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A similar linguistic argument takes place in Mirror’s Edge as in our world over these anti-government movements, with different media outlets or individuals referring to people as either protesters or rioters, depending on their views.
Mirrors edge city of glass series#
Open defiance by average citizens in Mirror’s Edge was quelled in a series of protests, called the November Riots. It is harrowing to watch, but brings home the horrifying extent of police brutality in America. This video by Slate brings together some of the most egregious uses of violence by the police in 2014. Yet the way the police immediately begin shooting Faith in both Mirror’s Edge games is eerily reminiscent of how quickly police resort to violence in America. Police violence is felt most directly by black Americans, whereas the police force in Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is cruel to anyone not in the upperCaste. has a clear racial element that is not present in Mirror’s Edge.
![mirrors edge city of glass mirrors edge city of glass](https://static.planetminecraft.com/files/resource_media/screenshot/1603/2016-01-23_1723509811555.png)
Recent years have brought the extent of police brutality in America to the forefront. In addition to the results of such political oppression, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst also depicts the endpoints of an unchecked militaristic police force. Government initiatives such as requiring ID’s to vote, decreasing opportunities to vote by removing early voting, and removal of voting rights for committing crimes, even misdemeanors, are seeds of large scale political suppression, and they are all already happening in America. Political suppression starts small though. In Faith’s time, Gabriel Kruger is a clear autocrat, unquestioned by the employs. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst’s nation of Cascadia was formed with democratic ideals, but quickly began curbing voting rights. The Krugers have established their totalitarian control over the ruling government. The average person, known as an employ, is too distracted by the meaningless pursuit of status and the furthering of their careers, unaware of the impossibility of upward class mobility. This political discussion is largely absent from the general populace of Glass. The effects of this fear are already being seen today, discouraging some from openly discussing their political views on the internet. The advertised goal of mass surveillance in both Mirror’s Edge and America may be to catch lawbreakers, but over time they remove notions of privacy, inspire fear in the general population, and stifle political dialogue. The government markets these tactics as necessary for safety, and have convinced 42% of Americans to approve of the widespread surveillance. The limits of the Freedom Act were seen when, at the end of last year, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act was signed into law, which compels businesses to share mass data about internet users with the government without the need for a warrant. It also doesn’t address one of the baseline problems: the growing power of the executive branch and its ability to keep secrets like these from Congress and the American people. The 2015 USA Freedom Act rolled back the NSA’s ability to collect everyone’s phone records however, this by no means prevents future Congresses or Presidents from removing the law or finding workarounds. government spied on millions of citizens through the mass collection of phone records for years. Snowden’s leaks made it painfully clear that the U.S. is more secretive about its surveillance than Glass, but it is becoming more and more insidious. Billboards across Glass display the image of a Robocop-esque masked officer with the words “We Are Watching” blazoned across. Anytime Faith approaches one, it will scan her and alert authorities, who come running, armed to the teeth. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst’s City of Glass is blanketed in security cameras that regularly scan citizens to ensure they are following the letter of the oppressive law. “It’s hard to find ways to communicate these days without half the world listening in,” Faith’s friend Birdman says to her early on in Catalyst, but it could have just as easily been said about today. The Snowden leaks, increasing voter suppression and widespread violence by police officers make it clear that The City of Glass isn’t as science fiction as it may seem. The seeds of their world are present and growing in ours today. The world DICE crafted represents the logical conclusion of surveillance, political suppression and police brutality taken to their extremes, all in the name of safety and security. Mirror’s Edge and Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst present a troublingly possible vision for the future.