"The present I was in right then didn’t make a lot of sense."

September 3, 2014 9:17 PM

A Day of Speaking Truth to Power - Quinn Norton visits the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
posted by the man of twists and turns (18 comments total)

That was great insight into the way some people view the world.
posted by Phredward at 9:55 PM on September 3, 2014

Got to love her for believing in hope.
posted by artof.mulata at 10:21 PM on September 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

double plus good shit.
posted by daq at 10:31 PM on September 3, 2014

one of the government people said of the rest of the world “They want our resources,”
It's a sign of Privilege to have 'resources' that others want... that's how all that oil/gas/coal under the ground of certain places turned so much of the world topsy-turvy, isn't it?

"This emphasis on safety is ridiculous," I replied. "The death rate is still holding at 100%"
Or to maybe mis-quote one of the more dangerous persons of his time: "He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither."

my favorite quote (and one of the absolute truest in the article):
"When you're an incredibly well-funded defense and intelligence community, the lack of existential threats is an existential threat."
The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks were effectively the Defense and Intelligence Full-Employment Guarantee.

But I can't share Quinn's belief that "there are no bad people". We are all bad people to some degree. And even in the most perfect Meritocracy, one of the most 'meritorious' skills you can have is to be More Bad. ("Determined" is just a nice way of saying "Ruthless")
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:59 PM on September 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

one of the government people said of the rest of the world “They want our resources,”

I think he might have gotten that the wrong way round...
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:07 PM on September 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

That was an interesting read. I'm glad Norton took up the offer to go to the conference.
posted by Harald74 at 11:31 PM on September 3, 2014

I turned the offer over in my head. I was influenced by a few things --yes it was paid, but not well paid. It was what I normally get from IFTF for a day of my time, and given the travel commitment, a bit low.

if you are getting paid to hang-out with a bunch of intelligence bureaucrats, the problem is you. The IFTF is a spin-off of the RAND corporation. She name drops Ellsberg but doesn't seem to have the seriousness to grasp how these people work or what they have done. As she should really know, "speaking truth to power" is often exactly what you shouldn't do.

They want what all humans want: to not have to worry about too much, to hang out with their friends, and to dream.

And here's the thing, getting back to Ellsberg and RAND. The Vietnamese didn't suffer over a million military deaths (not just casualties but deaths) fighting the US because they wanted to hang out with their friends and dream. Sometimes people want a lot more than that.
posted by ennui.bz at 12:43 AM on September 4, 2014 [4 favorites]

They want what all humans want: to not have to worry about too much, to hang out with their friends, and to dream. The humans who want things other than these, myself and the rest of the room included, are the weirdos.

I generally like Quinn Norton, but she needs to spend some time with Eichmann in Jerusalem.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:45 AM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Journalists sure do love their access, and their narratives.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 9:07 AM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

I have alot to say about alot of what she says, but of everything, the comment I must leave:

There was some friction over my categorical distaste for wearing badges. Eventually, after a lengthy discussion of how exciting the use of ear recognition is for the intelligence services trying to identify individuals on camera, (hard to obscure, doesn't change much over the lifetime) I clipped my badge to my ear as an earcuff when I had to move around.

WTF ear recognition? Seriously?
posted by eclectist at 10:21 AM on September 4, 2014

Ears Could Make Better Unique IDs Than Fingerprints
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:10 PM on September 4, 2014

Good post, the man of twists and turns. Thanks.
posted by homunculus at 1:06 AM on September 5, 2014

Well shit, he disabled his account.
posted by homunculus at 1:10 AM on September 5, 2014

BBC Horizon 2014-2015 Episode 4: Inside the Dark Web
posted by jeffburdges at 7:47 AM on September 6, 2014

Legal memos released on Bush-era justification for warrantless wiretapping

Obama Administration Still Keeping Much Secret About Bush’s Warrantless Wiretapping Program
posted by homunculus at 7:02 PM on September 6, 2014

Senators and Other Experts to Appeals Court: NSA's Phone Records Program Is a Massive Invasion of Privacy
posted by jeffburdges at 10:49 AM on September 10, 2014

Feds Threatened to Fine Yahoo $250K Daily for Not Complying With PRISM
posted by homunculus at 7:09 PM on September 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

CIA's John Brennan Refuses To Tell Senate Who Okayed Spying On The Senate
posted by homunculus at 4:21 PM on September 15, 2014 [1 favorite]