Privacy?

[jake williams]

What do we all think about "privacy"? The idea that it's really a big deal whether or not "private information", say, is kept private from government or others, anything from phone numbers to sex partners. Granted it's only sensible to have different opinions about different things, but I'm curious if there's general impressions, especially in this political context around here.

Personally, I don't want the stormtroopers smashing down my door for thoughtcrime, I want to be able to have private conversations, I want to do things alone or with others that're kept between myself and, you know, select others. But I just really don't think it's usually such a big deal! Most of this stuff just doesn't matter that much! There's bigger deals! Unless you're in Witness Protection or something it just shouldn't matter if your phone number is public!

Part of it seems to be the idea that you, yourself, are really quite so beautiful and stunning that everyone is trying to stalk you and if you put information out there the predators plotting for/against you will hoard it and use it to come after you. I mean, I'm pretty arrogant and self-involved, but I'm not that bad, as it seems a lot of people are. Partly it just seems to be a really strange isolationism, almost violent solipsism, that I do not want to share my world with others. Really seems to be a lot of it behind the American-libertarian ethic, this whole desocialization phenomenon.

I think it's interesting.



ed/follow-up: Also, I do like physical privacy - that is, I like to have some space, a bedroom, a bathroom, some area that I can be in, when the mood strikes, and not have to deal with people. Partly because it's useful and partly because of the security factor in knowing you have it. But I really just don't live in terror that people might find things out about me! especially publicly available or trivial information.