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Enemy of the State Response

 

At first, Enemy of the State didn’t seem like it was going to be a movie that I liked. I don’t like politics, much less get it, so it didn’t seem appealing to me. However, when we stopped it in class it left me wanting to know more. With that, it left me thinking about the questions that we were given.

Personally, I think our government is okay. I don’t think that they should be in other people’s business when they shouldn’t be, but I can’t do anything about that. They might have good intentions, which is nice, but when they act on those intents, they may end up doing more bad than good; and its all about other people’s perspectives. In the film, the government is crazy. They’re so invasive, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get what they want done. This is all in Hollywood, so obviously its over-dramatized. Though, this is probably what our government does, I’d like to think it isn’t as drastic as this. In class I described it as, “scary.” It really is frightening to think that we are allowing other people to view our every move and observe our daily routines that are supposed to be private to us. But, you have to remember that it is a movie, and it could totally be not like that at all. (Hopefully.)

Will Smith’s character was really good. I think that when Reynolds’ men targeted him, it was meant to seem very extreme and serious. When the gang of bad guys “robbed” Dean’s house I thought that that was very clever because it just made it look like it was just a robbery, and not like the house got bugged and the lines got tapped. Even if it was clever it was still an invasion of his privacy. Not only was Reynolds invading people’s privacies, but Dean and Brill got a little snooping done on their own. In cahoots, they both were eavesdropping in on the congressman, or senator, or whatever he was. They found out his secrets, were able to blackmail him, and then get to Reynolds that way… Or at least that’s what I think happened? Also, Brill on his own did some digging on that one mob boss to give to Rachel to give to Dean to blackmail the mob guy. Afterwards, when Dean’s world went into shambles, he wanted to find out who Brill was, even though Rachel told him not to pursue it.

My opinion on the government having my personal information and having access to it is that I don’t want to introduce myself, and them to be like, “Oh, Catherine, it’s so nice to see you… How’s your little brother? Is your dad still working at the restaurant? Is your shoe size a 6.5 now?” Like, that’s creepy. I’m aware that the government has tabs on a lot of people. I’m not a criminal, not a celebrity. I’m just an average citizen so it would seem odd that they’re doing extra surveillance on an ordinary person.

If it’s an issue of a matter that involves the life or death of, like, 7 entire states, I’m pretty sure that the government should have access to certain individuals’ private lives if there are suspicions that they’re behind it. But, if it’s like a firefighter who accidentally messed up on his taxes, then no, because that pretty ridiculous. It really just depends on the circumstances of each person and on the situation.

All in all, these were my opinions on the movie Enemy of the State. I enjoyed the movie as one I would watch for entertainment, as well as to gain knowledge and insight on the Patriot Act we’re studying about in class.

While watching "Enemy of the State" I probably shook my head so many times that I will probably have a whiplash. The government was portrayed so bad in this movie. I'm not going to generalize but I'm just going to say that SOMEONE and his group of minions were using their power in such a bad manner. First of all, the villain killed someone in the government. I mean I don't think this happen in real life, and I hope not, but to go to the extend of killing someone just because they didn't agree to the things that he wanted him to do is just plain wrong. The second part was trying to kill another person who holds the information to spill the bad deed that he did. Well, it's not their fault that the guy died but they were the reason why he died. They used their power on people and used technology in a bad way that invaded people's privacy. 

When talking about privacy, the plot of this movie has none. The people in the movie does not respect the privacy of other people. There was a part where they were looking at Will Smith's background with his ex-girlfriend. They looked at his bank account and even sticked their nose in his private life like his past relationship! I mean, I don't want people to know what i did back back because past is past. Also when the old crusty villain told his minions to dig some dirty deeds so that "no one will believe him before he talks". I mean, he's in the government and he's the one doing the bad things. Will is not a terrorist, just a threat to him and he's using all these things to invade his privacy! And there were no judge to ask permission to, no warrants, no whatsoever! They were even trespassing in some of the scenes! I think, the government should only know the basics information about me. Like the schools that I go to, where I live, what kind of job I have, like that. Not my bank account or past love interest. 

My only concern about this is that, what if people inside the country abuse this power. It's not going to be the terrorist but the citizens who use it for their own selfish actions. We're going to be the enemy of each other and this will be a whole different problem that we have to solve. The only question is, how can we have this power without abusing it? 

First, I'd just like to ask a quick question. In this movie who exactly was the enemy of the state? Was it Dean (Will Smith) or the NSA (National Security Agency).

