Governmental Control in the Electronic Age

1242 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Feminism and margaret atwood literature-THE HANDMAIDS TALE

Governmental Control in the Electronic Age

In The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood, the Gileadean regime was only able to rise to power because of its manipulation of electronic communications and commerce media. The Gileadean revolutionaries used instituted government controls on electronic information flow to take over much of the United States.

However implausible the Gileadean revolution may seem, there are seeds of similar government control in our society. Some examples include the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which included The Communications Decency Act, and Senate Bill 909, which would regulate encryption.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is an example of government control of electronic communication. This bill, passed by the House and Senate and signed unto law, issues 335 pages of government regulation over the broadcasting, cable TV, and telephone industries, as well as the internet (which shall be addressed separately). This Act was primarily hailed as deregulating the communications industry and many envisioned a drop in the prices of communication services due to competition. This is because the Act allows for multiple telephone, cable TV, and other communication service companies to operate in one region. For example there could be two phone companies in Alfred having a price war, each vying for customers.

At the same time, however, the Act also allows for one company to control all communications services in a region. This may be in violation of anti- trust laws however this has not been challenged. An example of this would be one company which controlled all telephone lines, cable TV, broadcasting of information, and internet access in Alfred. This possibility could be expanded. Imagine ...

... middle of paper ...

...ant access to all information flow. It is such an ability that the Gilead authorities used when they caused Offred's pass not to let her gain entry to the library and when they eliminated her access to her bank account.

The idea of the Gileadean Revolution may seem implausible, like many modern conspiracy theories. However these Laws are either on the books or being considered in The United States Congress. Could it really happen? Many of the Government controls of electronic media that allowed Gilead to come to power are almost in place.

Bibliography

"The Center for Democracy and Technology". 8 pp. Internet. http:cdt.org 18 Apr. 1998.

"The Secure Public Networks Act". 1 pp. Internet. http://jya.com/s909-rev.htm 18 Apr. 1998.

"Hearing on Threats to U.S. National Security". 1 pp. Internet. http://www.fbi.gov/congress/threats/threats.htm 18 Apr. 1998

Show More
Related

  • Biblical Themes Of The Bible In The Handmaid's Tale

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    Atwood is often thought of as a feminist writer, but through this novel her writing is not completely feminist nor patriarchal, but something in the middle. Atwood is also someone who described herself as a “strict agnostic” in an interview with Bill Moyer. In this future society Offred introduces the fact that people in Gilead are divided into separate groups, which have different jobs in society, Offred’s being a Housemaid. A housemaid is a concubine that is assigned to live with a Commander of the Faith and his Wife.

    Read More

  • Telecommunications Act of 1996

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Telecommunications Act of 1996 can be termed as a major overhaul of the communications law in the past sixty-two years. The main aim of this Act is to enable any communications firm to enter the market and compete against one another based on fair and just practices (“The Telecommunications Act 1996,” The Federal Communications Commission). This Act has the potential to radically change the lives of the people in a number of different ways. For instance it has affected the telephone services both local and long distance, cable programming and other video services, broadcast services and services provided to schools. The Federal Communications Commission has actively endorsed this Act and has worked towards the enforcement and implementation of the various clauses listed in the document. The Act was basically brought into existence in order to promote competition and reduce regulation so that lower prices and higher quality services for the Americans consumers may be secured.

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale Women

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood is a novel about a totalitarian state called Republic of Gilead that has replaced the United States in which the women of society have been taken away from their families and forced to be

    Read More

  • The Boston Tea Party

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people have heard of The Boston tea party. When American patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the British ships in the Boston harbor and dumped all of the tea into the ocean. But what most people fail to realize is the great importance behind this protest. To fully understand a topic of history one must first acknowledge the actions behind it. The French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, as well as the Tea Act are all important catalysts of the legendary Boston tea party. Which is why we will discuss these topics before examining the events of the Boston tea party.

    Read More

  • A Handmaid's Tale

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law.

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale: Societal Complacency

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...hat it was the women participation that allowed the government to regulate every aspect of their public and private lives. Women such as the Aunts especially Aunt Lydia where willing participants in the republic by indoctrinating women to the new way of life. The women became the eyes and ears to the government, condemning other women who don't follow the laws. If the women had the strength to rebel they might not have been able to change much but, at least they were taking a stand on what they believed in. The government had such control on every aspect through rules, conduct and rituals that were followed by the people with little to no questions by the people. That is why I feel that Societal Complacency played such a role in the success of the Republic of Gilead.

