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Privacy: The Pandemic Paradox
May. 14th, 2020 01:11 pmOne would think that with people mostly holed up at home, we would all enjoy far more privacy than ever before. Instead, it feels like the reverse is true.
Turn on your radio, TV, laptop, tablet or smartphone and you can be sure that someone will be barking orders at you. In some cases, your favourite device may insist you're doing something you're not allowed to do or being somewhere you're not allowed to be or that you've been in contact with someone who's suspect for whatever reason. Not only has the state entered the bedrooms of the nation but it's also intruding into the living rooms, kitchens, basements and bathrooms!
And when you do briefly venture out... well, that's when things kick into even higher gear. The T&T supermarket is apparently not only insisting that customers wear masks and sanitize their hands, it's also taking people's temperatures before allowing them inside. I don't know whether the new normal temperature is the same as the old normal one, or whether they're enlightened enough to recognize a range of temperatures as being "normal" but you can bet I'll never shop anywhere that insists on taking my temperature as long as I have other options! And just what part of your anatomy do they use to obtain your temperature? I don't know, although the possibilities are certainly mind-boggling! Of course, the one relatively untraceable payment option - cold hard cash - has also been outlawed under pandemic conditions.
Sigh!
It's perhaps a bit ironic that the Asian community, which from what I've heard is the most vulnerable to racism during the Covidian Crisis, is one of the ones that imposes super-intrusive conditions on entry to its stores.
Okay, so what about masks? While I've personally no objection to wearing a non-medical mask when I go out, I do find it ironic how certain jurisdictions will ban those articles of clothing that could be construed as religious symbols - hijabs, burqas, turbans, etc. - while simultaneously requiring masks and other PPE. A decade or so ago, I seem to recall a certain politician saying that in this country we show our faces to get government service. Even back then, I thought the statement quite ludicrous as in-person service outlets were progressively (or actually rather regressively) being eliminated. Now as then, I often feel treated not as a person or even a name, but just a number.
Ah, the brave new world of Covid-19!
Turn on your radio, TV, laptop, tablet or smartphone and you can be sure that someone will be barking orders at you. In some cases, your favourite device may insist you're doing something you're not allowed to do or being somewhere you're not allowed to be or that you've been in contact with someone who's suspect for whatever reason. Not only has the state entered the bedrooms of the nation but it's also intruding into the living rooms, kitchens, basements and bathrooms!
And when you do briefly venture out... well, that's when things kick into even higher gear. The T&T supermarket is apparently not only insisting that customers wear masks and sanitize their hands, it's also taking people's temperatures before allowing them inside. I don't know whether the new normal temperature is the same as the old normal one, or whether they're enlightened enough to recognize a range of temperatures as being "normal" but you can bet I'll never shop anywhere that insists on taking my temperature as long as I have other options! And just what part of your anatomy do they use to obtain your temperature? I don't know, although the possibilities are certainly mind-boggling! Of course, the one relatively untraceable payment option - cold hard cash - has also been outlawed under pandemic conditions.
Sigh!
It's perhaps a bit ironic that the Asian community, which from what I've heard is the most vulnerable to racism during the Covidian Crisis, is one of the ones that imposes super-intrusive conditions on entry to its stores.
Okay, so what about masks? While I've personally no objection to wearing a non-medical mask when I go out, I do find it ironic how certain jurisdictions will ban those articles of clothing that could be construed as religious symbols - hijabs, burqas, turbans, etc. - while simultaneously requiring masks and other PPE. A decade or so ago, I seem to recall a certain politician saying that in this country we show our faces to get government service. Even back then, I thought the statement quite ludicrous as in-person service outlets were progressively (or actually rather regressively) being eliminated. Now as then, I often feel treated not as a person or even a name, but just a number.
Ah, the brave new world of Covid-19!