Of course this movie makes me think that the government definitely abuses it's ability to surveil citizens, but I honestly cannot believe America is that corrupt to have the power and audacity to do what they did in "The Enemy of the State" and refuse to go after the "bigger fish" that pose much more critical threats- for example, the dude that lost his mind and hit up that theater. Like, they will go through hell to get a tape they could have prevented from being created by simply have a better persuasion technique, but in reality they didn't realize some dude just bought tear gas and assault rifles, that's ridiculous. But, to look at the bigger picture, I still think it is kind of messed up for enough people to suspect the government is that f*cked up. Like, if they want to surveil me, go ahead. As long as they keep the terrorists out of the country, and we aren't doing anything illegal, then what do we really have to hide. I mean, I'd prefer they not surveil me, and I know a lot of you do too, but in all actuality, they do have bigger fish to fry then say, someone is seen smoking a blunt, or drinking under age. It just makes a lot more sense when you put it in perspective. "Should I go stakeout at a corner store and see how many teenagers I see doing something illegal, or actually help this country with my expertise in something more serious, like say, anti-terrorism. But, as far as how much access they should haveuse and when they can use it, it's kind of you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you give a kid a BB gun, and tell them they can only use it on pests like raccoons and stuff, chances are they'll probably shoot some other stuff too. That's what people do when they get power, so I think we should give the government full access or none at all. But, on a smaller scale, citizens should never be under surveillance if they don't know about it. So, in a nut-shell we kind of have to put our trust in something we may not trust a whole lot, but we kind of just hope for the best. We can only take their word that they are doing what they say. 

-how the government is portrayed in the film
In this film the government is portrayed as the bad guys. They seem like "the nosey old lady that lives on the corner of the block." They didn't respect privacy and they did what they wanted how they wanted whenever they wanted. They were kind of like the "Stone Cold Steve Austin" of the WWF.
-how individual citizens' privacy is respected
There is no such thing as privacy in this movie. Just like the old lady in the corner house the government had its nose in everything. They didn't give a damn about individual privacy.
-your opinion on level of access the govt should have to your personal info
I think if you are a criminal that causes harm to the country multiple times ou should not have no type of privacy. If you a regular good citizen I think the government should be able to swoop in on you at least 2 times a year just to check on you. The government has to keep us all safe. They shouldn't be in our daily business everyday. They should not be able to give me a list of things that I have done everyday.
-when individual freedoms can/should be restricted for safety of community
Whenever the individual has caused harm to the country multiple times, their freedom should be restricted. We can't have people out here planning stuff to hurt the whole country or President Obama. If they try to do something to President Obama then they should no longer have freedom. The same goes if it was President Romney (which it won't be.). If someone put his life in danger and he's our president they should no longer have freedom. #ObamaBiden2012

I am going to talk about the video with the widower in it. The video started out with those dead flowers on the screen. To be honest I did not think those were dead flowers. I thought that the image on the screen was an image of the twin towers that were crashed into. I thought that was a good connection between the flowers and the towers.

I can’t lie that old guy was confusing the crap for the most part. I at first thought he was crazy, but then I realized he missed his wife that passed away. Then I got confused again because I thought his wife died in the twin towers. She didn’t though. I didn’t realize that until the attacks actually happened. I did notice that he was complaining about it being to dark, and that’s why the flowers wouldn’t grow.

Then the towers were attacked, and the flowers grew. He realized his wife died I think. He just started crying. I thought he was happy because the flowers grew, but he was crying. This is another point where I was confused. I liked this video though it kept my attention unlike the other ones.

This movie pretty much puts the government in a bad way. Or at least a team of rogue NSA agents. They could do just about anything they wanted or get anything they wanted. Their SSN, finical records, credit cards, address etc, seemed to be easy access with out needing a warrant. There is no privacy for citizens in this movie, or respect for it because if these people want to do it they can. The government shouldn't have this so easy access to all this information, there should be some balance to their power. There is some law maker that is trying to get this bill passed, and the scary thing is its recent. Privacies should be respected until suspicious circumstances. Just like warrants to search your house, etc, they don't have that for a lot of things online.

