Robert Weitzner (my father) pictured on left swearing in a new trustee to the Village of Port Washington North
“Hey buddy how’s it going” My dad says as he picks up the phone. Classes are over for the day and I’m hunkering down in a study room trying to get some work done. My dad sounds intrigued that I want to interview him because while I have interviewed him before it has never been for a topic as technical as this. After some talk about school and college life I finally begin the interview. “Do you believe that the government needs to be more transparent with their use of technology?” My dad is very knowledgeable on the topic so before I even have a chance to elaborate he responds. “As far as the governing part of government goes, yes they should be more transparent, but not in terms of crime solving detective work, that’s a different story.” I stop him for a second to let him know that what he’s referring to, technology being used as a means of keeping people safe through limiting transparency, is actually one of the main schools of thought. Many people believe that technology is a means of safety. By limiting disbursement of information the government is actually keeping us safe. He goes on to say, “Some things need to be kept confidential in terms of safety and crime prevention.” Before I even have a chance to ask if he’s seen the effects of something he’s done in regards to government and technology, he’s already begun explaining. “In our
board room at Village Hall we now have twin 55 inch TVs for the audience to see during meetings. In the past it was kept in front of the members.” Before this people had to fill out FOIL (Freedom of information law) requests just to access basic documentation regarding the village, now it is all public, he explains. “Meetings at the town hall are now streamed.” Anyone with a computer has access to these meetings, he explains. “Technology has helped with transparency and it has made the government more accountable, reliable, and believable.” I explain that I have encountered similar effects while interning at the Nassau County Legislature. In the past most bills and items on the agenda were printed off and handed out. Now a days the items are sent around on compact discs, making it easier to send out. Most of these same bills and items are also able to be found online for the public. After some brief pauses to talk about unrelated topics, I ask the next question: “How do you feel about conspiracy theorists?” He laughs a little, but his voice gets serious as he starts to answer the question. “People are entitled to their own opinion and you have to respect that.” He goes on to explain that many people who feel that way must have a reason for doing so, and that it must be derived from mistrust in their government. “Those people are out there and we get it. Their reasoning however is probably 5% validity and 95% paranoia.” He pauses and somewhat jokingly says; “Calling them whack-jobs won’t solve anything” The basis of what my dad says seems to be that conspiracy theorists seem to develop when there is a lack of belief in the government. People seem to blame these kinds of people for being “crazy” when really it is the government who can be blamed. The conversation drifts off after my final question and ends with him wishing me luck in school. Satisfied with the conversation we just had I begin to see a pattern in his responses in how they relate to my research.