I have just been listening to a report, with significant flourish, about how some cyber warriors are currently being trained to fight America's future cyber wars. A cyberwarrior is of course the fancy name for hackers, people who have the ability to break into other people's computers without permission. The explicit purpose in training people who have the ability to do this is to protect America's computer systems from attacks, both domestic and foreign. This is similar to what soldiers are trained to do - to kill in order to defend the homeland from domestic and foreign enemies.
As I think about the matter, though, it seems to me that these cyberwarriors are similar to village medicine people. Village medicine people are people who have the ability to bring about healing from illnesses, both natural and those believed to have been brought upon the person by malevolent spiritual forces. The village medicine people are respected and feared - just like the hackers. While the medicine people can bring healing every villager knows that a line can hardly be drawn between the medicine people and witches. That is, the healer can actually inflict harm just like a witch would do. That is why the medicine people are treated with respect and fear - respect in that they heal and fear in that they may inflict harm.
In the report about the cyberwarriors, questions were asked about whether or not they would mind working for the National Security Administration (NSA). The explicit purpose of the NSA is to protect Americans but we have recently learned that the line cannot be drawn between protection and a police state in which what everyone does online is closely monitored. The NSA itself knows that this line can hardly be drawn, which is why it is supposed to carry out rigorous background check of all those who would work there. The NSA knows that all those who work there should be treated with a good those of respect and fear because a line cannot be drawn between the person who protects and the person who can inflict harm.
However, Americans do not seem to have this awareness - which is why they get very surprised when they hear that someone is listening to what they are saying. The fancy name "cyberwarrior" may give the false impression that they, like medicine people, are always on your side. However, just like the village medicine people, the line between the person who protects and the person who harms is not quite clear - in fact, if there is such a line, it belongs in the same person. Seeing the cyberwarriors as medicine people may enhance our understanding of what they are about.
As I think about the matter, though, it seems to me that these cyberwarriors are similar to village medicine people. Village medicine people are people who have the ability to bring about healing from illnesses, both natural and those believed to have been brought upon the person by malevolent spiritual forces. The village medicine people are respected and feared - just like the hackers. While the medicine people can bring healing every villager knows that a line can hardly be drawn between the medicine people and witches. That is, the healer can actually inflict harm just like a witch would do. That is why the medicine people are treated with respect and fear - respect in that they heal and fear in that they may inflict harm.
In the report about the cyberwarriors, questions were asked about whether or not they would mind working for the National Security Administration (NSA). The explicit purpose of the NSA is to protect Americans but we have recently learned that the line cannot be drawn between protection and a police state in which what everyone does online is closely monitored. The NSA itself knows that this line can hardly be drawn, which is why it is supposed to carry out rigorous background check of all those who would work there. The NSA knows that all those who work there should be treated with a good those of respect and fear because a line cannot be drawn between the person who protects and the person who can inflict harm.
However, Americans do not seem to have this awareness - which is why they get very surprised when they hear that someone is listening to what they are saying. The fancy name "cyberwarrior" may give the false impression that they, like medicine people, are always on your side. However, just like the village medicine people, the line between the person who protects and the person who harms is not quite clear - in fact, if there is such a line, it belongs in the same person. Seeing the cyberwarriors as medicine people may enhance our understanding of what they are about.
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