You Can't Have Just One

clay

Yesterday, the Times Online reported that a British secondary school was conducting an experiment. The administration was tracking students by embedding microchips in their clothing. On the teachers’ computers, the chip provides information on what classroom the student is supposed to be in, the student’s academic performance, and allows retrieval of the student’s photo. The chip also allows a student’s whereabouts to be known and can be used to “restrict access to areas of the school.”

Action on Rights for Children reports that, a leading British school uniform maker, Trutex, is “actively exploring” adding chips to their product to allow parents information on their offspring’s location.

Like the well-known potato chip ad, having just one of these will be impossible. School uniforms are the beginning. Once children learn how to disable the chips (microwave on high), parents’ and school systems will be trying to implant them directly into children’s bodies. The more people can control, the more they want to control—Orwellian society, here we come.

However, as a parent I know the real value of embedding chips in kid’s clothing is not to know where the kid is but where the clothing has disappeared to. I wish I had had these chips in all the coats, mittens, and socks that my offspring have been unable to locate over the years. For awhile, we were going through three coats per kid per year.

In fact, now that I think about it, I need chips for my clothing, too. I could finally find the laundry demon that has been stealing socks and leaving their mates lonely. In fact, I want chips for my money. I haven’t been keeping a close eye on it very well lately either. And if these chip makers can find a way to implant them in feelings,I could use some help. I’m constantly losing my temper and my patience.

But for kids, well, I think we’re better off building personal relationships rather than impersonally supervising them.

 

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15 Comments
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Heather
Guest
16 years ago

Clothes! Excellent idea. I vote for sanities as well!

Staff
Member
16 years ago

Yep, there are a few items that tracking chips would improve. My car keys, my purse, my son’s cell phone….

But, mostly people just need to track down their sense of humor. A few of them seemed to have lost it permanently.

uncle ken
Guest
uncle ken
16 years ago

i am not a big fan of chips, now if they had a chip on me today, THEY would have to be very bored…….HEY LOOK HE MOVED FROM THE COUCH TO HIS LAZY BOY….NO, NO, LOOK HE IS REACHING FOR HIS REMOTE…
Now in my younger days, they would have needed special machines of tracking to keep up with me…..LOOK I AM IN MEXICO, NOW I AM IN IDAHO, NOW I AM SOME PLACE I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE…..NOW I AM SOMEONE I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE….LOOK AT ME..,LOOK AT ME !, PUT ANOTHER CHIP IN ME, LOOK AT MY LONG HAIR I GROW JUST TO GET STRANGE LOOKS FROM YOU……
As many times as i go to the DR. now, i would not be surprised if THEY, have not inserted many chips in me……in-fact i believe that the last time i was at the Stanford clinic, the nurse walked by me and said, Good morning CHIP……………….

uncle ken
Guest
uncle ken
16 years ago

i am not a big fan of chips, now if they had a chip on me today, THEY would have to be very bored…….HEY LOOK HE MOVED FROM THE COUCH TO HIS LAZY BOY….NO, NO, LOOK HE IS REACHING FOR HIS REMOTE…
Now in my younger days, they would have needed special machines of tracking to keep up with me…..LOOK I AM IN MEXICO, NOW I AM IN IDAHO, NOW I AM SOME PLACE I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE…..NOW I AM SOMEONE I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE….LOOK AT ME..,LOOK AT ME !, PUT ANOTHER CHIP IN ME, LOOK AT MY LONG HAIR I GROW JUST TO GET STRANGE LOOKS FROM YOU……
As many times as i go to the DR. now, i would not be surprised if THEY, have not inserted many chips in me……in-fact i believe that the last time i was at the Stanford clinic, the nurse walked by me and said, Good morning CHIP……………….

Staff
Member
16 years ago

Perhaps she took you for the wrong half of the chipmunk comedy team, Chip and Hale…

dschinker
Guest
16 years ago

Like with any technology, there’s an upside and the OTHER side. If we could only trust people not to abuse power…But even well-intentioned people can often not resist the temptation, as Dumbledore knew. (-:

dschinker
Guest
16 years ago

Like with any technology, there’s an upside and the OTHER side. If we could only trust people not to abuse power…But even well-intentioned people can often not resist the temptation, as Dumbledore knew. (-:

Staff
Member
16 years ago

The first time I heard of tracking chips I was so excited by the possibilities for (small) child safety but then I began to imagine a power hungry government abusing the chips. Extrapolating from that, I realized employers would command unhealthy awareness of every employees move, parents would invade privacy, and, in general, the safety factor was outweighed by the abuse possibilities.

Too bad.

Mara
Guest
Mara
16 years ago

haha… three jackets a year…I wish…Garrett lost 4 sweatshirts last week alone. I think we go through about 10 a year right now.

Mara
Guest
Mara
16 years ago

haha… three jackets a year…I wish…Garrett lost 4 sweatshirts last week alone. I think we go through about 10 a year right now.

Staff
Member
16 years ago

I keep telling myself it will get better but instead now the older boys are losing cell phones and ipods. So far we’ve eventually gotten all but one cell phone back but still…