Is Big Brother Watching?

18 Sep 2006

We all live in a world of security cameras, where our online blogs can be viewed by millions of people all over the world.
Like many households, we leave a light on at night in the smallest room. This is a banal piece of information, yet we were woken up by drunk neighbours commenting on: Our Bathroom Light!! rolleyes

Are we such a nation of Reality TV viewers that any snippet of mundane information has suddenly become INTERESTING?!! :shock:
Is this NORMAL behaviour?!!
Are we all under constant surveillance??
Is this a good thing? confused

18 Sep 2006

Yep
CCTV cams now talk :shock:
lol

:lol:

18 Sep 2006

Quote by Sarah
Yep
CCTV cams now talk :shock:
:lol:

:shock: :shock: :shock: :!:

18 Sep 2006

I thought it had finished after the big row about whether or not it was fixed.
Did the bitchy one that nobody liked win ?
:dunno:

18 Sep 2006

you mean its finished???
I can turn my tele back on!
yay!

18 Sep 2006

Quote by dambuster

I thought it had finished after the big row about whether or not it was fixed.
Did the bitchy one that nobody liked win ?
:dunno:

I've no idea what you're talking about, but it has nothing to do with this topic.

18 Sep 2006

Quote by loveh4s
. . . . but it has nothing to do with this topic.

Oops.
Sorry :cry:
redface

18 Sep 2006

Errr...have been given some updates on the programme Big Brother, if that was what you were thinking of.
I'm not a fan of reality tv, so I haven't watched it, sorry. I'd not realised that it would come up...doh! redface

What I was hoping for was a comment about whether people have become effected by such programmes and if they have effected the nations behaviour.
Does anyone understand why so people are interested in their neighbours and does it make you uncomfortable?
What other ways do people feel they are being watched and does it make them feel secure or uncomfortable?
smile

18 Sep 2006

I actually thought the original question was far more interesting, and to be honest, far more on topic. dunno

If itâ€™s a good thing or a bad thing is open for debate.
My half baked opinion:
In an inner city trouble spot, or on our nations highways, I strongly agree with CCTV, but is it enough?
The debate raging at the moment is that surveillance in all itâ€™s forms, once placed in one area, far from deterring crime, simply moves it on to somewhere else where there are no cameras. This could be where you live :scared:
Take that to its eventual conclusion and there will be cameras in every nook and cranny of the country.
Take into account the recent domestic violence laws (about time too :bounce: ) and I ask myself, will we end up with state cams in our homes? Now thereâ€™s a scary thought, but far from original.
I guess what I am asking is, how wrapped in cotton wool do you want to be, and how many of your civil rights are you prepared to give up for the sake of a quiet life?
As for me, Iâ€™m so tired of living in â€œWilly Wonkers Chocolate Factory For Adultsâ€ that if anyone was offering a plane ticket in exchange for â€œlebensraumâ€ I would quite happily take my family and never darken this police state ever again.
But thatâ€™s really unlikely to happen, especially when I want a ticket to the Bahamas, so until it does I will continue to resist the forces who want to control me, I will publish and be damned, and I will continue to fight for the freedom of the individual above the collective. As for all the sheep, :dunno: see you in the slaughterhouse I guess : :
feck me, and thatâ€™s when Iâ€™m sober :shock:
donâ€™t feed the troll lol

19 Sep 2006

Quote by Pete_sw
...I will continue to resist the forces who want to control me, I will publish and be damned, and I will continue to fight for the freedom of the individual above the collective...

Whatever you choose to think in small print, your official comment seems very good to me. We, in Britain, seem to live in a society which is becoming ever more controlled and it may not be for the greater good of the individuals that occupy it. What is particularly frightening to me is that so many not only accept this control, but endorse it through their attitudes and actions.

