Cory Doctorow Skype Questions (Paige Paulsen)

• When writing Little Brother, who was your intended audience? (Was the writing directed towards youth as an example of fighting for a cause or towards the government as a warning not to put the public in such a position that they feel the need to act out so defiantly?
• In your writing, you brought up the point that from the perspective of the government, Marcus and his actions could be perceived as acts of terror or as a threat to the nation. So I ask, in conflict can there really be a "good" or "bad" stance? Isn't it just a matter of perspective?
• It seems that we convince ourselves that enemies are not human beings and deserve the consequences no matter how severe, but why? Is it government control or just our own response to suppress the guilt of killing and causing pain to others, or simply doing nothing to stop it?
• Why do we let the government enforce so much control over our lives?
• Though security in excess is clearly a problem, what do you think about an absence of security whatsoever? Is a basic level of security (ex. police force, warranted searches, etc.) necessary to maintain a stable society?
• Is the abuse of power (at some point) a given consequence of being put in a position of authority?
• What is your idea of a perfect society?
• What security measures do you feel are an invasion of privacy/go too far?
• With a disaster on any scale, would you say the natural response is to beef up security and what is your opinion on how Arapahoe High School should respond to the shooting in December?