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DHS Videos Coming To Walmart: Would You Like To Know More?
Edith_Bagot-Dix
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, CNN is carrying this story
As the final paragraph says, it's not just Walmart. That said, I, for one, find the prospect that the average person on the street has a realistic possibility of providing valuable intelligence to be a dubious one at best. This makes me think of the famous posters from World War II. Somehow, though, this seems more insidious, because the aim of the World War II stuff was often to remind people working in defense industries (which accounted for a lot of people in a total war scenario) that they were privy to potentially valuable intelligence. This campaign seems more like something out of Orwell or the Paranoia RPG, encouraging people to help root out traitors. I'm also concerned about the potential for a very high noise to signal ratio in this sort of campaign (similar to the TSA screening process).
(CNN) -- Walmart will join the Department of Homeland Security in a program called "If You See Something, Say Something" which encourages the American public to take an active role in ensuring the safety and security of the nation, DHS said Monday.
"Homeland security starts with hometown security, and each of us plays a critical role in keeping our country and communities safe," Secretary Janet Napolitano said as she thanked Walmart and the more than 320 stores who joined the national campaign Monday.
Participating stores, eventually including 588 from 27 states, will play a short video message at select checkout locations to remind shoppers to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious activity, said a DHS statement.
"This partnership will help millions of shoppers across the nation identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to law enforcement authorities," Napolitano said.
The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign was originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority as a simple and effective program that engages the public and key front-line employees to report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to authorities, according to the DHS statement.
The program has already partnered with the Mall of America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, sports and general aviation industries, and other organizations across the country, DHS said.
As the final paragraph says, it's not just Walmart. That said, I, for one, find the prospect that the average person on the street has a realistic possibility of providing valuable intelligence to be a dubious one at best. This makes me think of the famous posters from World War II. Somehow, though, this seems more insidious, because the aim of the World War II stuff was often to remind people working in defense industries (which accounted for a lot of people in a total war scenario) that they were privy to potentially valuable intelligence. This campaign seems more like something out of Orwell or the Paranoia RPG, encouraging people to help root out traitors. I'm also concerned about the potential for a very high noise to signal ratio in this sort of campaign (similar to the TSA screening process).
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
Edith_Bagot-Dix on
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This though... this is "report your neighbors, citizen" 1984 bullshit. You might as well dig Joe McCarthy up, shove your hand up his dead ass and make him puppet-talk these announcements.
It's only the Stasi if people start going over the wall to get to Target.
We have billboards here that say: RAPE IS A CRIME. ALWAYS.
This suggests to me that someone did a study, and the result of that study was that some people did not know this. Being that ignorant should be a crime, always; but it happens.
These billboards do not bother me. I doubt they're likely to generate a slew of false positives. I'm paying for them via the state, but it's part of an overall program that they claim to have been effective. Good on them, whatever, fine.
The Department of Homeland Security: I'm paying for them. I'm paying for people who are going to be looking for needles in the haystack reports generated about every brown person sighted near infrastructure, ever. I might even be paying for them to pay these places to host their stupid videos, as well as the design and production of those videos.
What are they projecting here as an ROI here? 'An 8% reduction in terror attacks' or some similar bullshit?
Dear DHS,
If you can't find a better use for my money, please give it to NASA.
Thanks,
AD
Really, we should be concentrating on using this stupidity to get funding for NASA. Maybe the terrorists are building a base on Mars and aiming a laser straight at Bumblefuck, ND? The only way to keep America safe is through more funding for space exploration.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
In other news, this is a fucking waste of time and money.
o_O
Reported to the proper authorities.
Report received. Thank you for your concern, citizen
Is there anything stupid you won't do obediently if an authority figure tells you to? Jesus.
I don't know how people could, all I ever see / hear on those damn TVs is annoying commercial singing and they have like 4 commercials on loop.
Thank god they're all in the grocery side.
Grab someone's balls for freedom? :rotate:
Guess I have to go back into hiding again.
Someone get this barcode off my forehead, please. kthxbye.
But, really, when you consider things like the Bystander Effect, it's not necessarily a bad idea.
Then again, when you consider the overwhelming stupidity of some people, it's a terrible idea.
Rigorous Scholarship
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