Hearne: ‘1984’ – – – We Have Arrived

The verdict is in…

From Bill Maher to CNN, post Boston Marathon, everyone seems to agree that what passes for privacy these days is a thing of the past.

Big Bro’s watching and if he misses something – not to worry –  some clown with a cellphone will pick up the slack.

“How anybody thinks they can get away with anything in this age when everything is photographed at all times is amazing to me,” Maher said Friday, re the soon to be nabbed Marathon suspects.

The topic caused music industry edge-meister Bob Lefsetz to reflect on his youth when he shoplifted stuff as a way of “sticking it to the man.”

“But not anymore,” Lefsetz writes. “You can steal stuff today, but you’re gonna get CAUGHT! What did they say ten years ago, 9/11 changed everything? Well that didn’t turn out to be true. But technology did.”

Observing the Boston Marathon crime coverage unfold  “was like having a ringside seat at the best movie ever made… ” Lefsetz continued. “It started with the information. Used to be you had to wait until the next day, at school or work. Or there was an interruption on television. But now you turn on your smartphone and something incomprehensible is transpiring.”

Like when the alleged bombers pictures were revealed last Thursday.

“They looked like no one was watching,” Lefsetz writes. “They’d seen too many movies. They thought there was nothing better than hiding in plain sight, acting like you’re innocent. But that doesn’t work anymore.

“In other words, if you’re going to break the law, if you’re going to commit a heinous crime, be prepared to die. Because the odds of escaping are close to nil, because now we’ve got CAMERAS!”

Anywhere and everywhere.

“Instead of one Zapruder film, we can piece together seemingly any live event via crowd sourcing…” Lefsetz continues.

“We were all in it together. Whether monitoring police scanners or sifting through websites, the entire country was focused on capturing the men in the photograph. And we got them.”

Where’s it headed?

“Crime could be eradicated in our lifetimes,” Lefsetz postulates. “Well, not exactly, but unless you’re willing to sacrifice your life or want to get caught, you’re gonna hew to the straight and narrow.”

An expert on Jake Tapper‘s new CNN show noted today that street cams have had the effect of reducing crime and violence.

To whatever extent at the expense of people’s privacy.

“We live in ‘1984’ already, it happened when we weren’t watching,” Lefsetz says. “And the right wing nuts (still) believe they need arms to fight the government.

“You’re better off with a smartphone. Networking is more important than bullets. Information is king. The Man of the Year? It’s inanimate, it’s DATA!”

Bottom line?

“If you want to do something wrong, do it in the privacy of your own home, alone, in the dark,” Lefsetz advises.