BF2S Forums Big Brother Britain - Its Becoming a reality

i thought the life cycle of any country/government went from having a smaller ruling class in control, a middle class and a lower class.  then the lower and middle class revolt (for whatever reason, oppression, etc.) the middle class take positions of leadership and consolidate power and the lower class have a better standard of living.

Then the new who cycle starts again when the new middle and lower class become unhappy with the new rulling class. 

it may take hundreds of years per cycle depending on the standard of living for the middle class/lower class and how they are treated by the people in power.

Flecco wrote:

blisteringsilence wrote:

Spearhead wrote:

Great book, Im reading it now and I'm about half-way through.  I want to know whats going on with O'Brien......

There comes a point where theres just too much potential control by the gov't.  Heck, theres not just 1984, the UK has lots of other fictional fascist governments taking over... V for Vendetta, Children of Men.  It only takes one worldwide pandemic to make people huddle together like cattle and follow a leader, without question.  And because UK is on an island, it just makes things that much worse.  I'm glad I dont live there, personally.  That and Blair is Bush's hand-puppet..

I prefered 28 Days Later, and 28 Weeks Later, personally.

Nothing like a nation killing pandemic to bring that arrogance down a notch or two....

Most nations are arrogant. If not all.

I've heard disturbing reports of Australian tourists being referred to as "JAFAS"....

Just another fucking Australian...

Thanks to arrogance. I have two friends who wont help this if they ever travel.

The USA's citizens are stereotyped as arrogant and ignorant. It's not the case with all Americans but definitely true of some.

The French... The British... Wait, somebody show me a country that isn't noted for arrogance... Please...

Luxembourg?

Paranoid much?
I have no problem with CCTV just so long as it aint my house.  I know it’s a cliché but if you aren’t a criminal why worry about it?  With the millions of people that are on CCTV at any given time you don’t seriously think any of the guys in the control rooms just watch you (unless you are committing an offence of course).

I am the first to stand up for civil liberties when our government claim they need more powers to stop crime and you have to work out whether a loss of a liberty is worth it for the reduction in crime.  In the case of CCTV I don’t honestly see what you are losing but I can see how many disgusting crimes have been solved/helped by CCTV.  If you had a member of your family raped you’d be hoping with all your heart that the guy was caught on camera.

Hey if you like reading about this kind of "Real life Big Brother" stuff go read all about 'ECHELON' and 'Margaret Newsham'...

There's an interview with her where she leaks info about a system she helped create, a system so powerful that it can intercept every phone conversation, every email ANYTHING short of a personal thought. It's collected and monitored and scanned by a network of intercept bases all over the world, hell there's even one in Western Australia.
According to her they use computers to scan voice and text and look for key phrases etc, focusing in on whatever they want to know.
APPARENTLY they've been doing it since the 70's... no doubt created to catch those 'long haired commie pot heads' way back then.

Then her family all got bumped off and she's developed an aggressive cancer.

Probably a little bit of truth to it and probably a lot of attention grabbing conspiracy theory spin, but it's an interesting read either way.
If there was anything that powerful then why don't they have Osama? Oh thats right, he's a shape-shifter, from Mars, here to lead the silent invasion of Martians, who you can only see if you wear special sunglasses...

What was that movie? The one where he wears the sunnies and can see the aliens true form and then he goes leads a resistance against them... has to blow up a TV transmitter or something...

Wow off topic.

I hate Big Brother. Can't stand Gretel Killeen.

I feel that the way semantics and language are being manipulated today is more in line with Orwell's nightmare vision of the future. Just look at the language being used by the media and Government these days ...torture isn't torture anymore, it's 'rendition'; prisoners of war can get tortured in Guantanamo as long as they're called 'unlawful enemy combatants'; French fries are now freedom fries, suicide bombers are now called 'homicide bombers' because the old term elicits too much sympathy.

seriously, wtf is going on?

Braddock wrote:

I feel that the way semantics and language are being manipulated today is more in line with Orwell's nightmare vision of the future. Just look at the language being used by the media and Government these days ...torture isn't torture anymore, it's 'rendition'; prisoners of war can get tortured in Guantanamo as long as they're called 'unlawful enemy combatants'; French fries are now freedom fries, suicide bombers are now called 'homicide bombers' because the old term elicits too much sympathy.

seriously, wtf is going on?

Euphenisms my friend - the governments way of covering up  the harsh reality of whats really going on. More examples: The killing of innocent civi's = collatoral damage. A team mate being shot in the back by another team mate = Friendly fire

Ace.O.Lamb wrote:

Braddock wrote:

I feel that the way semantics and language are being manipulated today is more in line with Orwell's nightmare vision of the future. Just look at the language being used by the media and Government these days ...torture isn't torture anymore, it's 'rendition'; prisoners of war can get tortured in Guantanamo as long as they're called 'unlawful enemy combatants'; French fries are now freedom fries, suicide bombers are now called 'homicide bombers' because the old term elicits too much sympathy.

seriously, wtf is going on?

Euphemisms my friend - the governments way of covering up  the harsh reality of whats really going on. More examples: The killing of innocent civi's = collateral damage. A team mate being shot in the back by another team mate = Friendly fire

Psychology has given rise to the "dissociative euphemism" I think the term was. Read about it in "A Modern History of Killing" by Joanna Bourke (I think the books called that, will check on Tuesday... not certain on the author's name either).

Disassociate distasteful concepts with the language used to describe them...

P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act is a good example.

Braddock wrote:

I feel that the way semantics and language are being manipulated today is more in line with Orwell's nightmare vision of the future. Just look at the language being used by the media and Government these days ...torture isn't torture anymore, it's 'rendition'; prisoners of war can get tortured in Guantanamo as long as they're called 'unlawful enemy combatants'; French fries are now freedom fries, suicide bombers are now called 'homicide bombers' because the old term elicits too much sympathy.

seriously, wtf is going on?

This is the priciple theme - that the language is reduced to the point that there are no semantic symbols for concepts which don't agree with policy.
Not only may you not disagree, you do not have the words to express your objections. Were the French Resistance "freedom fighters" or "terrorists"?

The other theme, which isn't really discussed much, is the idea that when confronted with your greatest fear, you will accept anything to be spared. In Room 101, Winston betrays Julia to avoid having his face eaten by rats (Do it to Julia, not to me). Ultimately, this personal betrayal causes Winston to accept his fate, and he is left a broken man.

No person knows how they will behave when confronted with their greatest fear. Every man IS an island.

Becoming?

Last edited by Scorpion0x17 (2007-06-09 17:30:49)

Harmor wrote:

I wonder if in the United States we could have as many cameras Britan has, but like the camera in ATM's, they must have a warrant to use them in a case or access them at all (the camera footage is owned by the bank).

Often women are stalked.  If footage could be subpoenaed AFTER a crime has been reported then I think people in the United States wouldn't have a problem with it?

I, however, believe that Britain is doing something right, especially with the cameras that allow an officer to talk though it using a loud speaker.

P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act or something similar would let the police/FBI/CIA/NSA have the footage when-ever they wanted.