Sometimes it is much easier to do what is best for oneself rather than what is best for the group, and this decision is usually motivated by fear. Fear is a destructive force in society, allowing the strong to take advantage of the weak.
The threat of terrorism creates a fear that allows government agencies to subvert the United States Constitution out of the threat that they will be unable to combat terrorism without performing these rights violations. After the attacks on New York and Washington of September 11th, 2001, the United States Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which stands for the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (“NSA Surveillance Programs.”). …show more content…
Social engineering is a tactic in which social engineers design a simple act, whether as simple as answering a question on a Facebook timeline or as complex as dousing yourself with cold water in the name of charity, to be passed on from friend to friend, usually through the vast reach of popular services such as Facebook. The most famous social engineering project was the Ice Bucket Challenge. In the Ice Bucket Challenge, participants receive the challenge from a friend participating and mentioning their name in a video. To-be participants have a dedicated time limit, usually 24 hours, to either participate in the challenge or donate an amount of money, usually cited as $100, to research to fight Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is popularly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Through the power of social engineering, a friend would pressure 3 more friends to participate, which grew the challenge exponentially during the month of August 2014, theoretically tripling its spread each day. An individual challenged feels afraid that they will disappoint their friend or be left out if they did not participate, leading them to simply pass on the challenge for their friends to feel the same fear. Although dousing water on oneself does not usually result in injuries, the basic principles and success of the Ice Bucket Challenge places a dangerous bar that future charities must rise above. …show more content…
The Giver is a superb example of a society falling due to a lack of individuals standing up for their beliefs. The Giver is set in a utopian society, presumably after a large-scale traumatic war, where inhabitants are forced to adhere to strict ideals under penalty of death. Growth of the individual is measured strictly in years since a large annual ceremony, and there are absolutely no exceptions. Jobs are assigned by the government at the age of 12, and after a person is useless to society they are released, which presumably means killed. The person given the job title of The Giver is in charge of old civilization away from the town through a strange, somewhat magical, process known only to the highest officials. Jonas, the protagonist, is assigned the position of The Giver, as the former Giver is old and dying. After Jonas begins receiving memories from the old civilization, he becomes rebellious. After he learns that a small child who was living in his home, Gabriel, is being released for being a nuisance to society, Jonas decides to flee with the baby. Jonas and the former Giver are censored by the town and subtly threatened with death on numerous occasions if they reveal any secrets from the old society. At the surface, it seems that this is simply a utopian town, but looking beneath the memories of war, it seems that fear was used to silence the
The threat of terrorism creates a fear that allows government agencies to subvert the United States Constitution out of the threat that they will be unable to combat terrorism without performing these rights violations. After the attacks on New York and Washington of September 11th, 2001, the United States Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which stands for the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (“NSA Surveillance Programs.”). …show more content…
Social engineering is a tactic in which social engineers design a simple act, whether as simple as answering a question on a Facebook timeline or as complex as dousing yourself with cold water in the name of charity, to be passed on from friend to friend, usually through the vast reach of popular services such as Facebook. The most famous social engineering project was the Ice Bucket Challenge. In the Ice Bucket Challenge, participants receive the challenge from a friend participating and mentioning their name in a video. To-be participants have a dedicated time limit, usually 24 hours, to either participate in the challenge or donate an amount of money, usually cited as $100, to research to fight Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is popularly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Through the power of social engineering, a friend would pressure 3 more friends to participate, which grew the challenge exponentially during the month of August 2014, theoretically tripling its spread each day. An individual challenged feels afraid that they will disappoint their friend or be left out if they did not participate, leading them to simply pass on the challenge for their friends to feel the same fear. Although dousing water on oneself does not usually result in injuries, the basic principles and success of the Ice Bucket Challenge places a dangerous bar that future charities must rise above. …show more content…
The Giver is a superb example of a society falling due to a lack of individuals standing up for their beliefs. The Giver is set in a utopian society, presumably after a large-scale traumatic war, where inhabitants are forced to adhere to strict ideals under penalty of death. Growth of the individual is measured strictly in years since a large annual ceremony, and there are absolutely no exceptions. Jobs are assigned by the government at the age of 12, and after a person is useless to society they are released, which presumably means killed. The person given the job title of The Giver is in charge of old civilization away from the town through a strange, somewhat magical, process known only to the highest officials. Jonas, the protagonist, is assigned the position of The Giver, as the former Giver is old and dying. After Jonas begins receiving memories from the old civilization, he becomes rebellious. After he learns that a small child who was living in his home, Gabriel, is being released for being a nuisance to society, Jonas decides to flee with the baby. Jonas and the former Giver are censored by the town and subtly threatened with death on numerous occasions if they reveal any secrets from the old society. At the surface, it seems that this is simply a utopian town, but looking beneath the memories of war, it seems that fear was used to silence the