The end of privacy - A poem

I wrote this in regards to two things, firstly the xbox one and its new Kinect 2.0 "feature". Secondly a poem entitled machines of loving grace by Richard Brautigon which you can view here. I hope you guys enjoy it a little bit.



All hail the glorious machine overlords,
Delivered to us through the peoples accord
In our empire we know no rest
Especially at our overlords behest.
In the past our ancestors dreamed of freedom and peace,
Now we are blinded by the sheep whose words never cease.
Deer stroll peacefully beyond the shore,
The shore of a life we knew long before.
Now we don’t stray from the beaten path,
Fear that the peace may not last.
Some thought of a cybernetic ecology free from disharmony,
But nature has a way of catching up with hegemony.
All watched over by machines of loving grace,
Behind them lies a pittiful face.
Our brothers and sisters are in chains,
Technology has stolen the remnants of their brains.
As they surrender their last rights,
We are left wondering who to fight.
Nobody left under the clear blue sky,
Instead watched over by an infra eye.
Stray not ye mortal from the humble abode,
A simpler life thou shalt never know.
As reality becomes unknown,
Some are left wondering ‘who was Phone?’


Sources of concern:
The camera uses infrared technology which allows it to detect people in the dark, needs to be connected to the internet at least once per day.
Apparently it always listens:
www.theverge.com...
It knows what you want to spend your money on:
www.theverge.com...

If there was a choice, do you think the surveillance state is needed?

Or do you think it is going to lead to more discontent, resulting in more totalitarian tactics, resulting in more discontent?

Or do you think it is game over and we are all slaves to the corporations and government?

Or is it not going to affect most people either way?

Or is it part of a larger plan that will benefit humanity in the end?

Pretty true, as well. A lot of people are totally unaware and apathetic when it comes to politics. I wonder about people sometimes, if they are capable of seeing ways to improve their lives or not.

Originally posted by darkbake
Everyone thinks that privacy may end, and I'm sure that is what is supposed to happen. But what if there was a way to come out of nowhere and throw a wrench in the whole plan (without violence, that doesn't work)?

If there was a choice, do you think the surveillance state is needed?

Or do you think it is going to lead to more discontent, resulting in more totalitarian tactics, resulting in more discontent?

Or do you think it is game over and we are all slaves to the corporations and government?

Or is it not going to affect most people either way?

edit on 11-6-2013 by darkbake because: (no reason given)

Questions that I can only guess about. What I think I know is this is the surveillance state is needed for the market. In times of economic downturn it is incredibly important to find new avenues for revenue under the prevailing economic system as growth must continue.

If I had to guess I believe it will lead to discontent in the short term, but as marketing goes into overdrive swathes of people will buy into surrendering their rights. I think the game is never over, we have been slaves for a long time, and this wont stop anytime soon, but where there is always an opposite force. It wont affect those who are aware of what they're buying, the discerning consumer needs to be aware that this kind of technology will be everywhere soon.

It has been on our streets for a long time and has forced us to seek new avenues of public communication such as the internet. Nevertheless the internet is a marketers dream in its self. And the anonymity merely makes it harder for us to discern who is giving us the information and whose side they are on. The government in its self is not our concern, but it is the money greasing the wheels that threatens to annihilate us all. The government is an important facility to me, it is there to provide the supporting structure to society, to regulate us, to enable us to be all that we can be. It is there to guide us toward our salvations, to alert us of the profane, to create for the betterment of all mankind. Instead we have a mass media machine that has a copyright on reality.

You have inspired me to compose a haiku...

American sheep
Uncle Sam is your buddy
now grab your ankles

Oh what the heck, let's go for two...

Middle finger here
See me wave at D.C.'s pols
my air blue with curse