The online classroom of UH 300-001, Andy Duncan's fall 2013 science fiction seminar in the Honors College of the University of Alabama.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Scienfic Fiction to Nonfiction
Both of Doctorow's novels, considered science fiction, are unnervingly closely related to our society today. Technology continues to change our world everyday, some for the benefit of the people, some for the benefit of the government. In Homeland, Doctorow advocates methods to ensure personal online securities, such as proper file storage. With government having increased access to files with more and more information on people, how should the citizens react? People want to feel safe from other nations but even more importantly need to feel safe from their own government. Access to technologies like the World Wide Web allow for instant uploading of stories to the public before the government can censor them. What should a society look like that has a government with a scary amount of information on every citizen? Do you believe the government should be allowed to monitor people as closely as the Patriot Act and other laws allow?
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I think it's great that we're having more and more conversations about this - the spying on citizens by their government is certainly not a new idea, but it IS one that has increased exponentially recently, especially through actions taken by Edward Snowden and others.
ReplyDeleteShould we as citizens allow this to continue, or should we act as Marcus does and fight? My vote is yes, but it's a conversation that will dictate the future of the country for a long time to come.