19 Sep 2006

"lebensraum"??? watdat?
Refarding CCTV and its effects/benefits, I do faind it hard to argue for or against...
in a *perfect world* scenario where the monitors of the info recieved, and those who act upon it do so wisely, it would be difficult to argue against, assuming all rights to privacy are respected, and actions fair.
However, I have what seems to be an inate, and growing distrust of the * the ones in control*... very often measures such as CCTV and other monitoring methods are installed to keep one section of the *public* happy... (trouble spots were mentioned, particularly in some busy or comercial areas, the Cams etc are installed to appease those who visit certain areas and move on, not for the benefit of residents who remain in the area full-time) and when tourists/shoppers are gone, the Operations rooms are not manned, and no responce is forthcoming.
Locally I have seen CCTV installed in various *blocks* and estates, after suposed consultation with the locals, but the thoughts were ignored, all cams are in the wrong places according to those locals, and as a consequence, any form of police patroling/pressence has all but disappeared.
>hoodlums have free rieghn<
Cameras, when he ops rooms are manned, can be seen looking into local buildings, or must have been remotely moved at some stage and then left... pointing at a tree.. !! or somesuch *threatening/dangerous* thing. maybe Bill Oddies Springwatch team had the controls for a spell... who knows.
Then of course, relating to Big Brother (the programme) again, we see CCTV coverage becoming entertainment, in shows informing us how dangerous our streets are! Thus enforcing the need for more CCTV! argh!
Econmics play a large part... more *electronic eyes* means less Bobbies on bikes etc etc... call me old fashioned, but when its said there is no respect for authority these days, its hardly surprising, when that authority is affraid to come out of its Operations room, or Patrol Car, or Mobile CCTV Van.
I was once mugged on a tube station by two chaps... dragged down an escalator, thrown about a bit and beaten after being dragged (by the once long hair) down a foot tunnel...
all of which was caught on CCTV..lots of cameras.
The attackers didnt get away as the next train was told to keep its doors closed.
By then I had been taken up to the control room and the British transport police were called... the attackers were still there, I could see them on-screen.. it made great viewing to watch them think of a plan to escape the station, running around in various tunnels, planning thier route, trying doors etc... in the end they simply used the standard route.. up the escalators.. jumped the barriers (no ticket) and waltzed away..
all in glorious technicolour.
Never to be seen again.
See you on Crimewatch.
LP

19 Sep 2006

But would we have a need for the bloody things in the first place if people didn't get stabbed for walking down the wrong street? If the drunken lager lout behaviour in most of our city centres wasn't there the police would not need to have camera's on every street corner. I, for one, am grateful to know that if I'm walking around town on my own there is someone or something there watching my back.
But Pete is right that just moves the crime spree to where there are no camera's. Which brings us back to - if the fuckwitts that that wonder the streets at night with the sole intent of causing trouble were at home or doing something productive we wouldn't need the cameras.
H.x

19 Sep 2006

Quote by H-x
But would we have a need for the bloody things in the first place if people didn't get stabbed for walking down the wrong street? If the drunken lager lout behaviour in most of our city centres wasn't there the police would not need to have camera's on every street corner. I, for one, am grateful to know that if I'm walking around town on my own there is someone or something there watching my back.
But Pete is right that just moves the crime spree to where there are no camera's. Which brings us back to - if the fuckwitts that that wonder the streets at night with the sole intent of causing trouble were at home or doing something productive we wouldn't need the cameras.
H.x

Just think of all the comedy shots we would miss out on biggrin

19 Sep 2006

"Dont see what the problem is with cameras placed in public places"
If your honest, why worry. smile

If your naughty, they'll catch you. sad

If your a victim, you'll be glad of them. biggrin

What about the "EYES" in the the tv. :shock: Now i know why all these crap home made swinger videos are flooding the market. Ten for a fiver and even wrapped in sellophane!
Makes you think, eh!.

19 Sep 2006

Quote by LondonPlaything
...
I was once mugged on a tube station by two chaps... dragged down an escalator, thrown about a bit and beaten after being dragged (by the once long hair) down a foot tunnel...
LP

Were you ok mate?

19 Sep 2006

Quote by Xjxkx
If your honest, why worry.

That reminds me of the good ol' "If you're innocent, you've nothing to hide" bullshit diatribe that's often trotted out by jobsworth arses more filled with their own self importance than anything else.

