camera for police officers. In 2010, over 40 areas in the United Kingdom were using body cameras. In the United States, on August 9th, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown was shot by a police officer. On July 17th, 2014 in New York, Eric Garner died while in police custody. Since these incidents, police body cameras have been a national topic. Technology is taking the world by storm, everyday there is a new, and unique gadget. Cameras are everywhere in this world. You are being recorded every day, by a camera you
Throughout the years, television has altered the lives of many American families in a number of ways. When television was first invented, it brought entertainment and togetherness into the homes of many Americans. However, during the course of years, television has caused turmoil in many American homes. Television has led to families being disconnected from one another and has caused a lack in family unity and tradition. It is crucial to ensure that a family maintains their togetherness and interaction with one another. However, many American families are so consumed into the depths of the unparallel force of the television universe that they have become unconscious and blind sighted by the harmful effects that television has caused them.
by the police. So how do we cure and give solutions to all these problems without creating a government?
Market failure has become an increasingly important topic for students. In simple terms, market failure occurs when markets do not bring about economic efficiency. There is a clear economic case for government intervention in markets where some form of market failure is taking place. Government can justify this by saying that intervention is in the public interest.
In the argumentative essay “T.V. Addiction” by Marie Winn, Winn relates watching television to having an addiction with drugs and alcohol. The television experience allows us to escape from the real world and enter into a pleasurable and peaceful mental state. When it comes to television, Marie asks the following question: Is there a kind of television viewing that falls into the more serious category of destruction addiction? I believe there is. Why do so many people, instead of doing what they’re supposed to be doing, put everything on hold and just focus on television? I think this is because they want an escape from their problems.