Houses At Night
Let me set the stage: I am driving down the street, and it is about 9 o'clock at night. It is a two-lane road, and there are mostly trees on either side. I feel pretty safe and healthy in my car, and I'm excited about my destination. I happen to notice that there's a row of single-family homes coming up on one side of the house. As I pass, I see that all of them have lights on in the front on the first floor. Suddenly I notice that all these houses have several things in common:
1. every single house has a 24 in. plus television screen in it
2. every television is on
3. the television is in the front of the house
4. the television is facing so that you can view some of its content through the window
5. the drapes/blinds are wide open
I had vaguely noticed this phenomenon before. I can almost always see somebody watching a flickering blue screened television in their house as I drive by. The only time I'd ever truly taken notice of it before last night, though, was when I noticed that one of the houses had a porn video going. I'm not sure if people can help their living room being in the front of the house. And I understand that porn is an essential in many people's lives. What I'm not sure I get is why this man/woman didn't feel the need to close his blinds before watching his porn. And really, even if you're not watching porn, do you really want people looking in on your nighttime activities? Apparently people don't care.
For a country that seems to be in a near-panic about privacy invasion and rights, we sure don't seem to be doing much. People are whimpering about phone taps and whinging, "How can they invade my private life like that!" I'm amazed that information agencies have to resort to covert information gathering. All you have to do is drive by somebody's house at night, and you can see absolutely everything she's doing. I was also amazed that the only thing that people can think of to do at night is watch television in their living room. But I suppose I would find it even more strange if they were playing Monopoly or Scrabble around the living room table or reading a book.
In conclusion, I don't like inadvertently seeing what you're watching on television. It gives me a strange feeling, like it's my privacy that's being invaded, not that of the people in the house. Close your blinds, at the very least when there's a vagina on screen.
1. every single house has a 24 in. plus television screen in it
2. every television is on
3. the television is in the front of the house
4. the television is facing so that you can view some of its content through the window
5. the drapes/blinds are wide open
I had vaguely noticed this phenomenon before. I can almost always see somebody watching a flickering blue screened television in their house as I drive by. The only time I'd ever truly taken notice of it before last night, though, was when I noticed that one of the houses had a porn video going. I'm not sure if people can help their living room being in the front of the house. And I understand that porn is an essential in many people's lives. What I'm not sure I get is why this man/woman didn't feel the need to close his blinds before watching his porn. And really, even if you're not watching porn, do you really want people looking in on your nighttime activities? Apparently people don't care.
For a country that seems to be in a near-panic about privacy invasion and rights, we sure don't seem to be doing much. People are whimpering about phone taps and whinging, "How can they invade my private life like that!" I'm amazed that information agencies have to resort to covert information gathering. All you have to do is drive by somebody's house at night, and you can see absolutely everything she's doing. I was also amazed that the only thing that people can think of to do at night is watch television in their living room. But I suppose I would find it even more strange if they were playing Monopoly or Scrabble around the living room table or reading a book.
In conclusion, I don't like inadvertently seeing what you're watching on television. It gives me a strange feeling, like it's my privacy that's being invaded, not that of the people in the house. Close your blinds, at the very least when there's a vagina on screen.
posted by Meredith at 9:37 AM
4 Comments:
I love your blog! The way you write is so eloquent and full of expression. I agree with you on lots of the things you write about, too.
Personally I believe that in this day and age privacy is a myth. For every credit card, every school application, every purchase you make online, personal information is recorded and kept. Privacy? When Gmail scans your email for key words for customized advertizing or by picking up the phone, the pizza guy knows your number, your address, even your favorite type of pizza.
We live in the Age of Information: information about the world and the people in it.
That being said, there is no need for drive by porn
Mimz: thanks!
The pizza guy already knowing our address just because their caller ID is connected to a system is kind of creepy to me, so I don't order from Domino's anymore, if can avoid it. I like to pretend that people don't know EVERYTHING about me.
In Holland, nobody ever closes the front blinds. Since nobody has front yards either, a simple glance to one side while walking down the sidewalk may leave you staring straight at a person reading in his/her living room only ten feet away. Apparently, the Dutch consider it rude to look in people's front windows and just don't. *shrugs*
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