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| citizens spying on the state: umberto eco on wikileaks |
| 2010-12-06 |
| Not such wicked leaks 02 December 2010 LIBÉRATION PARIS For the celebrated novelist and intellectual Umberto Eco, the Wikileaks affair or "Cablegate" not only shows up the hypocrisy that governs relations between states, citizens and the press, but also presages a return to more archaic forms of communication. Secondly, the very notion that any old hacker can delve into the most secret secrets of the most powerful country in the world has dealt a hefty blow to the State Department's prestige. So the scandal actually hurts the "perpetrators" more than the "victims". This is what really hurt, and is why they are trying to destroy Assange. Nothing to do with 'lives in danger' or trumped up rape charges. But let's turn to the more profound significance of what has occurred. Formerly, back in the days of Orwell, every power could be conceived of as a Big Brother watching over its subjects' every move. The Orwellian prophecy came completely true once the powers that be could monitor every phone call made by the citizen, every hotel he stayed in, every toll road he took and so on and so forth. Yes even your Government and my Government. That is the US, UK and Australia. The weapons they turn against your 'enemy' they turn against you, also. The citizen became the total victim of the watchful eye of the state. But when it transpires, as it has now, that even the crypts of state secrets are not beyond the hacker's grasp, the surveillance ceases to work only one-way and becomes circular. The state has its eye on every citizen, but every citizen, or at least every hacker -- the citizens' self-appointed avenger -- can pry into the state's every secret. How can a power hold up if it can't even keep its own secrets anymore? That last I disagree with. I think the power will not only hold up but be more robust than before. A Government open to criticism, scrutiny and change will evolve to be way stronger and more advanced than its competitors who allow incompetence to breed in the dark corrupt corners awau from public scrutiny, eg China. |
| Posted by:anon1 |
| #5 Indonesia is only partway down that list, anon1. You're more aware of it because it's in your neighborhood. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-06 23:58 |
| #4 On an absolute scale the U.S. government is corrupt, Bright Pebbles. On a relative scale most other governments are more corrupt. The absolute scale thingy is the same mistake the supporters of Mr. Assange make: they crow over the release of secrets that possibly should not have been kept, while not noticing that there are other countries whose secrets are considerably worse, and considerably more in need of being even partially revealed. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the Belgian Congo (or whatever we're calling it these days)... the list goes on and on. Hacking into those secrets and revealing them to the world would actually do some good, which is why Mr. Assange and others of his ilk will never even think of trying. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-06 23:44 |
| #3 > The US is NOT incompetent or corrupt. So the federal reserve isn't trying to manipulate say the silver/oil/gold price with taxpayers money for the benefit of insiders? I suppose theirs one way I can disagree. The US state is incompetent AND corrupt |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2010-12-06 20:40 |
| #2 The US is NOT incompetent or corrupt. Far from it. They have the brightest and best. And many of the things they do that people criticise, they do so out of necessity. The best thing that would come from Wikileaks is if some of those real reasons become public. People might then understand why it was that they had to at least *try* to remake the Middle East for example. If you want to see corruption try Indonesia. China is also corrupt but on a State-wide scale so it's no longer called corrupt just an autocratic new brand of mercantalism where they lock up foreign directors of companies they don't like in trade negotiations. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-12-06 19:03 |
| #1 its competitors who allow incompetence to breed in the dark corrupt corners awau from public scrutiny The US parades its incompetence and corruption up front & in your face while its public is distracted or asleep. I guess that's an improvement. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-12-06 18:55 |