Technology cannot replace a Nosy Neighbor | Eastern North Carolina Now

   I am not trying to make light of the terrible terrorist attack in Manchester, England, but sometimes I have found that a point can be made with humor that cannot be made with a wringing of the hands. It is often called "Gallows Humor" , and I admit it is a delicate balance between making a point and deterioration into a callous comment. Hopefully this article does not cross the line but instead illustrates what used to be a simple part of American life. Somewhere between being 'totally indifferent' and being a nosy busybody, there is a intersection of common sense.

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Technology cannot replace a Nosy Neighbor

    I heard one of the pundits on the morning news make a statement that struck me a very profound. Speaking about the bombing in Manchester, England, he stated that England is the most surveilled country in the world. Manchester is 2nd behind London as the most surveilled city in England. England does not have a written constitution but the laws formed by Acts of Parliament, court judgments and conventions, based on a somewhat common-law basis.

    His statement which I paraphrase was:

    'one could not go anywhere in England inside or outside a building without the high prospect of being on camera. Unfortunately using this surveillance technology only serves to aid in the prosecution after the fact. It provides proof for prosecution and facts leading up to an recreating an incident. But it does not provide prevention.'

    Prior to the our reliance on remote camera surveillance, the police would be in greater touch with the community or the community was more cohesive and many crimes were prevented because someone saw something and reported it. The local cop on the beat knew most of the trouble makers.

    It struck me that America may be approaching that very tipping point. In our over reliance technology and super sensitivity on Privacy (which we may think exist, but in actuality does not) we have perhaps opened ourselves up for terrorism as well as other preventable criminal acts. I value my privacy highly. I also realize that the Ostrich "Head in the Sand" does not constitute privacy. Not being able to see what is around you is not privacy but delusional. While trying to work my way through this dilemma mentally, it occurred to me that our problem may not be a lack of privacy but an over exuberance of those who have access to our privacy.

    Let me try to expand on that last sentence somewhat. Having knowledge of the actions of someone else may not be an intrusion into their privacy. Just the act of going out in public is acquiescence to loss of some of your privacy. Privacy of a farmer in his field is vastly different than the citizen on the street of a city. The evolution of the human migrations has largely been from non-urban areas to urban areas. As a result, we have willingly given up some of our privacy.

   My case was just the opposite. I was raised in the city in a neighborhood on a street less than 100 yards long. Everybody knew their neighbors and there was a Neighborhood watch (never saw a sign saying that but believe me I knew there was one). I know it now sounds quaint or old fashioned but doing something wrong (even mildly in appropriate) was cause for correction by one of the adults on the street.

   When my dad decided to move to DeKalb County in my junior year of high school, the county was still mostly non-urban and not suburban yet. Granted, I had way more territory and privacy than I did on the concrete of Atlanta, but any major transgressions in our small town where I was held hostage and went to school for the next two years would be reported to your parents. The one and only police officer in Clarkston, Georgia, Officer Dooley, gave very few tickets out but he quite often told us to get on home and if it were a serious infraction he may drive over to your house and have a talk with your parents.

   Those days may be gone for good in most of America, but being aware of your surroundings and any potential danger should still be a part of our communal bond with our neighbors.In my mind what constitutes an invasion of privacy is the unauthorized action taken by government on the information that they possess without a proper legal basis or warrant. (Leaks?) I know that random unlimited access to information will create abuse of that information by a power hungry government or over zealous ideologue.

    Here is a mea-culpa. I have lived in the same neighborhood for about eight years. It is a gated over 55 community. I do not know my neighbors well. I have spoken to a few but for the most part I only know them by a wave as we pass or the occasional conversation while moving the garbage can back into the garage on garbage day. Failure to do so will result in a letter from the HOA about leaving your garbage can out past 7:00 PM on the day of pick up. My aloofness is not a result of a high threshold need for privacy; it is more of a reclusive and hermit mentality of a former salesman who grew tired of the chit-chat and small talk of the profession. To be a bit more truthful, my reclusiveness is most likely a symptom of a mild form of PTS anxiety. I do not like crowds; I do not like not being in control of the situation; I do not like to form close friendships with new people, because of the pain when they pass. This aloofness is often interpreted as snobbish and arrogant. I am not a snob, but I am most likely arrogant.

    As you might suspect, living in a neighborhood of older people has its own peculiar set of social interactions. For the most part, older people are plain spoken, beyond making superficial pleasantries, quick to judge, and just as quick to complain. That is worth of an article itself, but I will leave that up to TMc because he can most likely condense this "Senior Persona" into a much more meaningful article without all the bluster of my self-indulgent arrogance.

    Nevertheless, the one trait that this neighborhood has is the vigilance that occurs with age and free time. Very few things occur in this neighborhood without someone noticing and often reporting or at the very least gossiping about. Sometimes that is a good thing, beyond the hyper vigilance that is reported to the HOA. Trust me I have the non-compliance letters to prove this. This is just a sample of my veering off the narrow path of conformity. Once I realized that I could tweak the real nosy ones, I went out of my way to create a potential NC-LETTER. It must have worked because I have not had one in the last few years. We may have fought ourselves to a draw.

Click here to enlarge the picture and read about my transgressions.
    But I think I can be assured that if someone sees someone trying to get into my house that does not belong they will notify somebody. I know this because if I don't pick up my Sunday paper from the driveway by 10:00 AM someone will move it up next to my garage for me. My only hope is that they will not just complain to the HOA because all my 'STUFF' could be gone and the house empty before the "NON COMPLIANCE" letter hits my mail box.

    I also note that my own personal internal surveillance will only serve to allow me to watch them take my 'STUFF.' That would be good evidence for the police report.

HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH MY CD'S AND IPad?

   Conclusion: All the observation and cameras in the world are of no use if it does not prevent crimes. It merely provides a rear mirror view of what happened. There has to be some sense of community responsibility by citizens to prevent some if not all of the terrorist or gang related activity. Lacking that, all we have is the ability to watch the carnage like the voyeurs we are. Can I get an Amen for NOSY NEIGHBORS?