Morales and surveillance

Central argument: If somebody does the right thing under scrutiny doesn’t mean it’s being morally correct.

Emrys Westacott believes that the technology of surveillance is rapidly increasing. This means that someone or the other is constantly watching our actions, our actions which may be good or bad. Westacott believes that if somebody does the right thing under scrutiny doesn’t mean they are being morally correct. Morales usually help a person decide what is right and what is wrong. Surveillance helps people make the correct decision or puts people under pressure to make correct decisions but that does not morally justified say Westacott, and i agree with him because personal situations and other stories prove this to me.

One day my dad I were riding in our car. At first there was as red light without any cops around and my dad broke the light kept on driving. On the second red light some policemen could be spotted and my dad did not break a red light this time. Well clearly the surveillance of the police stopped him from breaking the law. What he did was correct on the second red light but he did not do it because his conscious told him to or because he was morally correct he did because he knew someone was watching him. That someone was the law, and the law could get him into a lot of trouble for breaking a red-light. It was only because he was under pressure or scrutiny did he stop and obey the law. Yes it is a good thing that he did follow the rule, but it wasn’t on moral grounds. Not only my dad but I have also done the same things.

When I am on my own or with my friends, I love to break the rules or use abuse words. But at home or in class rooms I try not to do such absurd things. Because someone is watching me, even though it’s not such a advanced way of surveillance it is still people watching you and pressurising you to make decisions. But the thing is the technology is improving. People are watching us in our day to day things. How we do laundry or how we eat. Everything is being seen. Our freedom of choice is being taken away.

It helps us choose what is morally correct, yes. But it also is destroying the freedom of choice. If we are always going to do what the ‘system’ wants us to do then we will get squished loose ourselves as people. Our freedom is being taken away from us and we don’t even notice it. Surveillance is certainly helping community but it is hurting the values of morality and individuality.