Interpreting the Meaning of Private
Hearing the word private, one could think of infinite meanings and uses. Some people think, for their own safety, certain people should not be private. Others believe it is their human right to have privacy, because it defines oneself. The dictionary-defined term of private has had subtle changes through the past 300 years. In the past three years, the definition of private in the US has changed to very little meaning, granting an even more important reason to find the true definition.
The pre-9/11 definitions never limit privacy to certain groups or people, and they never seem to grant more privacy to other people. In 1634, the OED defined private as “not open to the public; restricted … for … privileged persons”. The focus of this definition is the exclusive rights to view or interact with an object. As time passed, in 1913, the meaning grew to “personal property” (Webster's). More property everyday became private, as people feared a large government controlling their lives. A current definition includes seclusion “from sight, presence or intrusion of others” and focuses on a lack of knowledge of under privileged people (AHD, 2000).
Lately, the government has been passing radical laws violating many people’s privacy rights. The USA PATRIOT ACT and the USA PATRIOT ACT II critically injure many of the definitions of private. Through the acts, people residing in the United States can have meetings tapped, their personal property searched without knowledge, and followed/harassed within the confines of their own home. To many people, the word private brings forth a view of secrecy or personal belongings. Bathrooms and locker rooms, attorneys and their clients, to name a couple, are hoped to be private by most people. Privacy does not depend on the person, as privacy is a human right everyone should be granted. In Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore shows a peace group who had an undercover agent infiltrate them, violating their privacy. The group was not criminals, and had not been found guilty of anything, yet big brother decided these people’s rights should be limited.
With the passing of these laws, privacy is decreasing. People may wonder what would life be without privacy? No walls in the bathroom, shared locker rooms, records of who you talked to and about what, not to mention trying to build a legal defense if charged with a crime. How could one defend him/herself against an accusation if there could be no planning involved?
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
At the end of World War One, the Central Powers (which included Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary) were forced to submit to the Treaty of Versailles, which left the Central Powers with citizens who had a mounting disdain for government and organized power. In this chaos, Italy struggled to find a definitive government. As a result, from the end of WWI in 1919 to 1922 Italy, struggling in the ruins of WWI, found itself under the rule of five different governments. Following the infamous ‘March on Rome’, Benito Mussolini was chosen to be Italy’s head of government; however, Mussolini’s nascent fascist party (which was officially founded in 1919) toiled to rally around a set ideology. Though Mussolini had founded the Fascist party in 1919, the party had no set platform or ideology to organize itself around. James Whisker, a professor of Political Science at West Virginia University states, “Italian fascism had at least four principal phases.” Through these phases Italian fascism would come to fruition. The first...
...merican soil, the question remains as to how much privacy Americans really possess. Yes, security in the person and home is still at the discretion of law enforcement, but how far will the government reach in what seems to be an elaborate effort to gain total control over what the Constitution defines as a free society? This, and many other questions remain unanswered today, but it must be remembered that this is a government of, for, and by the people, not a dictatorship that it has come to be in today’s world.
How much privacy do we as the American people truly have? American Privacy is not directly guaranteed in any manner under the United States Constitution; however, by the Fourth Amendment, Americans are protected from illegal search and seizure. So then isn’t it ironic that in today’s modern world, nothing we do that it is in any way connected to the internet is guaranteed to remain discreet? A Google search, an email, a text message, or even a phone call are all at risk of being intercepted, traced, geo located, documented, and stored freely by the government under the guise of “protecting” the American people. Quite simply, the Government in order to protect us and our rights, is willing to make a hypocrite of itself and act as though our right is simply a privilege, and without any form of consent from the people, keep virtual tabs on each and every one of us. In the words of Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis “The right to privacy is a person's right to be left alone by the government... the right most valued by civilized men." Privacy isn’t just Privilege, it is nonnegotiable right, and deserves to be treated as such.
Benito Mussolini decided to get Italy involved in World War II. This decision had a negative impact on Italy. After World War I, the Italian people were angry that Italy did not get more land from the peace settlement. Getting Italy involved in World War II was not necessary. Getting involved in this war could have easily been avoided, but Mussolini decided to help and tries to give Italians what they wanted. What the Italians hoped to gain from World War I was never received. The gaining of land for Italy seemed as if it was a necessity to Mussolini. To gain more land, Mussolini led Italy into World War II. Things did not work out as expected for Mussolini. Thinking he had everything under control and that everything would go his way, things backfired and many men were lost during World War II. He also made Italy mar...
Another great example of loss of privacy is how they can no longer talk to each other in public, I’m talking of course about Winston and Julia, a man and woman talking to each other repeatedly without others around is considered breaking the rules and we are shown this because the first few times Winston approaches Julia after getting the note he is very nervous. “He did not look at her. He unpacked his tray and promptly began eating. It was all-important to speak at once before anyone else can.” (page 94) this quote is from when Winston sees Julia in the cafeteria after she slips him the note that read “ I LOVE YOU.”
