• Daniel
    462
    So this might sound a bit wild, but hear me out.

    Police wear body cams to keep them accountable. They’ve got power over people, and it makes sense to have some kind of record of how they use it. But politicians — who control way more than individual lives — don’t have anything like that. They operate behind closed doors, make decisions that affect millions, and we just have to trust them?

    What if we flipped that?

    What if, from ministers upward, politicians had to wear 24/7 body cams during their time in office — not just at public events or “official” meetings, but all the time? Every handshake, every call, every quiet lunch with a lobbyist — recorded. The footage would be encrypted, stored securely, and only reviewed if corruption is suspected, and only by a trained, independent body (or AI with oversight).

    Think of it like a black box in a plane. No one touches it unless something goes wrong. No livestreams, no public humiliation — just a system that says: if you’re in power, you’re visible.

    And here’s the key part: once their term ends, the footage is wiped. Unless there’s an active investigation, it’s gone. No long-term spying. No permanent surveillance. Just temporary accountability while they hold public power.

    I know it sounds extreme, but is it really?
    We’re tracked more than they are — and we’re not the ones writing laws or taking donations from oil companies.

    So I’m putting it out there.

    Is this fair?

    Would it actually reduce corruption, or just make it sneakier?

    Would anyone decent ever agree to hold office again?

    And if they wouldn’t… maybe that says something too.

    Curious what you all think. Please, if find the idea interesting, share it with your friends, bring it up in conversations, discuss it.
  • Outlander
    2.6k
    It's not the same. The average person is not a deep or reverent thinker. The English language is complex. It's like supervising a rogue IT guy. If you knew what the hell he was doing and what was going on, you wouldn't need to have an IT guy, now would you? You'd just do it yourself. He can literally steal every piece of data and disrupt whatever service you have going on, with you literally standing over his shoulder, and him saying he's just "doing routine maintenance" and you would be none the wiser. Not a perfect metaphor, no, yet succinct enough.

    What about using the bathroom? Why couldn't the two corrupt politicians/lobbyists just "use the restroom" to conduct or speak whatever corruption or ill-formed plan they wish to conspire together with? They could just exchange notes with disappearing ink or dissolving/edible spy paper during a handshake, and read it by tilting their head upward and reaching outside of the view of the camera, calling it a "stretch", now couldn't they?

    Furthermore I submit this to be more of a Lounge topic unless refinement is made. Say, along the lines of, is corruption in power preventable by enough oversight? Etc.
  • T Clark
    15.2k

    About as likely as monkeys typing Shakespeare. By which I mean, not even worth thinking about.
  • T Clark
    15.2k
    About as likely as monkeys typing Shakespeare. By which I mean, not even worth thinking about.T Clark

    Hey @Hanover, I want you to see this. I’m so fucking brilliant. I want you to seeth with envy.
  • BC
    14k
    The problem isn't putting a leash on the dogs; the problem isn't even getting good (or at least 'better') dogs. People are corruptible, and bad systems will corrupt.

    What elements of politics (not just in the US or EU or China -- but everywhere -- lead to corruption? How can those elements be greatly reduced or eliminated?

    Take 'cost plus procurement'. It's a dead ringer for corruption. Take privately funded elections. They are a guaranteed method of leaving the door wide open to corrupt influence. Just two examples among many.
  • LuckyR
    636
    I think you're vastly overestimating the value of truth and honesty, or vastly underestimating tolerance of cheating and lawbreaking if it is perpetrated by folks on "our side".

    Especially now, in the Post Truth era.
bold
italic
underline
strike
code
quote
ulist
image
url
mention
reveal
youtube
tweet
Add a Comment

Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!

Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.