Privacy, what privacy?

The question of privacy in America involves all citizens and opens many doors to many different situations. Questions including; should privacy be considered property and therefore not be damaged or taken from without having some penalty infringed on the suspect at hand, should the government be able to look into your personal matters to have increased protection for our country, and can someone help Britney get the damn paparazzi away from her, when does the line get crossed when celebrities go out into public eye? These are just some of the issues involving privacy in American society today.

Our government has done a fine job with very complex issues that have come into question in our history, but one that needs to be answered is privacy invasion. I believe that all of us understand that privacy is one of the main concerns we should have as human beings, but where does the line begin and end. Have you ever been at a restaurant and over heard something at another table and thought hey screw my boring conversation with these people lets listen in on them? I’m sure most of us would answer yes, and the others that say no they’re probably lying. Is this an invasion of privacy? I say no, but others could take it the other direction. What if those people you were listening too were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and you might have heard that Jolie’s lips had a little alteration, not saying they are just hypothetical, wink wink. Would you tell all your friends and family about the inside information you just received? I know I would, but would I be in serious trouble for disclosing private facts if they happened to find out it was me who told the world? Although I received those facts through shady ways, I wouldn’t have to call up my lawyer, thank the lord. Here’s another scenario for you, using the Bragelinas, not because they’re famous but good humanitarians. What if you were working for the Bragelinas as a maid, or housekeeper as most people call it now a day and you stumbled upon information that led you to believe that Angelina was really a man? Again, would you tell your friends and family this private information? If you did, try and bring Johnny Cochran back from the grave because you are in trouble. In a court of law the disclosure of private facts all depends on how you receive them. If you obtain them while hearing it from them or listening to them, you will be ok, if you got the inside scoop by stooping around private files and being an amateur private eye or detective, you could be liable for a lawsuit if this information has made the victim of this situation lose credibility or they are revealed without legit relation to public concern, i.e. they had already thought she was a man, or maybe she was the father of another person’s baby, hypothetically speaking. Privacy should always be considered a human right but it might be even more difficult to have stricter laws that go after behavior that seems to break there human rights, not because they don’t care but because it happens all the time and in some instances with our popular gossip magazines more than it should.

http://britneyspears.hollywood.com/news/coranto/old/news-archive-10-2005.html

At the same time the gossip and pop culture privacy laws are being broken more is going on right underneath your nose. With the influx of terrorism all over the world, security of our nation is a primary concern. The question is does the government go too far in establishing our security? The Patriot Act is a good and controversial example for this question. In my inexperienced opinion, the Patriot Act is not unethical as some would say because it is an attempt to ward off terrorism and it helps protects our lives. Why would someone worry about having their fourth amendment violated, as some of the activists against the act have said, if they are not doing anything wrong? Most Americans wouldn’t necessarily like the search of some of there belongings but when it comes to NATIONAL SECURITY, I believe they would cooperate because the situation is bigger than just them. What if we had such an Act similar to this before 9/11, or before the Oklahoma City Bombings, could we have stopped it from happening? No one knows for sure, but we probably could have had a better opportunity to do so. With all of the accusations made about what our government is doing, people need to look at the big picture. What would you be more willing to give up your right to privacy on your phone call with your grandma when you have no idea that someone is listening or your life? These “invasions of privacy” could be a big part of our future security plans, and getting rid of these plans could constrain our intelligence agencies ability to act quickly and swiftly to ward of these horrible crimes against our country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act

Becoming famous is a dream for most Americans, but not all of these individuals look at the excruciating pain in the butt the national media and paparazzi are becoming to the celebrities. We have all heard about the problems that Miss Britney Spears has come across in the last couple of years, and it all is related to the amount of privacy, or better yet lack of privacy, she receives. She got married to a loser, had children with him, had to fend off the media for pictures of her new born child with threats of a lawsuit, finally divorced the incompetent husband, and now is fighting depression and going in and out of rehabilitation. Can some one give this woman a break? I don’t think anyone would trade their life for hers right now even if you threw in a few million on top of her already ridiculous income. Where is the line drawn in the sand for the paparazzi and all media types? I’m sure most paparazzi would cross it in a heart beat where ever it is, but is there no common decency? Britney Spears is a human being, she maybe be a little crazy at times, and a little toxic for some to handle, but still a human with rights. Who is to blame for the absolute craze that the gossip magazine community has become, the actual media people or the celebrities themselves? I have the answer, it’s neither. This whole craze has started because of the average Joe, you and me, it’s as plain as day. The gossip magazines give us what we want and that is news and notes that quite possibly have been ripped away from the private lives of these famous individuals. We are the ones invading these people private lives, not physically stepping on their property or digging through documents, or even stalking these people, but we essentially write the checks for the people that do these things. Did theses celebs ask for this kind of treatment, I mean fame does come with responsibility doesn’t? I believe it comes with the territory, but that doesn’t make it right. The way we are going as a society we wont have any privacy left in the future, and I see no way to change the status quo, except for simply minding our own business in certain situations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWSjUe0FyxQ

In conclusion, we all know we have a great country but we have issues that need to be addressed to move forward and grow. Changing the status quo on privacy should be a main concern because without any freedom from invasion what can we live for. In order to obtain the greater good for our nation some of our freedom and privacy can and should be invaded in some situations, including the security of our home land, but only a few. Let’s leave the invasion of Brad, Angelina, and Britney’s privacy for a later time when it is important and find some other way to entertain ourselves or make ourselves feel better. I think we have bigger fish to fry, like the growing national debt, how about the issue of global warming, or better yet which unproven candidate are we going to elect to help transition the country into a better state, throw your name into the mix Mayor Bloomberg, please.

http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/catId/96A3E6BC-22BC-43EE-BDE2D470B0972A47/objectId/B9998A9F-B6BE-44D3-AAF526978C49BDD9/104/284/220/QNA/

How much privacy do we have in today's society?

1. Should privacy be considered property?
2. Should the government be able to look at information on your computer or tap phone lines to gain valuable info for security?
3. Leave Britney alone. When does the line get crossed when celebrities go out into the public eye, and did they ask for this kind of treatment, fame comes with responsibility.