Perception is Important

Perception is very important.  Sure, we are advocated to not judge a book by its cover, but how something is perceived will determine our response.  It doesn't matter what the item is, if it initially appears bad/hostile/dangerous we will react differently than if it appeared good/friendly/safe.

Take, for example, this fake movie trailer:

What is your reaction?  Nothing in the images shown is made-up.  It is from the actual movie, but it does not correctly bill it.  While jumping into chalk paintings may be scary, this is not a horror film.  This is, in my opinion, the best family film that Walt Disney made; based on this trailer, I would not have a family watch it.

The same way that something good can be made to look bad, something bad can be made to look good. 

Take, for example, this government safety initiative:

Technology can identify missing children, elderly

[Sherrif] Leonard said he hopes eventually to scan the irises of all 71,000 in the county. He hoped that groups such as parent-teacher organizations, churches and senior care centers would invite his officers to events where scans can be made...

Leonard acknowledged that some parents might see the iris scans as an invasion of privacy but said he is certain doubters could be won over.

While it is a great goal to be able to identify missing children, it would only work in one of two ways.  One, it will work is when a child is found and scanned.  How many times are missing children found by the cops?  Not too often.  True, it would be nice to know who someone is that you found and to get that child away from whoever took them.

The other way it could work is if it were to be used in public.  The repercussions of this could be extreme.  It might turn into constant checking to see if your child is to be with you -- like they do at Chuck E. Cheese's when you leave.  I don't like the idea of having a database to identify anyone while in the public area.  It would amount to "Big Brother" watching over our shoulders and requiring us to submit to "safety" scans to continue through the checkpoint.  One error with the computer system and then we have children being taken away because they were listed as "missing." 

This and other competing identification systems will be contiually billed as being for safety and security.  This will keep us safe from terrorism, safe from being exploited, safe from everything but from ourselves.  Eventually, though, what we won't be safe from is the misuse and abuse of systems that keep us safe.  The terrorism will come from those who are to keep us safe from terror.

I'm not being alarmist; we have a long way to go until 666.  Many measures can increase our safety and are worthwhile.  However, the bad stuff will come in the same nice, neat packaging of safety and protection.  And based on the perception of the "safety" many will blindly accept it.  That which is good will be called bad and that which is bad will be called good.

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good
       and good evil,
       who put darkness for light
       and light for darkness,
       who put bitter for sweet
       and sweet for bitter.