Privacy not Protected Under the Constitution

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/right_to_privacy_not_guaranteed_by

The Onion is a satirical publication that covers current events (real and make believe) at the international, national and local level. The publication does its best to imitate the traditional newspaper to seem strictly authentic and in turn believable. Articles by The Onion have actually been mistakenly used by newspapers, television stations, and interest groups as sources or news. The linked article above focuses on the issue concerning privacy and the language of the Constitution. Justice Samuel Alito argues that the right to privacy is no where guaranteed in any of the 27 amendments. He also defends the Constitution's language that does not explicitly deny any individual from invading someone else's privacy because they are not specifically named. The significance of this satire is to expose the elasticity of the Constitution and how it is sometimes manipulated for the advantage of a priveleged few. For example, Alito is allowed to enter a home of a 28 year old woman because it is not stated in the Constitution that he cannot; he is also allowed to hit a man with a car and drive away because the pursuit of happiness is not guaranteed to the man who was just injured. The author is suggesting to the audience that the language of any document that is used as a standard can be manipulated as a means for self-advancement; in this case it was a federal judge. This piece aims to emphasize the growing troubles many people have because of the slipperiness of interpretations that come with age old documents such as the Constitution, along with other documents that use ambiguous language. Typically readers who read The Onion are between the ages of 18 and 44, a range that includes many different social and political viewpoints. Although with the recent presidential election, there is evidence that shows that the majority of this age range voted for Barack Obama, which is an indication that readers of The Onion are likely liberal and open to contesting the validity of accepted norms in the hopes to decrease the concentrated power of a few. The readers would most likely agree with the article in that it does showcase the uneven distribution of power in terms of who has a say in what and to what effect these opinions have.

Right To Privacy Not Guaranteed By Constitution, Says Supreme Court Justice Peeking In Bathroom Window. The Onion. 17 March 2009. Issue 45-12.