The Tyranny of Technology

The power of authority has in the the last hundred years or so been reinforced by electric power and technology. It is stronger than it has ever been in all human history. So confident are the ones at the top of their security that they may no longer fear revolution. On the contrary, they may be curious to test their instruments of oppression against a disgruntled population. They may wish to demonstrate their invulnerability and to break the spirit of would-be revolutionaries. Helicopters, laser-guided weapons, satellites, microchips... Would Ghandi's passive resistance have succeeded were he and his followers tased where they sat? Would the Bastille have been stormed if the French king had helicopters circling over Paris, spraying fifty caliber rounds into the gathering mob? Resistance can be nipped in the bud through rigidly controlled information systems. Fare violations on Canadian transit systems now show up on identity scans when offenders try to cross the border into the United States. Given the triviality of such crimes, what else do authorities know about us that hitherto remained private? For these reasons I don't hesitate to post my innermost thoughts. I let it all hang out, as they say. Essentially I have nothing to hide. And while I have a rebellious streak, I'm too much of an individual to align myself with a group and thereby pose a threat. And authority need not feel any privilege in knowing all my secrets. They have failed to turn me into a zombie. I see the listless looking people helplessly playing on their computers and play stations. The technology of oppression may extend to medical advances. Aldous Huxley forecast a Brave New World in which workers would be scientifically conditioned to love their servitude. Drugs played a major role to this end. Today when people become disenchanted with their lives, they are directed to a physician who offers them an antidepressant chemical. Many patients receiving these treatments are from among the ranks of the unemployed, who have more time to analyze the world around them and reach depressing conclusions about it. Coincidence?
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© 2010. Statements by David Skerkowski. All rights reserved.