Such power to poke their noses into people's lives will
inevitably lead to methods of enforcement that would be unthinkable in earlier
generations. We may have a situation in which, for example, if somebody fails a
fitness test they could be charged extra to buy cigarettes or unhealthy food.
There could even be a set of weighing scales underneath the doormat of fast
food outlets that will calculate surcharges for obese customers. I'm sure many
people will see the sense in this and that it's only out of concern for
people's health and the cost of their medical treatment to the state; however
this very patriarchal attitude by the government towards the people tends to
end in tyranny. If you let "big daddy government" sort everything out
for you excesses are inevitable. As Benjamin Franklin said: "Those who
would trade in freedom for stability will lose both and deserve neither." You
might argue that all this would be very difficult, or even impossible, because
people will just simply return to using cash wherever they go; but what about
when there is no cash? There are many experiments into cashless economies going
on right now, see the background links below. Naturally this new policy will
not stop at the borders of China
either. China
will just be a first stage towards a worldwide electronic control grid in which
the lives of individual citizens will be nothing more than lines of code in a
machine. The country's vast population will make it far easier to expand to the
rest of the globe. Therefore it is essential that we resist. We must refuse to
submit to the first stages of the control system, no matter how
"convenient" it might appear to make our lives.
See here for
background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/ben-emlyn-jones-on-enemy-within-radio-25.html.
And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/cash-in-hand-traders-under-attack.html.
18 comments:
A really excellent article, my friend!
Thanks, Paul :-)
Are there not some positives to this? A benign collectivist state could improve the health and wellbeing of its citizens through smart personal data capture. I work as a health analyst for a regional data observatory and granularity of multiple data is key to identifying NEED.I have also peer reviewed evaluations of CCTV and target hardening measures and how this impacts on fear of crime and recidivism. Surveillance not only significantly reduces fear of crime particularly for certain groups (elderly people and women for example) but also many ex offenders cite prevalence of CCTV as a reason for desistance of offending. You see when we have passive type deterrence mechanisms like CCTV then we don't need to engage the strong arm of the police who only intervene when it's too late. You should consider both sides, but I bet you don't. Cheers, Adam
Yes I do. I also know that the idea of giving excessive power to state to protect people from dangers, real or perceived, has happened many times and has always resulted in disaster. There are many other solutions to the problems you list that are economic and community led.
OK matey what are all these community safety solutions to reduce fear of crime in public space and promote offending cessation, oh and to detect offenders as CCTV does? Presumably they are evidence based?
Also matey what are all these disasters you speak of specifically on CCTV and crime deterrence and detection? Must all these effective measures be so apocolyptic in your eyes? The lives of victims, potential victims and the lives of offenders who go straight have been massively improved thanks to CCTV.Perhaps we should flood the streets with police instead? Or maybe youd prefer no police at all?
Disasters? There's the various Homeland Security legislation in the USA. The Nazi state taking action to protect people as a pretext for great state power. As for community solutions. Changes in architecture. building homes with larger windows and more open space has proved more effective than CCTV. The police vs local youths football matches. Happier environments of various kinds. There are plenty of societies on earth with very low crime rates together with minimal government supervision. You asked: "Perhaps we should flood the streets with police instead? Or maybe you'd prefer no police at all?". Is it really that black and white? Is it really a case of either-or?
Adam the Data Man said: "I don't think you know anything about community safety nor do you care about it..." I'm afraid rudeness like that from you means the end of our conversation. Good day.
Hi again Ben, great blog dude. Im torn though because I think Adam is right in some ways. Can we have low crime societies as you say Ben without CCTV etc? I mean societies like ours? Cheers. Dale Richardson
Thanks, Dale. Yes I do. Indeed it has been done, both in the UK and abroad. The idea that we need state surveillance to protect us from ourselves is propaganda by people who want state surveillance for completely different reasons.
Hi Ben, nice blog. Could you elaborate on your last comment please as you are generalising somewhat. Thank you. Your Roswell books are great!
Regards
Dean
Cheers for that Ben. I always enjoy your work. Are you saying that CCTV doesn't work to reduce crime or deter criminals? Very interesting if the PtB just pretend as they have other motives. What countries are low in crime without CCTV or draconian policing and judicial punishment would you say? Cheers
Thanks, Dean. But in what way am I generalizing?
Dale, I never said CCTV doesn't work to reduce crime and deter criminals. What I object to is the idea that it is the one and only solution to civilization's destruction. St Helena is a good example of a place with zero CCTV and a very low crime rate. Areas with formerly high crime rates have had them reduced by non-CCTV methods, including my own home in Oxford.
Hi, thank you very much. St Helena does i think though have a tiny close knit population and probably has about two policemen. I think crime is a big problem in all cities in the world and I personally hate the fascist police so if CCTV works to stop crime I would prefer that to having pigs everywhere. Cheers Ben. Dale
Is St Helena and Oxford really the best examples, nothing in N.America say? I don't like all this walking on eggshells around you in case you take offence at the slightest thing.
Regards
Dean
Dale, actually the police have been very positive in Oxford. They set up a football league of police teams vs local youths. It really lifted our spirits.
Dean, are you The same bloke under a new name? Adam the Data Man? you sound exactly like him.
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