    Read More

  • Humanity In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many texts that were published from different authors have introduced topics that can be related in today’s society, but Margaret Atwood’s creation called, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, gives voice to the thoughts and revolves around the narrator Offred, a woman whose rights have been deprived due to political issues. However, the information shared by Offred to the reader to the text is not reliable for the reason that she only touches upon her own perspective. Through the text, Atwood depicted what the United States of America would be in the future based on the actions of humanity during 1980’s. The text is set up in an androcentric and totalitarian country called Gilead, where the government attempts to create a utopian society. Thus, in order to attain this society, the authorities generated their legislation from the teachings of the Holy Bible in an attempt to control humanity. The governing

    Read More

  • The Common Man’s Role in the American Revolution

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Boston Tea Party is one of the most explosive and dynamic examples of what affect the common man held on the path to the Revolution. The Tea Party itself was organized by some of the more well-known officials such as John Hancock, but would have had little effect without the men who actually participated in tossing of 90,000 pounds of tea. George Hewes, a prime example of the average man’s affect on the war, had this to say about that fateful night:

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel in which Atwood creates a world which seems absurd and near impossible. Women being kept in slavery only to create babies, cult like religious control over the population, and the deportation of an entire race, these things all seem like fiction. However Atwood's novel is closer to fact than fiction; all the events which take place in the story have a base in the real world as well as a historical precedent. Atwood establishes the world of Gilead on historical events as well as the social and political trends which were taking place during her life time in the 1980's. Atwood shows her audience through political and historical reference that Gilead was and is closer than most people realize.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Punishment In The Handmaid's Tale

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    What used to be the present, always becomes the past. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a government has completely reformed itself in order to achieve contentment. The government that was in place instantaneously becomes concealed in the past. Established public policies, customs, and ceremonies take complete control over the society; brainwashing the citizens of Gilead is obtained throughout those procedures. Even though the past “used to be different,” it does not take long for the distressed citizens to lose “the taste for freedom” (Attwood 114, 133). Re-educated, they come to trust that the government has attained a way to achieve the better good for mankind.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Tea Party

    1740 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Tea Party began February 19, 2009 by Rick Santelli as a political outcry to the financial crisis that did not only threaten the United States, but the entire world. Conservatives were deeply concerned with the perpetual bail outs for failing banks, and the millions of thousands of dollars going towards government programs like the newly proposed national healthcare bill. The Tea Party protests have continued, but have increasingly become more unpopular as the Tea Party continues to head a farther right direction.

    Read More

  • The Tea Party Movement

    2416 Words  | 5 Pages

    The tea party movement began as the result of conservative discontent after the presidential election in 2008. Before President Barack Obama took office, many conservatives went on online chat boards and expressed anger over the banks being bailed out and billions of their tax money being spent on government programs. As a form of protest, one individual suggested that everyone mail tea bags to their elected representative in Congress. The concept behind this idea was that what was happening to America at the time was like what had occurred in America during the colonial era. Revolutionaries had organized the Boston Tea Party because of the British policy of “taxation without representation”, and many conservatives felt as if this phrase described what the government was doing again. This was the birth of the tea party movement, and it has only greatly expanded since then. (Ed Pikington; Oct 5, 2010)

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Sherman Antitrust Act

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before the act, although monopolies were legal, it opened the door for federal investigations into good monopolies and bad monopolies. The act prevented the industries from obtaining too much power, however, the Sherman Antitrust Act was not completely efficient. The vague language used in the Sherman Antitrust Act proved it easy for companies to find legal loopholes, allowing them to engage in otherwise restricted business. The Clayton Antitrust Act was introduced in 1914 to clarify the principles the Sherman Antitrust Act set out to do. While the Sherman Antitrust Act said that monopolies were illegal, the Clayton Antitrust Act “defined as illegal certain business practices that are conducive to the formation of monopolies or that result from them. For example, specific forms of holding companies and interlocking directorates were forbidden.” (Britanica) This legislation was influential and was used to dissolve many monopolies in years to

    Read More

  • Fertility and Motherhood in The Handmaid´s Tale by Margaret Atwood

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unmistakably, fertility and motherhood are associated together, yet Gilead seems to detract them from each other, just like they dismember the bodies of all their citizens. The fact that they make women believe that they are ‘powerful’ because they are fertile is what keeps them from escaping from Gilead.

    Read More

  • Free Handmaid's Tale Essays: The Handmaid's Dystopia

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopia about a world where unrealistic things take place. The events in the novel could never actually take place in our reality." This is what most people think and assume, but they're wrong. Look at the world today and in the recent past, and there are not only many situations that have ALMOST become a Gilead, but places that have been and ARE Gileadean societies. We're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy!

    Read More

More about Governmental Control in the Electronic Age

Open Document