Is Anybody, Everybody Listening?

Today, being over 30 – how much over? – irrelevant – means adjusting to a tell all world.  There is no longer anything remotely related to privacy. Those under 30 seem to more readily accept this, as it’s pretty much all they know. 

I'm not sure how it started.  I just know that it wasn't like this, when I was young – I mean, younger. Even being coy about your age, doesn't matter anymore because anyone can look it up on line, in a matter of seconds.  And we do. I mean they do.

I fondly remember one of my parents' friends, we all know at least one of these women. She was a grandmother who wore leather pants to Thanksgiving at our house.  She was a lot of fun and a live wire and she loved being the center of attention – especially male attention.  She drove a convertible, smoked More cigarettes and drank straight vodka. 

As a child, I was awed, that she knew the words to songs that were currently popular and playing on the radio.  She never, ever offered to lift a hand to help. She came late and was always the last to leave. We loved her.  I remember, once, after cleaning up, my mother actually turned off the light in our kitchen and went to bed. Marilyn was still sitting at the table. Smoking.

She was always careful about referring to her youth, never revealing too much, lest she give away her well-guarded secret. So we never knew how old she was.  We would guess and speculate – never in front of her –  but we could never be sure. It became a game. How old do you think Marilyn is? What came first, Talkies or Marilyn? 

She looked great, and she was untouched by the magic wand of the plastic surgeon. When she died, we still didn't know exactly how old she was.  At her funeral, we met several very old cronies of hers, who came with walkers and nurse’s aides. If she’d have been there, she would have winked to them privately and introduced them as friends of her parents.  

Today, within seconds of meeting her, someone would successfully find her age on their iphone or Blackberry because she was the type of person that people look up. 

From my perspective, I say, what fun is that? From her perspective, she would have been mortified, mad and there would have been no mollifying her.  I wonder how her personality would have been different, if her secret age, was common knowledge. It was so much a part of her mystique.

Today, nothing is secret and nothing is sacred. 

Earlier this month, it was revealed that News of the World, the Rupert Murdoch owned, British tabloid, had been regularly and quite illegally, hacking into cell phones to scoop private, salacious information that they could feed to their thirsty readers – pumping up their volume for hungry advertisers.  It turned out that not only did they target public figures, but also a young, teenaged murder victim and deceased soldiers, as well. The tabloid, which in 2010 had a weekly circulation of over 2.8 million, was promptly shut down as it was determined that editors were responsible for these heinous acts. There have been arrests.

Though not named in the scandal, Piers Morgan – Larry King’s successor – is a past editor of News of the World. 

This week, the TSA – the Transportation Security Association – announced a new risk-based security program at airports. They will give most frequent flyers an option of voluntarily supplying additional information about themselves, in advance, which will subsequently speed them through airport security. As if they don’t know, see and feel enough about us, already. The idea being, “This will allow TSA to focus its finite resources on the greatest threat is both good policy and good security.”  So said ATA President and CEO, Nicholas E. Calio to The Committee on Homeland Security.

Several flaws I see here:  Just how much personal information is worth disclosing to cut the line at airport security?  Future security breaches and the leaking of private information of frequent flyers seem inevitable – especially if the TSA hires any of the now unemployed News of the World staff. And, are ALL terrorists, first time flyers? Is that how we identify them – by their pilot’s wings?  Since this TSA announcement has been broadcast around the world, wouldn’t this be a heads up to extremists, to enroll their minions in these programs? Just saying.

If Marilyn were alive today, she would be alarmed by just how much her guarded privacy would be invaded and displayed. Would she ever be able to get on a plane?  Renew her driver’s license?  Go to a dinner party? 

I like to think that she would have invented a stage name to prevent all of us from strip searching her background.

Here’s to you Marilyn – your world was a lot more fun!