Can We Trust Big Brother?

The line between freedom and security is beginning to blur

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — for ever.”

― George Orwell

The book 1984 by George Orwell, is a timeless classic and is probably one of the most important books you are likely to read. What makes this book so memorable was the author’s ability to show you a glimpse of a world under totalitarian rule. The descriptions of this utopian future frighten the life out of readers and have, in many ways, redefined the way we approach the concept of freedom.

The term ‘Orwellian’ is a reference used to describe countries such as North Korea and China. Rarely would this phrase be used to describe a 1st world country in the west in the early part of the 21st century. Now, this idea is changing, and people are looking on from their living room windows, questioning what might happen next.

I feel the unrest infiltrate its way through social media. Many people are behind their screens anxious these ‘unprecedented circumstances’ could restrict and, in some instances, infringe on our freedoms and liberty.

It is only a murmur, but people are sceptical of laws and measures proposed by governments to contain the spread of the virus. People are concerned that legislation and future controls could have a massive bearing on protocols that might affect our rights further down the line.

In a country like China, people have little say over their freedoms. Their data is monitored from conversations to their whereabouts, even down to what they purchase in the shops. The people there are too worried about Big brother peering over their shoulders. The Chinese monitor their citizens without them being aware it is happening.

Through smartphones, the government has access to citizens’ data to create a log identifying where that person has been and what they have seen. Purchases, locations, and conversations are monitored and sieved through by computers. With the help of CCTV and face recognition, the State keeps a watchful eye on the population.

“The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed. Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed.”

― George Orwell

A lot of people in western democracies would see this as an intrusion, a breach of their privacy and freedoms. Yet, in this time of uncertainty, these innovative measures of moderating China have helped to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. With a colour status, they issue you with a set of permissions. If you contracted the virus, they could look through the database to see where you might have bought your shopping and to inform those people they must self-isolate.

I have always been one of those people who feared the nanny state mentality and the abuse of power that follows in its wake. Yet, finding ourselves in this strange set of circumstances, I question if our rights and freedoms need looking at to stop the spread of the virus.

From the outset, it appears to me that people are still not taking this outbreak seriously. Governments are either exercising their power to the fullest, or they try and ease concerns by pointing to a poster that informs people to stay at home.

Countries like the UK are not doing enough in my view, and many people would agree with me. Where they will stray from my viewpoint is when I say that the government should have temporary powers to enforce rules and regulations adhered to by citizens in other countries.

People are worried when they hear of more robust police measures, anxious when they see soldiers marching down the street, and rightly so. On a typical day, I would too. Yet these are not ordinary days, and we are in unchartered territory trying to navigate through choppy waters.

Should we be looking to countries such as China as a guide? Should we not follow their lead in certain areas?

The hypothetical questions that we once carelessly threw at one another in the past have become a reality. The line between freedom and security is blurring in ways I could have never had contemplated a few months ago.

Books like 1984 are a stinging reminder that power left unchecked can lead to disastrous ends. This book acts as an anchor, serving as a reminder that our vulnerability can be seized upon if we are not too careful.

Torn between right and wrong, part of me feels we need to make changes and trust our political leaders. Then there is my cynical side, which warns me that people in power cannot be trusted and that these emergency measures will be brought in by stealth to erode our liberty and freedoms further down the line.

“The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy: they are deliberate exercises in doublethink.”

― George Orwell

My views on this subject over the last few weeks are conflicting, leaving me with more questions than answers. In my heart of hearts, I feel when push comes to shove governments need to act. A nation's health and security outweigh its freedom and liberty.

Quotes attributed to https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/153313-nineteen-eighty-four?page=1

Dean Middleburgh is a writer that has had the good fortune to write for P.S. I love you, The Junction, Invisible Illness, ILLUMINATION, The New North and Storymaker. Please feel free to follow him and read his short stories here: Dean Middleburgh

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