Big Brother

Privacy and Big Brother. Now, in addition to fingerprints and retinas, we have facial recognition. It’s not quite there yet for all of us, but it soon will be. If you buy into all the digital stuff on network cops and robbers shows, it’s already possible to get a name lined up with a face as long as that face is on file somewhere.  Just as BB will soon have all our fingerprints and retinas on file, he will also have photos of all our faces. One of our major airlines now uses facial recognition to allow passengers to check themselves in and board the plane without any help from an agent. And the places where one might go to hide are fewer and fewer. Maybe the depths of Montana or Idaho mountains, but even there a drone might spot us, take our picture, and obtain our name based on our face. I’m not yet sure on which side of the argument I stand. Do I so treasure my privacy that I’m willing to give up the safety of social protection, or would I give up privacy for safety? I don’t know. But very soon now the question will need to be answered.

And speaking of Big Brother, what about Donald Trump? I read everything I can find about him, not from any adulation but from curiosity. Trump news is like picking at a scab. It usually itches like the devil and picking at it too often causes it to bleed again, but the itch just won’t go away. Nor will he, even though a majority of us would like him to. Just examine his base (and what a good name for it—“his base”). Generally, his base is made up of white males who favor guns and oppose abortion, are narrow-minded and less educated than average, are creationists, nationalists, racists, misogynists, white supremacists, and homophobes. Then there are those in the financial top 1% who support his tax policies but not the man. Polls keep suggesting that about 40% of eligible voters support Trump. What does that say about those who make up that 40%? Nothing very good.