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Snowden Demystified: Can the Government See My Junk?
An anonymous reader writes Comedian and journalist John Oliver set out to understand US Government surveillance in advance of the June 2015 expiration of section 215 of the Patriot Act. What resulted was a humorous but exceptionally journalistic interview of Edward Snowden which distilled the issues down in a (NSFW) way everyone can understand. Regardless of whether you view Snowden as a despicable traitor or an honorable whistleblower, it's worth a watch.
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Oliver criticized Snowden for his complex descriptions of complex issues
I don't think that the interview was, in the end, very critical of Snowden. If anything, I think he came across as someone who, whether or not you agree with his decisions, had the best interests of the general public at heart. If anything, it made me feel very sorry for Snowden, especially when he had to watch video of people who didn't understand what he had done.
And I'd agree that it's the media's job to make the whole thing easily digestible, which is exactly what I think Oliver was doing in reducing the issue to "dick pics". He forced Snowden to explain the different programs in terms of "dick pics" because he knew that, otherwise, people wouldn't really understand or appreciate Snowden's explanations.
Actually Oliver was doing something very valuable with his interruptions. Forcing Snowden to refrain from technobabble that the general public would not get. Forcing Snowden to be more effective at his self appointed task, to put in the extra effort necessary to phrase things so the general public could understand.
If Snowden wasn't made aware of the angle Oliver was taking before the interview, it's pretty obvious is on board with it by the end of it. Being a dick to him and asking "hard questions" was part of the schtick. If you don't perceive that, you probably shouldn't be holding up Idiocracy as your banner.
What I think is funny, especially in light of your "that's the media's job" complaint, is that I thought he was going to take the angle "you don't trust the government with our privacy, but you just trust less competent journalists with our secrets... hypocrite much?" Oliver didn't go quite that far, maybe because it would implicate himself, though the entire exercise is him doing precisely what you claim should be his job and not Snowden's.
Sometimes simplification is helpful, sometimes it is not. Technobabble can give the illusion of importance. For example is you say the NSA is collecting telephone metadata that sound ominous. If you simplify it and say the NSA is having AT&T share the info on your phone bill, date, number called, duration ... then people would understand and probably not rate the collection of much importance.
Uh, yeah. You know what the difference would have been if Snowden hadn't "chickened out" and fled the country? You wouldn't have ever heard of him and his obituary would say he "died suddenly" like all the other suicide victims that needed to be removed because they are a threat to national security.
He'd have a soap box during trial, if they brought charges, which they would. Litigation would allow discovery, which would really open up the world of the CIA/NSA/FBI. He could have a field day with it. If they denied discovery, that is grounds for dismissal of any/all charges against him, and would be a tacit implication he was right. THAT would make him a hero IMHO.
Sitting in Moscow, is a prison of sorts. Probably worse than American Jail in a lot of respects.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.