Edward Snowden uses the term "architecture of oppression" to describe the world around us in 2021 [see photo]. This architecture has form and function like any other structure in our modern landscape. This raises a key question: "who will decide the form and function that this oppression will take going forward?"
The function of this "architecture of oppression" is almost universally accepted today. Current and emerging technologies will provide the infrastructure for a world where everything is known about everyone on this planet [7.5 Billion people under constant surveillance]. Of course this type of infrastructure has many advantages [as experienced by each of us during lockdowns] for the speedy delivery of information, goods, and services. Work at home. Have fast food delivered when and wherever you need it. Payment systems that are built into your mobile device. Modes of transport that are unique in the history of humans. Public welfare systems that deliver help where and when it is needed. Virtual social networks that link people across the world. And so on.
The form of this "architecture of oppression" is less than clear. There is the CCP form which dominates China. That is a totalitarian form of oppression which denies individual rights to each and every person - each and everyday. Inside that system there are many surprises - the fact that the family is still at the centre of social order. Those elements of economic activity that are put on a loose reign so innovation and growth can prosper relatively unimpeded by government regulation. But the truth is that government is always lurking in the shadows. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the CCP system is the lack of common law and enforceable contracts. Alternatives to the CCP model are emerging within the USA, Britain, Australia, Europe, etc. However the variance here is a matter of form not function.
When form and function are combined to produce the "architecture of oppression" then the individual becomes trapped inside a utopian dream that is either an illusion or a delusion.
Richard
My mind as a minimalist is developed on a unique sense of what I call minimal-you which, in turn, is based on individual needs not collective wants. For instruction on how to establish your sense of you: go to minimal-you.com and hit the "become a minimalist" button in the banner heading. This will take you to a payment scheme for a 10 day programme that will teach you how to design, enforce, and live with mind filters: these help you to be the best person you can be.
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