Citizen 4

Saw the film "Citizen 4" the other day - the documentary about Edward Snowden, starring Edward Snowden himself. I couldn't help but come away with the impression that he was playing his own spy game from the outset, perhaps to give his own life a sense of importance. The fact that he slinked away while his mate was on vacation somewhere, without a word of explanation, says something about the self-absorption of the man, and his general attitude throughout the movie evinces a ...sort of glee at his own activities. People are shocked and concerned at the idea that the NSA is able to tap into all sorts of 'private' information not because they feel they've done nothing wrong, but because they feel they have. And they're right, they have. We all have. It's just not something the NSA would be interested in. In fact, it is computers that sift through this massive catalog of information, and computers make no judgement at all. Nonetheless, the true fear among people is that something private, something dishonorable, dishonest or deviant will be revealed. One's own secrets must be protected at all costs. It is an irrational, unreasoning, self-conscious fear, but is at the very base of our outward show of outrage.