Since we've posed similar questions about a calli or digient, I thought it would be interesting to know other people's opinions. A repeating theme is how true to life the plot of Little Brother feels. So if you were in the same position as the teens of San Francisco, what would you do?
There's something intriguing and unsettling about literature that makes you contemplate a decision long after you've finished reading. As much as I disagree with the actions taken by the government in the story, I honestly don't know if I really would join Xnet. However, if I was in the position of Marcus and his friends, my first reaction would be to take it to the news. Even though I understand the intimidation, as a reader I was frustrated by his silence. I felt vindicated when Marcus says, "We can't fix the world by putting other people at risk. I need to solve the problem by telling what I know. I should have done that from the start."
At the end of stories like Little Brother, I always wonder, what would I do? I really hope I would be brave enough to try and fight against a government that was intimidating its citizens. I agree that the silence of the main character was frustrating, no matter the threats made against him. But like in Harry Potter, Luna says that Voldemort wants Harry to feel isolated. I think that the government in this story wanted the most active/able teens to be frightened into submission and isolation. Long story short, I think I would join Xnet, but I probably wouldn't be a jammer.
ReplyDeleteI would join in a heartbeat! This is provided I knew how to program and whatnot. I feel like my place in the movement would be less obtrusive than Marcus who was on the front lines jamming. I would be more like the lady in the band who also ran the computer company (I can't remember her name at the moment) I would be a bit more in the background, but still remaining critical of the government and DHS. However, when I started to see the wrongdoing by those around me that shared similar views, I might begin to dissent.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can determine based on my reading of the book, there's not all that much special about Xnet. It's probably just the regular internet, but accessed through an Xbox. ParanoidLinux is a fictitious operating system, but probably operates similarly to Tails or Liberte and routs all it's Internet traffic through Tor, so one could probably access onion sites as well. So I'd join the Xnet, because the Xnet is pretty much just accessing the Internet secretly.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I likely wouldn't be particularly involved either. A lot of the stuff that went on in this book reminded me of some of the recent Occupy protests. They had a good message, but they didn't communicate it well. I was interested in the movement before it kicked off in New York, but never really got involved because I had too much of my own life going on.
And I wouldn't engage in RFID cloning because you can't actually do that.
Most definitely! I would hate feeling like there is something important and revolutionary occurring around me and I haven't done anything to be a part of it. I probably would not be able to do all the tricks and jamming they were able to do, but I could definitely see myself participating in the Vamp Mob! Of course there is always the risk of getting caught. However, if you could possibly make a change in society, why not take the risk if it's for a greater cause? I guess it depends on what you decide you have to lose...in Marcus' case, he felt as if he'd already had everything taken away anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think that I would join Xnet to be able to access the internet without there being any way to have what I was doing watched by the government. Since I tend to be a rule follower, I'm not sure how involved I would be in going against the government unless I was actively involved in the situation. If I were in Marcus's shoes and was accused of something I didn't do I would probably be as vocal as possible about the situation so everyone around me understood what was actually going on. I do disagree with what the government was doing the characters in the book, however, I do not think it would ever get that far in today's society.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not sure exactly what I would do in this situation (and hopefully I will never have to find out), but I do believe I would use Xnet simply because it offers a much more secure option to surfing the internet. I can also see myself participating in events like the VampMob. That said, unless I had some personal stake in it like Marcus, I doubt I would be involved in the jamming part.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I probably wouldn't join Xnet, mainly because I'm an idiot when it comes to advances in technology. My most radical choice regarding the internet was to use Firefox as my browser instead of Internet Explorer, and that was largely due to aesthetic reasons.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, it seems like the majority of those using Xnet did so more out of paranoia than a desire to actually change anything about their society. If I'm going to take part in reforms or protests, I'd rather actually *do* something than sit at home alone on an Xbox and rant at a screen.
I don't know about Xnet, but did anyone else think that Harajuku Fun Madness game sounded really fun? Maybe I'm just a nerd, but combining real world locations with an online game sounds really cool.
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