2066

This is a fascinating window onto Randall's technofetishism. He really appears to have negative feelings about laws against using cameras while people are voting. The alt text raises several questions, among which the one it highlights is (naturally) the least interesting. What "were" the good reasons for such laws? What harm do they inflict? In what sense are they now doing more harm than good? When, approximately, did this balance shift?

Of course the obvious answer is that none of these questions actually have answers, because "does more harm than good" is a bromide, an empty phrase employed to avoid thought. But in a deeper sense, it may be that Randall is actually incapable of engaging in even the act of voting-- the foundation of citizenship-- without using his cell phone. The simple but momentous act of casting a ballot is not "real" for him, unless he can in some way document it on the internet. Even his capacity to function civically is bound up in and dependent upon technologies that did not exist a mere ten years ago.

What a sad creature.