What, if any, is the difference between "Big Brother Politics" and invasion of privacy?

Question

This question came up in a lively, and friendly, discussion. There was no "firm" answer and I thought it would be something interesting to share with others and let them ponder this question. My group of friends even had differences of opinion as to what "Big Brother Politics" actually is. Cheers to a lively discussion!!!

Answer 1

They're both invasion of privacy but big brother politics uses scare tactics to justify the invasion.

Answer 2

The term, "Big Brother" comes from George Orwell's chilling science fiction novel, "1984", where Big Brother was the personification of a government so pervasive as to control even the thoughts of its populace. In the book, people had no privacy whatsoever;every place in the nation was monitored, citizens could be tracked, and all actions of any citizen could be reviewed.

From Wikipedia:

"Since the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the phrase "Big Brother" has entered general usage, to describe any overly-inquisitive or overly-controlling authority figure or attempts by government to increase surveillance."

I believe that the term, "Big Brother Politics", was first used in a speech by someone opposing the Patriot Act. I have been unable to find who coined the phrase or when, or where.

Answer 3

Both are objective terms so what one person would call one, someone else might call the other.

I'd say "Big Brother politics" would normally refer to the government wanting to do something and slipping a little invasion of privacy in whilst trying to make it look like they aren't, and it's actually great idea, so that people won't see it creeping up on them. If someone called something "Invasion of privacy" instead it would be if it were more obvious, less hidden in political reasoning.