Dumb is the new cool

Okay it's not the new cool. It is something that is pervasive in Australian society and is really dragging us down. I don't know if this is a my imagination or not but once it was the common habbit of Australians to play dumb to draw information out of someone and then, at the right time, make quiet poignant remarks. These days I believe this behaviour has evolved into just plain stupid. No more so than in our bogan culture. I was on the train yesterday and this young girl, dressed reasonably well say down and dialled someone and then proceeded to swear, mispronounce words, misuse words and generally sound rather dumb. I think the lad that this young lady was quite clearly and in no uncertain terms declining an invitation to be courted by missed a bullet. I think the local community should rent some ad space on the train to place the banner: "It is better to be thought a fool than opening your mouth and proving it."

The Day We Fight Back

If you are reading this on the 11 Feb you will notice a banner on this blog. Today is an international day of protest against aggressive over-the-top surveillance in our lives. It called:

The Day We Fight Back

While mass-surveillance in the U.S. came to the worlds attention last year by whistle-blower Edward Snowden's leak of the NSA's government-commercial surveillance ventures including xKeyscore, PRISM and Tempora, they are not alone. Canada watches your wifi, Australia is about to micro-chip babies and the U.K. has the British National Identity Database. Many more countries do the same.

Mass surveillance has become a global phenomenon. A fashionable pastime for governments in much the same way that the militarising of the police has become fashionable since 9/11.

Intelligence agencies and spies are an unfortunate, but necessary part of a governments toolbox. But because of their access to government and their secretive nature they must be closely controlled and monitored.

Organisations and concepts constantly move through points of balance and extremes. The global mass surveillance pendulum has swung the intelligence world into the extreme and it is up to us, the people, to bring it back to balance.

Today we make a stand in protest against the extremes of mass surveillance. Join us and sign the petition to stop the abuse of over-surveillance on the people. Take a stand again the NSA's surveillance program and make an example for the world to see. 

  

Mass surveillance is good...

...for controlling the population. Look, spies are cool and all, and those men and women who do this as a career are truly brave, but creating surveillance states are just a little bit too far.

Edward Snowden's 2013 revelation that the U.S. was monitoring the emails and phones lines of their own citizens and allies was an abhorrent breach of trust not dissimilar to Orwell's dystopia '1984.'

“But, I've got nothing to hide.”

Really? Well you should. We all learnt that the hard way when we first jumped on the Facebook band wagon. Now your new boss checks out your Facebook page before you get the job. Companies really haven't figured out the separation between work and play and nor has the government.

Want another reason? Case law, like in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the U.K. has the unfortunate propensity to rapidly create more and more laws. There are tens of thousands of pages of laws, both criminal and civil on the books in the U.S. and they are increasing daily. Do you know them all well enough to ensure you are doing nothing wrong. I am sure they could find a crime just for you.

If you have nothing to hide, you would be willing to show the world your bank details, wander the streets on a warm sunny day in the nuddie, tear down your curtains and give me the full rights to all your family photos. Are you willing to do this?

The irony of this, 'I've go nothing to hide,' attitude that the government wants to push down your throat is that they don't practice what they preach. In fact they got quite upset when Snowden blew the whistle on their own secret surveillance operation. Nothing to hide indeed.

I know you're with me on this but don't be a victim. It's time to fight back and take a stand and it's easy.

Tomorrow February 11, 2014, the internet will be taking a stand in protest. Major human rights groups like Amnisty International and Green Peace are supporting this. Companies like tumblr. , reddit and mozilla are also taking a stand. Got to:

The Day We Fight Back

and find out what you can do to reign in the surveillance state laws in U.S. and make an example for the rest of the world.