With a society so dependent on technology it should come as
little surprise when our government, distant from the needs of the people,
decides to closely monitor civilian acts through social media devices. The Internet
and smartphones are both things that almost the entire population use but with
little understanding of how they actually work. This is the prime opportunity
for spying to occur and with many people not knowing their devices well enough
to realize it we all fall victim to this heinous act. Being American we believe
that we’re safe in some sort of bubble where no spying happens and everything
is fine as long as we keep our rose colored glasses on. However, with the NSA
debacle, we have been told that we’ve been spied on for years and still nothing
was able to stir the public. So little happened in fact that Germany protested
for us against NSA spying (http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_07_27/Mass-protest-in-Germany-against-US-intelligence-surveillance-5818/).
Not all people
are as oblivious as we can be. China’s government is horribly oppressive and one
of the largest candidates for activism is a Chinese artist named Ai Weiwei. He’s
made several pieces in protest of things China instates, such as his “Snake
Ceiling” constructed in 2009(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121013124209-08-al-weiwei-1013-horizontal-gallery.jpg).
It was made out of backpacks to honor the children who died in the Sichuan
earthquake. Schools and many buildings collapsed due to the government’s shoddy
construction, “tofu construction” is what they call it. The Chinese government
surveys Ai Weiwei so much that he was eventually kidnapped and held under
arrest at a secret location. Surveillance through technology is too much of an
encroachment on our freedoms but like Weiwei we need to stand up for what’s
right.
Clary,
Greg, and Alexis Lai. "Chinese Dissident Ai Weiwei's Art Becomes His
Messenger." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 28
July 2013.
"Mass
Protest in Germany against US Intelligence Surveillance." - News.
N.p., n.d. Web. 28 July 2013.
