Friday, 26 October 2007

Epiphany

I’m on a bus crossing Westminster Bridge and find myself noticing anomalous CCTV cameras everywhere. As the faux-gothic splendour of the Houses of Parliament gives way to the fine gothic splendour of Westminster Abbey, I reflect on this. An increasing number of people take umbrage at the ubiquity of surveillance and data gathering in our society. They talk of totalitarianism, and erosion of our civil rights, but it dawns on me that I feel my freedom to be far more circumscribed and curtailed by debt than by the state. The ideology of capitalism has enslaved me, made me tame, and this knowledge strengthens my intent to be free of my financial shackles.

4 comments:

Pawlie Kokonuts said...

Interesting take. But were you able to sell a bauble or two, or were you given a least a penny for your thoughts -- with many thoughts, it adds up.

Rachel said...

Amen!
Totalitarianism in any form is inhumane and unjust--and totalitarianism is not confined to political states, but can crop up in any institution that preys upon human needs and weaknesses.

Credit and debt is probably the most insidious of all capitialistic tools of dominance. I'm working two jobs just to try and pay off mine.

David said...

20% of the worlds CCTV cameras are in London...

Glamourpuss said...

David
Yeah, it's funny, since I wrote this post I've started seeing them everywhere, and hearing 'security management' announcements all over the place. It's starting to feel like Big Brother really is watching me.

Puss