Hacker News Reader

Comment by auslegung | Hacker News Reader

If all citizens were locked away in a padded cell, the government would prevent all homicide, overdoses, rape, etc. Just because something prevents a suicide doesn't make it a good thing. I know you're saying the same thing, I'm just putting it more starkly.

There are other ways of preventing suicide, homicide, overdoses, rape, etc, which don't violate privacy, security, etc.

View on HN

This is the point it’s coming to. When “the other side” says “one death is too many”, I’m almost tempted to scream “one death is not enough.”

If we’ve literally made tragedy impossible, there’s no way we haven’t traded away a disproportionate amount of freedom to get there.

This is really going to sound dumb, but this kind of creeping surveillance is the biggest reason I hope we can make self-sufficient off-planet colonies. I honestly believe that the trend toward complete surveillance and control in the name of complete safety is irreversible, and the only way to escape it is to literally move to where they cannot physically reach you.

This strategy is also doomed to failure. We’re talking about kids whose brains are in full-time adapt-and-learn mode. They will create other language to talk about these things that will completely fly over the heads of the adults and the software. I remember being in eighth grade where kids would make fun of a teacher to their face without their knowledge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_rape_in_the_United_Stat...

The solution is obviously solitary confinement \s.

The ideal society is that scene in Matrix with towers of reddish cells with people in them.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com