[Tragicomedy is becoming a big joke]<\/b><\/p>\n
Which spy agency would you choose to monitor your life?<\/i><\/p>\n
There is a Soviet-era joke about a citizen who died and had a brief chat at heaven\u2019s gate:<\/p>\n
St Peter: \u201cYou are a sinner, you should go next door, but I like you and I\u2019ll give you a tip: Lucifer, my counterpart there, will ask you to choose between capitalist hell and socialist hell. Don\u2019t make the big mistake! Go for the socialist one!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Citizen: \u201cI thought capitalist hell would be more comfortable?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
St Peter: \u201cOn the contrary. In the socialist one something is always missing: one day there is no coal to light the fire up, the next day the little devils are on sick leave or having a party meeting. You never get to the cauldron.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
By the same logic, the citizen of the new world order might be asked<\/a>: would you prefer to be eavesdropped by the Stasi<\/a> or the NSA<\/a>? For three reasons, I would advise the Stasi.<\/p>\n First<\/b>, it\u2019s much more arbitrary and less systematic; it depends on whether your neighbour or your colleague denounces you. They are not reliable. They can get drunk, have a flat tyre on the way to the office, fall in love or simply forget.<\/p>\n Second<\/b>, even if they denounce you, it\u2019s all just paperwork. Coffee spills on papers, papers get lost in drawers, people fail to consult them.<\/p>\n Third<\/b>, even if your name makes its way into the file, and even if the files are neatly kept and occasionally consulted, don\u2019t despair! The end of history has not been invented yet; the regime will collapse sooner or later, secret archives will be opened and eventually you\u2019ll get out.<\/p>\n