> It would take real creativity for things to get that bad today.
It is easily as bad or worse. Those 50-200 people knew and cared for each-other, and depended on each-other, and the surveillance was bidirectional. Whereas now you are monitored by actors almost entirely beyond your reach, that will feel no remorse in crushing you, should the command be given by whoever is in control.
Yes. Miserable as oppression is, it's handy if it only hurts you in circumstances that you could predict. Incompetent oppression can get you no matter what measures you think you've taken to live a quiet life.
Rather than 1984, the future we need to worry about will probably be more like something from Kafka.
Miserable as oppression is, it's handy if it only hurts you in circumstances that you could predict. Incompetent oppression can get you no matter what measures you think you've taken to live a quiet life.
Rather than 1984, the future we need to worry about will probably be more like something from Kafka.
This morning, I learned of a YouTuber with zero strikes, who followed all of the stated rules, who proactively deleted all of his demonetized videos, and yet still had his channel deleted. (1) If you talk to YouTubers, many of them, even mainstream ones, especially successful ones, will tell you that being governed on that platform is indeed Kafkaesque.
(1) - Black Pigeon Speaks. All of his opinions that I listened to were trash, but I still think he had the right to express them.
It is easily as bad or worse. Those 50-200 people knew and cared for each-other, and depended on each-other, and the surveillance was bidirectional. Whereas now you are monitored by actors almost entirely beyond your reach, that will feel no remorse in crushing you, should the command be given by whoever is in control.