One who keeps watch (guard).
Can't get any easier than that, can you?
And in today's society, if we're any type of normal, rational human being, we are watching. We might be watching the kids, to guard them from any person that might be predatory towards them. We could be watching a concert, a ball game, or other type of event, and the only thing we "might" be guarding would be our seat. Or we might even be like a lot of my neighbors, and be watching paint dry (because that's about as useful to society as they will allow themselves to be).
We've grown so far beyond mere "people watching" anymore. We've got a lot more to watch over these days...that much is certain. Whether we're watching our borders near Mexico (or Canada), watching our airports and seaports in THIS country, or watching our backs in OTHER countries. We're pretty much watching something OR someone.
And not ONE of us is exempt (if we're normal people that is). Doctors watch their patients, teachers watch their students, police officers watch their communities, lawyers watch their stock dividends, and business owners watch their bottom lines. Hell, even drug dealers are watching everything around them...make NO mistake about that. They HAVE to.
With the technology available to most anyone these days, it's actually difficult to NOT watch something or someone. We keep satellites in orbit to surveil the world (as well as the cosmos) moment by moment. We have cameras in our cities to watch for people running red lights, and on our highways to detect traffic problems. We have the same in businesses to catch crime (and the perps supporting it). We have security cameras to monitor our properties and even "nanny-cams" in our homes to watch our babies when we cannot (babysitters, take note).
We have cellphone cameras now that can capture the action AS it unfolds (for all the world to see on the internet soon enough), which opens up a whole other can or worms. Where do we draw the line when it comes to personal privacy? CAN we even draw the line...or should we? DO we have a right to feel THAT safe? DO others have a right to video US for whatever reason, when we might not even be able to catch them doing it? This creates an entirely new voyeuristic situation, and one which cannot be summarily addressed with the current laws we have. Are we just breaking laws already on the books, or forcing lawmakers to create new, more specified (and often convoluted) laws to cover the myriad of situations facing us today?
Well, laws can (and often do) change...sometimes for the good of society, and sometimes for the detriment of everyone involved. And we ALL are involved (even when we're not aware of it).
Personally, if someone wants to waste video chronicling my life...go right ahead...have at it. Others might not feel as cavalier with that. Then again, if one has nothing to hide, there's no need to worry, right? Still, a bit of privacy is always nice, and should be pursued when warranted, for privacy IS a right we all have.
It becomes an ever complex scenario; We are watching AND are being watched (for whatever reason). We feel we have a right...a duty to watch...to be vigilant...to be on guard. SO do others, apparently. But isn't there a nexus where MY watching and THEIRS overlap? And does that situation create it's OWN set of problems?
There is no easy answer to any of this. As our society evolves technologically, the laws that govern us will have to scrutinized even more closely, and will no doubt adapt to the times. Whether or not that will be to our betterment will have to be determined.
So like it or not...you're a watchman, in some manner or form.
Get used to it.
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