\u201cCitizenfour\u201d is a prime example of a pictorial depiction of a counter state movement. The documentary chronicles Edward Snowden\u2019s process, incentive, and aftermath to releasing classified NSA surveillance on the American people. Edward Snowden is a name that lives in infamy in the United States because he conspired against the American Government after learning the degree to which intelligence officers invaded the privacy of American civilians to spy on them for the sake of national security.<\/p>\n
As a documentary, \u201cCitizenfour\u201d represents counter-establishment because its a subversion of the government to reveal the truth. Snowden started a movement where the public sought greater transparency and liability within the branches of government. Snowden managed to make a state vulnerable by exposing its clandestine operations\u2013\u2013 his goal was to exploit the paradox of government surveillance of its people in a liberal democracy.<\/p>\n
How does the state respond when it feels threatened? How does the state regain control over its populace when its broken their trust? Although the Snowden case is a contentious issue in the United States due to the national security circumstances at the time, I would argue that Snowden\u2019s actions were revolutionary because of the instability it created with the Government and its people. In some respects, his actions can be seen as a reformist type of revolution because he wasn\u2019t trying to dismantle the governmental system but to expose it. It catalyzed a period of awareness and hyper-sensitivity among the American people which has since changed the way the Government navigates its tactical surveillance in the name of national security. Snowden makes me think about the applicability of Gramsci\u2019s organic <\/i>intellectual. He conjures up the narrative of a modern organic intellectual<\/i> because he is both a participant in elite American politics and government as well as living his life as an American citizen. He understands the desires and necessities for the Government to respect the privacy of Americans because he fit the demographic of who the Government was surveilling. Yet he was also an agent of the American government therefore understanding the knowledge and premise of what the NSA was trying to accomplish. His awareness of how the State was surveilling the American people and understanding the American civilian psyche helped him make an informed decision about how to effect change from within the system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cCitizenfour\u201d is a prime example of a pictorial depiction of a counter state movement. The documentary chronicles Edward Snowden\u2019s process, incentive, and aftermath to releasing classified NSA surveillance on the American people. Edward Snowden is a name that lives in … Continue reading