Some people view Snowden's actions as that of a whistleblower and a hero, who exposed government wrongdoing and infringements on privacy rights. Others see him as a traitor who violated his oath to protect classified information and endangered national security. Personally I view him as the former. I believe Snowden is too humble in his assessment when asked how he would describe himself, “I wouldn't use words like ‘hero.’ I wouldn't use ‘patriot,’ and I wouldn't use ‘traitor.’ I'd say I'm an American and I'm a citizen”. Heroism is simply an act of great bravery, and to be a whistleblower and stand up to a force greater than yourself is without a doubt an act of great bravery. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 and Snowden’s leaked NSA documents, there is an overwhelming sense of the government having the ability to monitor and control the behavior and thoughts of its citizens. Both also raise questions about the extent to which individuals are able to maintain their privacy and autonomy in the face of a surveillance state. In 1984 it was written, “If there is hope . . . it lies in the proles”. The proles are the majority population, the ones outside of the government structure. The quote describes that if there is any hope of change it lies in the general population. I believe that this quote is important because it shows change lies in the people. And as shown in life, what the people do not know cannot be changed, thus the knowledge gleaned through the heroism of whistleblowers is crucial to making necessary change.
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