(RightWing.org) – A new poll has found that a terrifying number of young Americans aren’t just unconcerned by the thought of being spied on by the government — they want more of it. The survey found that almost a third of Generation Z wants surveillance cameras installed in homes to monitor people. Of course, they think it’s for our own good.
When George Orwell wrote “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” his terrifying novel of life in an authoritarian surveillance state, he made it clear in the first chapter that Big Brother’s reach stretched right into our homes. Every household in his dystopian society has a telescreen installed, a sort of 1940s Alexa that broadcasts propaganda as well as watching and listening to everything that happens in the house. On June 1, the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, released the results of a new survey it carried out with YouGov. It turns out that 29% of Americans under 30 think the telescreen is a good idea.
The question the study asked was, “Would you favor or oppose the government installing surveillance cameras in every household to reduce domestic violence, abuse, and other illegal activity?” Overall, only 14% of Americans would support this — but the numbers vary dramatically with age. There’s that shocking figure of 29% for the under-30s, but among 30-44-year-olds, it’s significantly lower at 20%. Meanwhile, the 45-plus age bracket, those old enough to remember the authoritarian communist regimes of Eastern Europe, overwhelmingly reject the idea, with just 6% supporting it.
CATO admits it’s not sure why young Americans are so relaxed about having the privacy of their own homes stolen by the government. They point to the fact they don’t remember the Soviet Union as a possible reason, as well as the fact young people seem to think being “protected” from hurtful words is more important than having freedom. Either way, if they don’t change their minds, a future where those young people have become this country’s leaders is a worrying thought.
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