Dec 09, 2010 17:20
If you keep up with the news, it's kinda hard to miss what has happened to a certain Julian Assange. Julian is an information activist, world citizen, public enemy, cyber-terrorist, or hyper-journalist, depending on your point of view.
But I'd like to take a moment to point out that his world has become very similar to the dystopia presented in Max Headroom. He's working with a secret team to do deeply discomforting invasive journalism that is striking at the roots of many national governments and international corporations (banks in particular). And those nations and corporations are fighting back.
The ironic twist is that Julian is stuck in a cross between Edison Carter, and Blank Reg. Blank Reg was a hacker/television operator trying to live off the grid and broadcast television. He lived without identity because he was wanted a little bit too much. Blanks had to avoid using electronic payments and communications, because it was a crime to not have state identity.
Julian has been trying to blank himself, so to speak, because he knows the authoritarian authorities are coming for him. And for now, they have him (Thanks to Sweden and the Scotland Yard).
Now when you are a highly mobile, news worthy Blank, constantly moving internationally in an erratic pattern... Well, I imagine it's hard to keep your self esteem up, let alone maintain a normal human sense of community. And Julian has a pressing mission.
Time will tell if Julian is canonized or vilified... but remember, the general consensus on Daniel Ellsberg is that he was one man who made a morally correct choice. The problem with a large bureaucratic government is that the leaders of a large bureaucracy have the power to subjugate and oppress. The only defense is to shine the light of truth, so that the people who support the government can demand prescribed behavior, instead of arbitrary abuse of power.
And please be mindful, Julian was called by the Scotland Yard to come in to be arrested. He complied. The courts will decide his fate, but his initial behavior is not that of a criminal who fears arrest. And all of the cyber attacks happening now are because cyber-activist probably believe that intelligence agencies of governments are colluding to silence Julian. They may not be just, but they are not acting on his request.
-Jurgen