19 Sep 2006

I was fine thanks hoveh4s... shook up, not much else

Quote by lilacgem
Just think of all the comedy shots we would miss out on

Indeed.. see the hippy spin!
another snippet for the Cam Ops xmas video compilation....
and such cheap telly too!
smile

:) :)

19 Sep 2006

Various suppliers can now sell you a camera which is quite tiny. About the size of a squiddly diddly pound coin.
So perhaps the application of cameras in PUBIC places is not so far fetched. rolleyes

19 Sep 2006

My neighbours are mostly of the blue rinse brigade and anyone new is roped into that train of thought! lol

The day the bins go out, if you've forgotten yours, someone drags the thing out to the pavement for you and pretty much if it's not been moved back by mid afternoon, someone will come put it back on your drive for you.
If we're going away we give the enighbour keys to reset the alarm if it goes off and likewise when they go away, we have a key to collect their post from their glass porch so passing folk don't see the build up of mail and think.... ooo an empty house to rob.
On the other hand, it does mean that any visitors to the house are noted and logged, but they'd never mention it to anyone else but you (apart from Hyacinth Bucket next door who nobody tells anything to cos she's gossip of the year!).
I feel it's nice to know the neighbours habits and look out for one another. I feel it is part of modern insular society where we loose out the most, not talking to the neighbours.
On the other hand... I'd not have it like Neil's mum's house where the door is on the catch and neighbours just walk in as and when they please for a chat and a cuppa whenever! *That* would do my head in... fine chatting on the doorstep, over the garden fence or inviting someone in, but bloody well wait to be invited! :lol:
kiss

Gem. x

19 Sep 2006

Quote by little gem
My neighbours are mostly of the blue rinse brigade and anyone new is roped into that train of thought!
The day the bins go out, if you've forgotten yours, someone drags the thing out to the pavement for you and pretty much if it's not been moved back by mid afternoon, someone will come put it back on your drive for you.
If we're going away we give the enighbour keys to reset the alarm if it goes off and likewise when they go away, we have a key to collect their post from their glass porch so passing folk don't see the build up of mail and think.... ooo an empty house to rob.
On the other hand, it does mean that any visitors to the house are noted and logged, but they'd never mention it to anyone else but you (apart from Hyacinth Bucket next door who nobody tells anything to cos she's gossip of the year!).
I feel it's nice to know the neighbours habits and look out for one another. I feel it is part of modern insular society where we loose out the most, not talking to the neighbours.
On the other hand... I'd not have it like Neil's mum's house where the door is on the catch and neighbours just walk in as and when they please for a chat and a cuppa whenever! *That* would do my head in... fine chatting on the doorstep, over the garden fence or inviting someone in, but bloody well wait to be invited! :lol:
Gem. x

Good points gem.
I don't know any of my neighbours well enough to trust them with my front door keys and vice versa. That's mainly because of the high turn over of residents in my street plus the fact that I work shifts so I'm usually sleeping during the daytime.
The thought of having someone 'just pop in' scares the crap out of me. :shock: It'd be just my luck that Mrs Nosey calls around for a quick cuppa to find me and my man going at it hammer and tongs over the kitchen table :shock: Even more of a shock if it was a female friend!

19 Sep 2006

Quote by Xjxkx
...
What about the "EYES" in the the tv. :shock: Now i know why all these crap home made swinger videos are flooding the market. Ten for a fiver and even wrapped in sellophane!
Makes you think, eh!.

I think that the larger culture of state surveillance may have encouraged a subculture, where ordinary people often think nothing of spying on each other. This may not be as well planned as selling videos, but there are some people who think nothing of monitoring others for their entertainment. Ordinary people, unlike the Big Brother contestants, have not agreed to be used this way and it is a form of repression.
On the subject of swinging: since our neighbours see fit to discuss whether or not they like our curtains and what time of the day we open them, we'd certainly have to turn away any offers from people who'd like to meet at our house. Damn the bastards! mad

19 Sep 2006

Hahaha, yeah! The thought of someone 'just popping by' while I was at it doens't really appeal either! lol

It helps that on our street people tend to stay more than 3years at the least. The most recent resident to move out was an 92 year old woman who found she just couldn't play golf anymore so there was no point living in that house, she might as well move in with family. :lol: I kid you not... she was playing golf on her 90th birthday to "avoid the fuss".
The newest people to move in were folks about.... 5years ago? dunno

And they've got married and have a young family now and theyre happy at the prospect their kids in a few years can play outside their house without fear of being robbed, snatched or harmed because there is always another resident about. Not many places with that kind of atmosphere left tbh.
And Holly, instead of taking it in a bad way think of it as someone who will watch your house for you when you're not there! Houses that have neighbourhood schemes and curtain twitchers I'd have thought to be less likely to be burgled. Why not tell them politely, you don't make comments about their living habits or posessions, so quite frankly it's none of their business. smile

