Happy 1984!
Let the revelation of the runaway Cabral streetcar's adventures serve as a lesson: you're always being filmed.
"Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be watching," wrote H.L. Mencken. Well, the possibility has become a certainty: there's always someone watching. Worse for those who haven't noticed yet.
You don't even need a Federal Police investigation or a report on Fantástico (a popular Brazilian TV show). You're being recorded. Right now. By your building's security camera, your mother's camera, your son's laptop, or your own cell phone.
Take the case of Cabral's runaway gang, a rowdy bunch that set off on adventures and caused a lot of trouble in the streets of Paris. Properly documented, the private life of the Rio de Janeiro secretariat ended up in the hands of the governor's greatest political enemy.
You've probably already read about this in Orwell's 1984 – always him! – but there's a slight difference: despite the barely suppressed totalitarian desires of some rulers and attempts to manipulate language, there isn't just one Big Brother. Now, everyone is Big Brother.
You don't even need an idea in your head – just a camera in your hand. We are all free to interfere with the freedom of others. Before doing something reprehensible, therefore, remember to wear a beautiful smile on your face from now on. Don't go ruining the photo.