no longer my own

[saw]

my entire life
is now being filmed
every time I place my boot
my journey is taped in secret
you'd think I was a kardashian
security camera eyeballs swivel
omnipotent surveillance
on the corner, my mug's
been facially recognized
by neo-startrekian gadgetry
it may be useful later I'm told
but not to prove I'm a terrorist
just to fuck with me if I piss them off
I'm sure there must be some incriminating
evidence that could build a case against me
and wow, this is even worse than
reading that novel, 1984, swimming pools
of metadata, drones, helicopters
on top of my house, I remember
a time when one could actually
get off the grid, but even if you
throw your cell phone in the lake
the infrared will find you, and thanks
edward snowden for proving there is no privacy
all the info is on file, all the photos
all the recordings, all the videos
my brother is looking awfully big these days
my life....is no longer my own

[mnaz]

Oh yeah, for sure. Good luck in trying to "leave the Grid" ... And if you're not some bland, inert conformist, and like to challenge shit, there's a good chance you're being watched.

[saw]

yeah mnaz...seems every news story comes with a video, the perps caught in the act from numerous camera angles from business, law enforcement or the quick cell phone movies...and that's just the bad guys....there are enormous buildings in Utah where NSA is storing virtually every electronic form of communication used by every citizens today...e-mails, phone conversations, everything....while schools suffer from lack of funding

[Doreen Peri]

One of the questions on a psychological test I recently took was, "Do you think the government is watching you?" ... I thought that was funny. My answer? "Of course! But then again, probably not. They aren't even organized enough to keep track of terrorists." ... The interviewer looked at me like I was crazy. She wrote something down on the pad of paper on the clipboard. "Can we go onto the next question, please?" I asked. "I have another job interview in an hour."

We now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Good poem, Steve!

[saw]

did you ever wonder who was designing these batteries of questions that supposedly rate your capabilities for employment....I do know that many employers routinely review Facebook for clues to aid their decisions about whether to hire you....let's keep in mind those tasked with hiring are humorless bean counters with warped agendas...there is no need for paranoia though...this is already here...not even secret anymore....we are simply told, if you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about....except, of course, whom it is that's deciding what is "wrong"

[Doreen Peri]

Yeah, I did wonder who put together the lengthy questionnaire. I've had to answer similar detailed questionnaires applying for jobs online, too. These days, yes, they search for you all over the net. I'm sure they've not only found my graphics/art website, but found my soundcloud site, a couple of blogs I started, as well as studio8 which are all public. My FB is set to private for "friends" only. I turned off the public "followers" a long time ago. The only thing I keep public on facebook is my artwork, and that's for the purpose of selling artwork and also getting graphics jobs. At any rate, it's a whole new world. You can't even walk into a place of business any more to fill out an application and smile at someone. It's all done electronically, and it's an extremely complicated process involving many levels before you get your foot in the door for an in-person interview. Long story short, years ago, I never applied for a job I didn't get. I ALWAYS got hired. Today, the extremely convoluted lengthy application process can keep people out of work for a long time, unfortunately... add onto that age discrimination, and what do you end up with? Only one thing.... Self-employment. Did you know many employers also check your credit rating as part of the hiring process? Then there's peeing a cup. I don't mind them checking my urine because I have nothing to hide, but on principle basis, it's a violation of privacy. They may be reading this, too. I don't care. I think I'll post my pee-in-a-cup poem. heh... Thanks for the conversation. Didn't mean to make your poem about me, but I could I identify with it, so that means your poem worked!

[saw]

hey Doreen, my son was just telling about these job applications that have two statements that you must choose one reply from regardless if either really fits your position. Bizarre stuff these days....cryptic tests to weed out undesirables....I don't envy him