Human geography, that is. I've been peeling at my eyelids trying to read a little bit more on voyeurism. And apparently, someone taking an authorised picture of you in a way that invades your modesty isn't quite so well-defined in developed nations/states outside of Singapore either. Florida, as an example, is cited as such in this Associated Press article. It's about a woman who finds a man snapping pictures of her (under her skirt) at Walmart, and while the offender is charged, his lawyer argues for it to be dismissed, saying:
"...a person does not have an expectation of privacy while shopping in a local store".
The article continues: "Privacy rights, Price suggested, do not extend beyond restrooms and fitting rooms.'
The attorney bolsters his case with the fact that "Florida's voyeurism law is vague and insufficient because it does not define 'public place'". So if I get this right, it's possible to argue for the fact that in public places (save for restrooms and fitting rooms), women (or men, should the case be) can't be expecting to exercise rights to privacy.
Ah, so I'm thinking: What about our public buses? MRTs? Lecture halls? You and I wouldn't disrobe in a lecture theatre, because it's clearly a public place. But by simply being in a "public" place, am I deprived of my rights to privacy?
In other words: Is it a crime to take pictures of my intimate areas only when I'm in the school's washroom? And if I return to the lecture hall thereafter and a fellow student reaches under to grab a pic, is he/she then free of being convicted?
We could possible take a cue from California, where the focus is "more on the individual privacy invasion than where the crime happened".
So, before I research further into this sorta thing, I need to remind myself what constitues voyeurism, and what doesn't. I'm perhaps a little guilty of it myself - at which point do we draw the line at private space and public permission?
So, for example, I photographed someone on a bad hair day, and am putting this up because while said photo was taken, he was ignoring me playing a game on a mobile phone. I bear evil grudges that way.
And then there's my lovely aunt, who found herself embarrassed trying to get used to chopsticks. She found herself very alone, because certain people whom I shall not name kept laughing at her. Okay, my dad. He is also quite evil that way.
And this picture has nothing to do with voyeurism at all. I had baby Joseph's complete consent.
