Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, chances are you will have heard of Edward Snowden. A lot of people regard him as a saviour of the the modern age, others think of him as a traitor and an embarrassment to the United States.
No doubt he has damaged the reputation of the US government (like they had a great reputation to begin with?!). Let us also remember he has damaged the reputation of many other governments too along the way. He is a traitor in the eyes of the government, but in the eyes of the people I think he is anything but.
Bringing this issue to the forefront of the media and the general population is in my eyes far, far more valuable than any damage that has been caused to the reputation of the US government in the process. Indeed, that was the point. To expose the fact that the government so many citizens hold dear does not value their privacy or freedom to the extent they might think.
The very fact that there are so many blindly patriotic Americans who think Snowden is a traitor shows just how deluded a large portion of the population is. Nationalism, patriotism, is a device used to serve the best interests of the government. Quite frankly, it is a disease and the sooner we (not just Americans) realise that the better. We need to look after each other and our rights on a global scale. Our governments do not truly serve us, they use us, control us in order to concentrate wealth for themselves and the wealthiest people in our societies. The tools they use to achieve this are religion, fear mongering and xenophobia. The same basic methods that have been used for thousands of years.
The government is not some indelible force that can do no wrong. There are unjust laws in force, there is corruption and there is plenty of room for improvement. To deny that is to give up on democracy and to give up on those who have found themselves on the receiving end of government corruption and bias.
Edward Snowden put his life on the line to expose something that concerned and frightened him. He literally had everything to lose by doing so, it was not out of some hatred for the government or the US. It was because he saw what was going on and how it could so easily be abused. We owe it to him and others like him to act on the information presented to us.
What do you think? Traitor or hero?
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