Okay, this one is a difficult topic for me. Why? Because my husband and I are currently in the process of trying to have kids. Trying and failing but we're giving it our best shot. I have, however, had a hand in helping to raise my six brothers and sisters all younger than me so I do have some experience in caring about the well being of children, while I didn't give birth to them, I did and still do, love them unconditionally, despite the chaos of sibling relationships.
I guess in a way I can use that experience and what I think I will be like as a parent to weigh in on this interesting topic. As a parent I think I would opt for a nanny cam if I had a new sitter. It would be scary to leave my kids alone with someone I didn't know very well and it would give me piece of mind. If they prove themselves to me, over time I might be inclined to remove the spying device. We didn't have these things growing up and I and my siblings turned out okay I think. When we had a problem with a sitter we told our mom and that sitter wasn't used again. This made us learn the importance of speaking up. Something I do a lot of as an adult.
But I think this debate goes deeper than just the nanny cam. Speaking as an average adult, not a parent, I have to ask the question, "when does it stop?" My husband does this with me all the time. How far is too far? I did mention above I'm not a parent yet so I can imagine some parents out there cringing and I totally respect that. The thing is, we've seen it sensationalized on television and in the movies, heck even books point out how hard it is to go unnoticed anymore with all the cameras watching our every move. If you walk down a downtown street, you're liable to be picked up by hundreds of cameras which could possibly be viewed by all sorts of entities, including the government. It makes for great fiction writing, especially science fiction, thrillers, police procedural, mysteries etc but is it good for real life?
So here's the deal, yes to the nanny cams because they are in your home and no to big brother watching our every move. I mean does big brother want to see someone picking their nose or scratching their... well you know... heck, do you want to see it? I can imagine, if things keep going the way they are going now, there will be a television channel that will show random people on the street, all day, everyday, and it would probably be one of the highest rated stations out there.
Don't get me wrong, there are definitely places where cameras are important. Especially when people are concerned with public safety but they say, everything in moderation. Some cameras watching us are good, I think but how extreme do we want to take it? That really is the question. Feel free to weigh in with your opinion below. If you have a blog and want to participate in the blog hop here is the link
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"I can imagine, if things keep going the way they are going now, there will be a television channel that will show random people on the street, all day, everyday, and it would probably be one of the highest rated stations out there." - I lol'd. Can you imagine? People watching on a whole new level.
ReplyDeleteThat was the underlying message of The Truman Show. It's great comedy fiction, but life is now able to imitate art.
DeleteIn Alaska, traffic cameras are not permitted -- the government is not allowed to spy on us. I think that's a good thing!
ReplyDeleteA few years back I remember booking a holiday abroad and finding out there was a camera sited permanently quite near our hotel just focusing on the main street. I logged in and saw happy holidaymakers waving at the camera lens as they passed by. I was quite familiar with the area by the time I got there! Some cameras are welcome, and some not so welcome, especially if you find out you're the one who's been filmed without your knowledge.
ReplyDeleteWhat most people don't realize is that traffic cameras, for the most part, aren't monitored by whatever government agency authorized them. They're contracted out to private companies. What the company does with that data is limited by the contract. But what if you got a bad guy inside the company? Mmm, sounds like the plot for a book!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for joining us Jami. P.j. I didn't know that about the contract company. I think we always have to assume there are unsavory people interacting with us and our data all the time. Store clerks who have taken our credit card info and know how to pull it off their computers. We are most assuredly in a defensive mode.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's not black and white for sure. I didn't have babysitters when I was a kid because my cousins looked after me but I did a lot of babysitting myself and would have felt kind of hurt that parents didn't trust me. On the other hand I got most of my jobs through my mother's school or word of mouth so it was pretty obvious I was trustworthy. I suppose it all comes down to your gut as a parent!
ReplyDeleteI also all for nanny cams. I wish I had them when my kids were young. They have told me, years too late, some of the nasty things done to them; none sexual but just mean.
ReplyDeleteAs for videos all over the place, in this day and age with the crazy killers, cameras help solve crimes. If the cameras catch me picking my nose or scratching something in public. Let them snicker, we all do it.
On a very personal note, I hope you and your husband are successful. And the practice is fun.