It’s hard to spend any time on the Internet right now without seeing someone giving their hot take on Flock Cameras. The new law enforcement tool that uploads license plate information into a searchable database to help track movements has been a source of hot debate over the past few months with some feeling they’re a great way to catch criminals and others feeling they’re a dangerous case of government overreach. Well, let the record show Darth Vader has picked a side.
Some unidentified rabble-rouser and comedian showed up to a San Diego City Council meeting dressed as the legendary Star Wars villain and expressed his unwavering support for the new technology. He’s apparently particularly stoked about its potential to help himself and the Emperor track the “rebel scum” even if they’re children or his ex-girlfriend who must be stopped. You can read a portion of his satirical take below…
The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium.
Not surprisingly, this little prank has gone over very well with large pockets of the Internet who aren’t too happy about what they see as Big Brother monitoring what everyone has been doing. Several clips and full videos of the appearance were uploaded onto social media not long after it happened, and it didn’t take much time for like-minded users to start enthusiastically sharing them. Later, the story spread to local papers, and now, it’s starting to become national news.
You can check out the video that’s making so many waves below, which also includes comments in which Vader argues too much money is being spent on libraries, parks and other public goods…
I can’t imagine there have been many characters in the history of Hollywood who people have dressed up as more than Darth Vader. Most of the time, the cosplay is just an homage to the legendary Sith Lord, but given his ties to an authoritarian regime, sometimes he’s also used in satirical protests and materials to jokingly advocate for fascism or other undesirable things. He’s sort of the ultimate symbol of governmental overreach, which is why this little city council protest feels so humorous.
The forum was also a perfect choice. Local meetings like that are always filmed, and their inherent dryness is ideal for comedy. In fact, it feels like every few months, some kind of humorous protest or costumed appearance from a city council meeting somewhere in the United States goes viral. My all-time favorite is still from comedians Chad and JT where they hit up a meeting in San Clemente to argue for the city to build a Mount Rushmore for Paul Walker to honor the late actor, but if you look hard enough, you’ll find dozens of other humorous and pointed examples.
The goal of any good protest should be to open people’s ears and convince them to do some research themselves. So, if this is the impetus you need, use Darth Vader as a reason to look into Flock Cameras and form your own opinion. Everyone else certainly is.
