DON'T BE SCARED, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 PM, LARRY ANDERSON, EDITOR

Isn't it ironic that even as complaints about our modern-day loss of privacy seem to reverberate the loudest, we are asking for help more often from that observant, never-blinking overachiever on our crime-fighting team.

I mean Big Brother, of course.

Most notably, Big Brother came to the rescue in a really “Big” way when we began looking for the terrorists who bombed the London subways.

These days, Big Brother is being asked to do more and more. We call on him to help us deal with shootings on the L.A. Freeway. We ask him to watch over our shopping centers. He is a crime-fighting partner in the toughest neighborhoods, and a silent, less conspicuous presence in some of the most prestigious ZIP codes.

They say that in London, a person gets videotaped hundreds of times a day. The same is true in many places in the United States, whether one is peering out his car window at an ATM or walking around a Las Vegas casino. You would think that people could get used to being videotaped. But as anyone who has ever taken a video camera to a birthday party will tell you, most people still shy away from the pixilated spotlight.

One way we deal with being watched by surveillance systems is to pretend that it isn't so.

Maybe that's not a bad approach. Terrorism, street crime and other security realities of our times require constant vigilance, and thinking about always being watched has a “creep” factor that only adds anxiety to our lives.

We should focus our thoughts instead on the value that video surveillance proves every day. Whatever we give up in so-called privacy — and what's really private in a public place anyway? — is a small price to pay.

The “invasiveness” of security technology is largely a state of mind — something we can choose to obsess over or not. Invasiveness is an abstract concept; the benefits of video surveillance become more tangible with every passing day.

In our thoughts, let's transform Big Brother from a looming, intimidating presence into someone we can call upon when we need him.

Which, tragically, is becoming more and more often.

YOUR THOUGHTS

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