Douglass made friends of the white boys, knowing that their hearts had not yet hardened, and make all of them into his teachers. During this time, he noticed that when he told them that he was a slave for life, they were sympathetic to him (Douglass, 1845 39). It is not long after that when Douglass first uses the word abolition. In the sense that the slaveholders regarded any act of self-initiative on the part of a slave as being “the fruit of abolition” Douglass, p.41). Abolition, albeit in a negative sense, was a popular topic of conversation in Baltimore, and eventually it occurs to Douglass that “abolition” in this case refers to the abolition of slavery and it is soon after this self-revelation that he decides to run away. It is during one of his many relocations that he realizes that the ship is sailing in a north easterly direction and he deems this important as he resolves to run way as so as circumstances permit (Douglass, p.
Privacy postulates the reservation of a private space for the individual, described as the right to be let alone. The concept is founded on the autonomy of the individual. The ability of an individual to make choices lies at the core of the human personality. The Supreme Court protected the right to privacy of prostitute. The autonomy of the individual is associated over matters which can be kept private. These are concerns over which there is a legitimate expectation of privacy. Privacy has both a normative and descriptive function. At a normative level privacy sub-serves those eternal values upon which the guarantees of life, liberty and freedom are founded. At a descriptive level, privacy postulates a bundle of entitlements and interests
The Fascists’ social and economic policies up to 1939 significantly aided their control over Italy yet may not be cited as the sole cause. The Fascist party’s social and economic policies along with other factors attributed to the overall control of Italy. Through such policies it was a certainty that the Fascist party would hold complete power over the population of Italy in each aspect of an individual’s life whether it was their leisure time through the Dopolavoro or at work under the corporate state system which was formally introduced in 1934. This complete domination of the Italian peoples’ lives could be argued to have been the instrumental factor behind the Fascists’ control over Italy up to 1939. Other factors which assisted the Fascists’ control of Italy include censorship of anti-Fascist ideologies and criticisms of the party, the secret police OVRA, political reforms and Mussolini’s personality. The censorship and intimidation of those opposed to the Fascist regime meant that the majority were too scared to speak out against the government and the press were heavily censored also, ensuring that only a positive image of the Fascists was conveyed. OVRA, the secret police, terrified the population of Italy and this enforced the idea that criticism would not be tolerated and severe punishments would be administered if opposition was discovered. The reform of the electoral system in July 1923 meant that to gain 2/3 of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, a party only had to receive 25% of the votes. This system almost guaranteed the Fascist party the majority of the seats and therefore ultimate control over Italy. Mussolini’s personality could be argued to be an important reason behind the Fascists’ control over Italy; he ...
In response to the democratic backlash after World War I, in response to the Treaty of Versailles and the economic failure after the war, countries turned to a totalitarian, fascist government, regulating every facet of life of the people it ruled. Fascist Italy was no exception—over the years 1921-1943, Italy instituted a population policy, controlling it and causing it to rise. Italy’s population policy consisted of the regulation of family size, often exercising Mussolini’s bid for control in extreme manners. The reactions consisted of an economic counterpoint of family size, and disapproval of this new regime.
When we mention the word ‘privacy’, we mean that there is something very personal about ourselves. Something that we think others are not supposed to know, or, we do not want them to. Nevertheless, why is it so? Why are people so reluctant to let others know about them entirely? This is because either they are afraid of people doing them harm or they are scared that people may treat them differently after their secrets are known. Without privacy, the democratic system that we know would not exist. Privacy is one of the fundamental values on which our country was established. Moreover, with the internet gaining such popularity, privacy has become a thing of the past. People have come to accept that strangers can view personal information about them on social networking sites such as Facebook, and companies and the government are constantly viewing a person’s activity online for a variety of reasons. From sending email, applying for a job, or even using the telephone, Americans right to privacy is in danger. Personal and professional information is being stored, link, transferred, shared, and even sold. Various websites, the government and its agencies, and hospitals are infringing our privacy without our permission or knowledge.
...y afraid at first but finds out that there are many ex-slaves willing to take a stand and risk their lives to help their own. Douglass realizes that with the help from the ex-slaves he could also help his fellow slaves.
All humans have some desire for privacy, but people have different boundaries to what information about them should be private. Problems arise with these widely varying definitions. What one person may define as a casual curiosity, another may define as a blatant invasion of privacy. Often, these disagreements find themselves in court rooms, and have been subjects of some of the most controversial court cases ever.
The fight for privacy rights are by no means a recent conflict. In fact, there was conflict even back in the days before the revolutionary war. One of the most well-known cases took place in England, ...
When our country was founded, privacy was not an issue. The villages then were small and close. Most people knew their neighbors and what was going on in the community. They did not have drunk drivers, terrorist, or any other threat of changing the way they lived. The transportation that most people had access to were horses. Today there are autos that can be fatal if not controlled. Speed limits and licenses are two examples. The government we have in place maintains and organizes our society.