Privacy is Caring, Secrets are Diversity
Who is watching if no one is around? Everyone, if you happen to be Mae Holland, an employee at The Circle. The thought of everyone watching most of what you see and do would frighten most people, but for Mae it’s just doing her “job”. After reading this book written by Dave Eggers, I realize that diversity in our society is different from the world Mae lives in. It seems as if more people are agreeing with the goals that The Circle are trying to meet, rather than being committed to their own beliefs/ways of life. Authors of the Journal of Research and Theory have a very in-depth explanation of the importance of diversity:
“We explore the need for empathy in diverse groups, conceptualize the epistemology of empathy in relationship to “whole-person dialogue,” and examine strategies for creating empathic space that take into consideration the “paradox of diversity.” Ebscohost.com
In the book, Mae follows along the idea (created by members of The Circle, of course) that completion promises unity and the end of all uncertainty. This leads me to believe that the creators of these ideas are objectifying something completely different from what is being presented. Let me explain. Mae is offered a job at The Circle where she started out performing basic electronic tasks that tie in with multiple programs offered by the company. As Mae tops the mountain in the employee input ratings, she climbs the ladder of success (quickly obtaining a considerably higher position at The Circle), she doesn’t notice that the progress she is making catches a lot of “important” people’s attention, and is also turning more of the “better” people away from her. This gives me the feeling that Mae is being brainwashed somehow by someone, and not for the greater good. After seeing how Mae is manipulated and eventually pressed to avoid her interests she had prior to her “job”, I strongly disagree with The Circle phrase Secrets are Lies, Sharing is Caring, And Privacy is Theft. Well, maybe not completely, but I do disagree with Secrets are lies. Secrets are secret for a reason. I’m not justifying the fact that everything should be hidden from one another, but I don’t believe that someone’s business or personal life should be readily available to anyone and everyone at any time. Not even if it is accomplishment-related. An example of such would be a student who is ranked on the high school ranking system created by the circle who holds the number one spot on the list. If desired badly enough, this may drive the wrong person (who is ranked at the number two spot) to do something regrettable in order to achieve the desired position. Authors from Developing World Bioethics say,
“It is necessary to acknowledge such claims and cultural worlds from which they emerge, thus building the foundation for equal and embracing dialogue to bridge different perspectives and handle contradicting expectations”. ebscohost.com
Putting this idea into perspective, I theoretically believe The Circle would most likely shoot back with a response arguing the production and use of SeeChange cameras that will give the world the opportunity to be crime free. Cameras can be good. Cameras can be bad. In fact, the word camera comes from the term camera obscura (Latin for “dark chamber”). ebscohost.com
“Eggers’ illustrates a bizarre future. It’s a warning of what’s to come. And to an extent, we are already moving in its direction.” davemulder.com
I somewhat agree with Dave Mulder and his review of The Circle. The objective in which Dave Eggers seems to portray throughout the book is, in all seriousness, our world is teeter-tottering on the edge of becoming a world like Mae’s. Also in all seriousness, the thought of a monopolized corporation not only monitoring EVERYTHING, but also slowly taking control over everybody’s life with statistics and grouping. There would most likely have been a diversity strike before or another form of controversy. Throughout the story, it appears as if the majority of the population is more interested in the programs invented by The Circle than they are questionable. Again with the brainwashing? Something still remains unsettling about the fact that so many people were not only interested, but also very supportive of Mae’s “Transparency” (An act, or honor in Mae’s world, in which a “Circler” wears a body camera around there neck and carries on with everyday life). Here is the brutally honest difference in the reality of our world. NOBODY CARES. There are people broadcasting themselves all day long. Some barely have a pet hamster who watch’s them after its owner fell asleep on a worldwide webcam feed sharing website.
All in All, The Circle was not the most entertaining book I have read, but it is definitely not the worst. J