Matt Scinto's Blog

In the image above, the house is being secured by a chainlink fence. In addition, the fence even has barbed wire to make sure that no one even attempts to climb it, to risk injury. The fence is clearly put up to stop any social interaction, at least social interaction that the occupents of the house do not want. Those from outside will only be welcomed in by the occupants of the house and only at their discretion. I think it’s obvious that these are also the people who put this fence up. In terms of a motive for such extreme actions of security, I think something must of happened to the owner of this house that compelled them to enclose themselves off from others in such a way. Perhaps constant break ins in the house itself, or even around the neighbor hood provoked this fencing to occur. Regardless, in my opinion I think such actions are a little extreme and unnecessary, but we might get another story from the owner of the house. I think this clearly affirms many of Flusty’s arguments, but more specifically that people are becoming too obsessed with security. If this doesn’t scream obsession then I don’t know what else does. In researching these images, this one stuck out the most for me because it’s something that you rarely see everyday. I’ve never seen a house so “secure” with fencing and barb wire. It makes me think there seriously must be some crazy people inside.

The camera in the image above is something we may typically find on a street corner of a city such as New York or LA, usually placed around intersections. They may deter speeding or traffic violations of the sort, as people may be cautious and law-abidding if they see a camera above their cars. The government most likely put these up, either on a city or state level, for the reasons I stated above. These cameras attempt to limit social interaction because people will tend to ignore other things in an effort to obey the law and not make any “slip-ups” when they feel that they are being watched. I know I’m surely more cautious about my speed when I see a camera up ahead; I’d rather obey the law then risk getting a hefty speeding ticket. I think these cameras are effective in preventing motor accidents, and they are especially useful when accidents do occur, as they provide concrete evidence that may make the legal processes easier. The camera is a perfect witness in the eyes of the law; it has no judgements, opinions or prejudices. In terms of my opinions of cameras as a means of security, I honestly do not have a problem with them. It doesn’t bother me to have a camera on me because I know that it has it’s eyes on millions of other people as well. I’m not an individual in the eyes of a camera, I’m just a number. What makes me so different? This is a constant issue between generations and I think that my generation is just more secure about these issues and technology in general. We live our lives online and share information any day and none of us have a problem with it. We aren’t paranoid about these issues anymore.

Finally, this last picture shows a gated community, complete with a large fence and security booths. It looks like a picture out of a magazine; the prime example of a gated community. This picture, like most gated communities, puts out an image of “we don’t want you here, unless you are one of us”; the sort of mentality that welcomes inhabitants but labels all other strangers as dangerous. At least in my opinion this is what these communities entail. I think Flusty would agree with me; that these communities separate the rich and the poor, because as we all know, usually the inhabitants are of a wealthier status. The fencing, security booths and overall look, that every house is the same down the block are just prime examples of the luxurious secured spaces that Flusty discusses. They typically draw a line between classes in society. Gated communities are a tough subject. I’m not going to declare the occupants of these places as all bad people because of where they live. It is there choice to live in the environment they choose. If they have the money to make this choice then good for them. Who am I to judge what they do? However, subconsciously they are contributing to the security obsessed society that many of us live in and by living in these areas, may be looked upon as exhorting their wealth for all to see. It’s a tough call.