Let me start off by saying that “I do realize this is not a very clear photo”. However, I found the image to be noteworthy. Tonight, as I walked into Wal-Mart with Nick I happened to notice this above the entry door. While I know that it’s just a flag that has gotten tangled around a surveillance camera, I can’t help but to think more in depth about it’s true irony.
The components: The United States Flag and a surveillance camera.
Old Glory, amongst many other things, is to be a direct representation of “freedom”. According to Wikipedia : “Many understand the flag to represent the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights and perhaps most of all to be a symbol of individual and personal liberty as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. The flag is a complex and contentious symbol, around which emotions run high.”
Meanwhile, surveillance is defined by: “The monitoring of behavior. Systems surveillance is the process of monitoring the behavior of people, objects or processes within systems for conformity to expected or desired norms in trusted systems for security or social control.”
This simple image said a lot to me in a short matter of time. It is more of a reminder which I could not help but to somewhat laugh about.
Sure, we are free…as long as we stay conformed and compliant.