Gem. x

19 Sep 2006

Fair comment Dambuster. Perhaps you would care to put your point across about the other 'bits' as well. I'm sure it will make entertaining reading. confused

19 Sep 2006

Quote by little gem
... Why not tell them politely, you don't make comments about their living habits or posessions, so quite frankly it's none of their business.
Gem. x

Yes, I tryed that about a year ago, but some people just deny everything and continue as before. Two days later I saw their kids running back to report on their latest spying mission. I felt even more angry/hurt because I'd tried to reason with them. I've never been able to trust them since. Although prior to that week I was very open and friendly, I'm very reserved now I realise what they are like. It's like with your nosy neighbour, some people can't be trusted not to gossip.

19 Sep 2006

In full agreement with your comments Loveh4us. Since spying what I thought was my ass going hammer and tongs on a dvd recently, we've resorted to taking a tin of black spray paint with us when visiting our ''friends''. Its amazing the nooks and crannies where you think there may be an ''eye'' strategically placed to get the best shot of the action. A quick blast of the black soon makes it blink and eventually go to sleep. Loads of fun for us lol

, but, alas to say :cry: , they never seem to keep in contact with us. Wonder why? sad

19 Sep 2006

I'm all for CCTV to keep the streets safer but it buggers up any night time nookie when you fancy gettting down to it on the top floor of a multi storey car park :shock:
Yes, I was almost caught but not before the camera men had a good eyeful redface

19 Sep 2006

Sassy, black bin bags, never leave the house without them, they work a treat. Remember to whip them off when you've done the business tho' and give the ''eye'' a big cheesey grin and a wink. lol

19 Sep 2006

Quote by Sassy-Seren
I'm all for CCTV to keep the streets safer but it buggers up any night time nookie when you fancy gettting down to it on the top floor of a multi storey car park :shock:
Yes, I was almost caught but not before the camera men had a good eyeful

Not only is there nowhere to have sex in the city...we recently couldn't find a single spot on a Sunday afternoon in the Dales, where we could pull over to have car sex unobserved. The place was full of cars with people pulled over nervously looking to see what each other were doing!
Was everyone just trying to find a peaceful spot away from other people: city surveillance, partners and kids...
or we wondered, has the Dales been taken over by doggers and we didn't know? :shock:
A man in a van did wink! dunno

19 Sep 2006

Quote by Xjxkx
Fair comment Dambuster. Perhaps you would care to put your point across about the other 'bits' as well. I'm sure it will make entertaining reading.

If you mean

Quote by Xjxkx
If your naughty, they'll catch you.

I would hope so, therefore agree.
and

Quote by Xjxkx
If your a victim, you'll be glad of them.

Provided the perpetrator is subsequently caught and successfully brought to some sort of justice dunno

Quote by Xjxkx
What about the "EYES" in the the tv. :shock: Now i know why all these crap home made swinger videos are flooding the market. Ten for a fiver and even wrapped in sellophane!
Makes you think, eh!.

I'm not quite sure I understand the last one, but have no burning desire to have it explained, so therefore have no comment.
"Entertaining" enough for you ? :?
wave

Welcome to the asylum btw

19 Sep 2006

Quote by Xjxkx
"Dont see what the problem is with cameras placed in public places"
If your honest, why worry.

We're all glad to have a certain amount of law imposed upon us, because we can only have rights if we also accept responsibilies. There is a good point that we can only enjoy the rights that we are allowed because we don't take away other people's rights and they don't take away ours.
I hope I'm making sense, but I'm agreeing with the above, up to a point...
I liked an earlier comment about the increasingly 'protective' state though. At what point does the prevention end and the control start? We're not literally being watched all the time, but there are frightening records kept on everyone. At the moment we live in a free world, but what happens when things go wrong? Perhaps governments will continue to get more 'protective', perhaps individuals can download our records and steal or alter our identities?
Also, who makes up the rules and are they all fair? Perhaps there should be areas outdoors in cities where swingers can shag? There are certainly areas in cities where prostitution is tolerated, though minitored.