As every past generation has had to disenthrall itself from an inheritance of truisms and stereotypes, so in our own time we must move on from the reassuring repetition of stale phrases to a new, difficult, but essential confrontation with reality.
For the great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived, and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
President John F. Kennedy, Yale University Commencement (June 11, 1962)
First the sales pitch: “Hey, dumb parents who lose your children; we’ll help you find them! 😄 After all, you wouldn’t want us to call CPS on you, now would you…?”
Then of course, the consumer soon becomes the consumed… It’s called ‘surveillance capitalism’, dear comrades…
And of course, in case anyone was uncertain if Uncle Sam is listening in – even when your phone is off – of course he is… But only on bad guys… and you, for your safety and protection, of course, because he loves you…
- CELL PHONE (FBI can listen to you when phone is turned off) – YouTube
- FBI can listen in even if your cell phone is turned off
But remember, Uncle Sam promises he’s not spying… except when he is…
But he would never spy without proper permission… except on bad guys… and, when he does…
- FBI Tracks Suspects’ Cell Phones Without a Warrant
- FBI Says It Doesn’t Need a Warrant to Spy on Cell Phone Calls In Public
But, relax… It’s not like Uncle Sam has some secret Sears catalog of James Bond gear to spy on you…
And, of course Uncle Sam doesn’t have a trove of software that can infect and hijack your Windows OS (and Linux), or secretly collect all your biometric data, or surveil or even hijack your video watching, or spy on your Samsung smart TV, or anything creepy or weird like that…
But don’t worry, Facebook is here to learn more about you than your co-workers, your family, your spouse – and even more than you think you know about yourself… to help you, of course…
And if you don’t like it… well, then Google’s Selfish Ledger will just help you remember that you actually do like it… In fact, you love it… and you wanted it all along, Dave…