I must admit, the title of this blog entry is a bit misleading. This post isn’t really about what’s wrong with North Dakota, although it kind of is, depending on your point of view. It is actually just an excuse to post an outstanding article from one of IPPL’s board members, Brian Schill.

Brian has been thinking about North Dakota his entire life. He was born and raised in Grand Forks and still lives here. He teaches in the Honors Program at UND and has two wonderful children who both go to the Grand Forks public schools. I share this information, because he has written an impressive critique of the North Dakota surveillance culture and what it’s like to be perennially watched and judged. It is an intriguing view from an insider.

For regularly PQED readers: the article starts out a little on the academic side but quickly becomes less so. There is very little jargon or technical language here and I believe that the article is suitable for everyone. Enjoy and comment!

This article is reproduced from Prairie Schooner 86.3 (Fall 2012) by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 2012 by the University of Nebraska Press.

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