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Rhetorical Analysis of "San Diego Street Lights That Spy," by Matt Potter
Introduction
In his San Diego Street Lights That Spy article, Matt Potter poses whether or not it is ethical to
have surveillance cameras on streetlights. Matt Potter starts by stating that while he has "strong
feelings about the need to be mindful of privacy" and supports the idea of surveillance cameras
in certain public places, he is against the concept of streetlights containing surveillance cameras.
He explains that, in his opinion, the notion of streetlights having surveillance cameras is not
ethical because the cameras are not just for public places but are also used on public streets. He
then adds that these surveillance cameras can monitor the activities of private citizens (Potter).
The author has a sarcastic tone and uses satire as his primary rhetorical technique. Potter
argues that although the new street lights may seem like a good idea at first, they could be
detrimental to society in several ways. His tone emphasizes that these lights may not be such a
great idea after all. This can be seen when he presents the example of a mayor's critic who is
being observed by a range of audio sensors and video cameras hidden atop the city's streetlights
as a method to highlight how technology is infringing on our privacy. There is a set daily pattern,
and every day, every little detail of her activities is recorded and stored in a vast record for future
review by unidentified parties.
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The article consists of mainly direct appeals (ethos), with some requests for emotion
(pathos) sprinkled in. Some indirect magnets are embedded within the logic used by Potter
(logos). The most heavily used appeal is ethos, as this is what truly gives us the motivation to
read on about Matt's opinion about streetlights. Potter claims that these streetlights cost a lot of
money but do not provide any benefits to the city. He offers different ways in which the
streetlights can be made to operate more efficiently. He also provides tiny bits of pathos
throughout his article to emphasize his point, but it's nothing that draws us in emotionally as
logos do.
He uses logos (reason/logic) because he uses facts from reports from other websites to
back up his claim that these streetlights are a terrible idea and need to be fixed immediately. The
moral of the story is that these streetlights may seem like a good idea at first, but in reality, they
are not such a great idea and can be detrimental to society. The tone used throughout the article
is satirical because it makes it brings out a fun aspect compared to other blogs writing about the
topic. It uses ethos as its central theme to get its point across, as it is factual and addresses many
different arguments in favor of his opinion.
Potter emphasizes this central ethos theme by stating that he believes that any type of
surveillance camera used on a streetlight is unethical and gives several reasons why. First, he
points out that while they might be beneficial in some cases, they are also "possible abuse
instruments." He then says that San Diego's city government has no policies or guidelines
regarding using this type of surveillance camera technology, and there is no way to ensure that
city employees will not misuse the surveillance footage. Potter says he believes these
surveillance cameras violate privacy rights and invade citizens' privacy by allowing anyone who
views them to observe private activities such as individuals entering their homes or engaging in
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intimate behavior. He also states his belief that a society should never allow its citizens to
become prisoners in their own homes. (Potter)
This article also focuses on the community. The author criticizes the invasion of privacy
and the arbitrary placement of communities. The essay also critiques how cities employ these
streetlights to generate cash and the lack of community input into their design. The public was
unaware that the cameras were installed and that police had access to the footage. The street light
was intended to increase traffic and pedestrian safety, but it has been criticized for violating
privacy rights. The street lights are feared as part of a more comprehensive monitoring state.
Potter tries to demonstrate how the various groups involved in this situation work
together despite their worries. As a result of these concerns, the parties involved demonstrate
their willingness to respond. In a letter to San Jose's mayor and city council in February 2017,
human rights organizations, Muslim groups, and privacy advocates voiced concern over the
city's plans to install surveillance cameras in streetlights. The only ethical reason for a
surveillance camera to be on a streetlight is if it is needed for public safety. Potter states that
public safety is a priority for all citizens and that there are ways, such as lighting, to make public
spaces safer.
The street lights--which are supposed to save energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions-might be turned on you, the taxpayers. City officials can't say for sure that they won't be used for
surveillance because, whoops, they didn't bother to insert language in the contract prohibiting
surveillance technology on the street lights. City officials are now trying to figure out how to add
the surveillance ban to the agreement.
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However, this article doesn't seem to target the target audience very well. Is this targeted
at the San Diego residents who are at the least troubled by these lights and want to see what the
legislation is, or is this targeted at the San Diego residents who are opposed to the lights on
principle and want to know the details of the bill? It isn't easy to say with nothing in the
introduction or the article's conclusion to indicate who this article is pitched at. This would be a
nice thing to include in the introduction or decision of the article.
Conclusion
Matt Potter concludes his article by stating that although he has strong feelings about the need
for privacy and supports the idea of surveillance cameras in certain public places, he does not
support streetlights containing surveillance cameras. As illustrated in Potter's essay, our
government has partnered with corporations to sell and monetize your data without your consent
or control. To monitor the real-time feeds from these sensors, these agencies could use task force
agreements between local and federal law enforcement if there are no restrictions on how data
collection equipment can be used. Individuals should be able to choose how their data is used if
the street lights have an impact, and if they do, they can take matters into their own hands.
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Work cited
"San Diego's Street Lights That Spy | San Diego Reader." Www.sandiegoreader.com,
www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2019/Feb/20/san-Diego's-street-lights-spy/