I had never watched the movie enemy of the state so I was a little confused at the in certain parts but overaal I think it was a good movie. I think the opening scene where the guy is killed was a good way to open up the movie and gain my interest. I liked the whole way that the guy with the video was some way tied with Will Smith because of georgetown. I think overall my favorite scene was the one when the agents are trying to get a hold of the tape containing the evidence that would basically end him. The different shots and stuff really made the scene. I think that this takes it back to the control the government has. Im not sure if it all works how it was shown in the movie but its kind of weird to know that a few clicks and knowing a few things about one person can open up so much more. Jack Black was able to find a whole lot of information about Will Smith just using the business card that the agents found. Maybe at times this making all this information so easy to get will be helpful but what if at times government officials are just able to use them to their advantage just like in the movie? 

The first thing I want to say is that the movie was pretty good. Sure it had a few minor flaws that I couldn't help but notice, but it did a great job portraying the effects of surveillance technology that the NSA has put in place for us. And to top it all of, the movie was scary to say the least. 

I already knew about how the government already has the technology and power to keep tabs on whoever they feel needed to be monitored. But actually seeing how they operate is scary. Michael Westen (Burn Notice) definitely makes it look easy. I can't help but feel a little more paranoid than I was before watching the movie. The way that the people that you are suppose to trust and depend on will break in your house and turn against you in the slightest moment is ridiculous. The one question that lingered in my mind throughout the entire movie was: How much freedom are we willing to give up in the name of safety? It reminded me of prison in a sense where everyone is monitored, whether you like it or not. 

In the film, they focused more on the bad egg of the government. It really brought home the idea that in the wrong hands, the surveillance technology available can be used against us. And in a way, it seems that the film is saying that anyone in the government has the ability to cause harm with said surveillance technology. I understand the concept of safety (especially national saftey), but how much is too much? There should be a limit on how much access of information someone has on you. Because if not, do we actually have "freedom?" 

First off, let me just say, I don't mind the government protecting their country. That is one awesome thing, but I don't think that it's right for them to invade in a innocent citizen or permanent resident. I'm not a considered a citizen, but I am a permanent resident and I'm already going through a lot with the United State alone, so imagine someone else. What if I was from Afghanistan or something, would they accuse me of being a terrorist right off the bat? Probably would. That's what you call discrimination. I don't think the voting members really thought about anything when the bill came across. They were just doing this because the attack was very hurtful. Yeah, they thought about their country, but they didn't think about other innocent souls from the third world. 

The main purpose of this act was for the government to spy on American, which in this case is used through technology. In this link, it talked about how most Americans thinks that is this bill is about catching the predator, but in reality, it's about them. I think that the Patriot Act is good for criminals and ACTUAL terrorists, but if they're using their "tools" on innocent people, then I don't agree. When I was watching the Enemy of The State, the government were using their special "tools" for their own personal reasonings, not for their country. I guess, I could just say that the government should be more fair. Don't get me wrong, safety is very important to every human being, but then again, no one is ever safe everyday of their life. Why does the government always want to have control and more power? I think everyone is equal, except the president. He has more power of making a change and moving us forward. If it wasn't for power and control, would we be in the position that we are in now? Shouldn't us citizen have the rights to say yes or no to invading our privacy? Are they really protecting us or harming us in a certain way? I think it's best for me to say that I agree and disagree with the Patriot Act. 

After watching Enemy of the State, I must admit I am a scared of what the government is actually capable of.  In the movie the government had absolutely all the power in regards to its citizens. The people had no privacy in their home, work, and etc. If there was a top secret government issue anything would be done to handle it without a disturbance. When the NSA officials raided actor, Will Smith's home they had no consideration for him or his family. Clearly, they can care less as to who gets hurt in the process of solving the problem. They killed innocent people and along with disturbing the peaceful environment. I believe if Will Smith would have gave them the tape in the beginning they would have still most likely killed him anyway. As innocent as he was, it didn't matter to National Security. They wouldn't have trusted his word anyway. 

Personally, I think how the government invaded the people's privacy was unnecessary. I believe their should be a balance but to an extent. Similar to crime shows, they hack your phone records, cross referencing people, and bank statement. I think that is okay but when you go beyond those boundaries it becomes a problem. I rather the government see who I've been talking to versus them tapping into my phone call. I find that to be so drastic. We as citizens should have the right to live privately. 

Now if someone is seen as threatening its hard to say what the right thing to do is. Do you invade their privacy to get answers or do you respect it?  That is a very difficult question. I have no idea how to answer it. Part of me is saying check them! Then other part is saying but what happen to respecting ones' privacy? I don't exactly now what I would do to even handle that situation because its such a contradiction. We want to catch the bad guys but we also want to respect our people. I learned that you can please everyone so we have to compromise somehow.