It may be cliché, but the current headlines these days are shaping our society to look like a contemporary George Orwell novel: a media that panders to our inadequacies, certain sectors of our government failing to do their jobs, and the NSA is probing every nook and cranny for intelligence like a collective of ignorant voyeurs. With all consuming factors like this it is only a short time before our existential collapse morphs into physical form. The “Dagger Complex” in the German state of Hesse was almost the de facto ‘ground zero’ for new reported whistle -blowing but when you show too much interest in sites of such like Griesheim resident Daniel Bangert who was then questioned by local police.

He isn’t alone, though. The NSA is also the point of interest for lawmakers in the German parliament, the Bundestag. The European Cryptologic Center (ECC) is headquartered in Griesheim and is a place of questioned scrupulous conspiracy. A 2011 NSA report indicates that the ECC is responsible for the “largest analysis and productivity in Europe.” and that reports are given daily to our president. Germany only ranks in the middle of the priority list but it is scary to be a part of the Special Collection Service. The NSA is operating secret eavesdropping posts in 80 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, internally referred to as the “Special Collection Service” and jointly operated with the CIA.

I can fathom why there would be some defenders of their illicit activities. Supposedly, we benefit from these actions and I would gather that if I benefitted greatly, anyone would speak out too. People will say that it’s  “out of sight, out of mind,” which is very ignorant. You cannot simply turn a blind eye once this information is out in the open. Which is why it’s surprising that  the secretary of state, our own John Kerry, has spoken out in favor of the NSA.

Saving face is the main goal now and trying to salvage relations with the rest of the United Nations is what the current goal should be. Our country has lost what little trust that others have placed in it. Wasting valuable resources on data that doesn’t provide anything tangible sounds like a waste of time (the NSA and

the president included).

There isn’t a single idea or practice that could

instantly gratify the errors of the NSA’s way, but this has just created a cycle of fear and paranoia. Creating a perpetual propaganda machine that only breeds our insecurities and misinformation.  By vilifying those like Snowden, we lose track of the importance of our global crimes. We lose track of the importance of who we are affecting.

We cannot let history repeat itself. By letting dystopia fiction draw parallel to our reality, we distort the line of what our governing power has the right to do. The first step to a better tomorrow is admitting that there is a problem. If we can change our regulations, then surely we can change the bleak outlook.