Re: <nettime> Echelon, privacy and property

[Aldon Hynes <ahynes1@yahoo.com>]

   I found Sean's post fascinating, although I approach it from a
different view point.  The comment that "under capitalism relations
between people take on the fantastic form of relations between objects"
leads me to the psychological realm.  In my mind, I associate this with
the school of psychoanalysis called "Object Relations".  (ref. Melanie
Klein and D. W. Winnicott.)  and the spin off of "Group Relations", such
as in the writings of Wilfred Bion.

   I must admit that I am not well versed in these schools of thought, but
it seems to me that Sean's thoughts fit into this framework.  However,
when it gets to the issue of privacy, it seems to diverge.  Winnicott
speaks a lot 'inner reality' and how that inner reality relates to the
external world.  It seems to me as if one's inner reality is one's private
domain.  The need of privacy, then is a psychological defence to protect
one's inner reality.  As such, privacy seems beneficial and is part of all
humans independent of the social context they dwell in.

   The contrast is in totalitarian states where privacy is to be
destroyed.  A good example is the quote from Robert Ley, the organization
leader of the Nazi party: "In Germany there are no private matters any
more.  If you sleep, that's your private matter, but the moment you wake
up and come into contact with another person, you must remember that you
are a soldier of Adolf Hitler"

   So, money as a form of communication, sure, I have no problem with
that.  It is an interesting idea to explore.  Relations between people
being relations between objects?  Makes a lot of sense, especially from a
psychological perspective.

   However, when it comes to privacy, I don't relish becoming a soldier of
totalitarian regimes.  I prefer to keep my poems private until I am ready
to publish them.

Aldon


--- Sean Cubitt <seanc@waikato.ac.nz> wrote:
> Andreas Broeckman suggests I expand a liitle on a
> short post I made
> about Echelon.
...





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