Comment by Barrin92
1 day ago
>If you want to live in a safe country, you must give up some level of freedom
Is that why prisons so safe and free of crime? How is that life? Electronic mass surveillance is how old, the late 90s?
Yes, let's ban all mass surveillance. I know where that gets you, the 70s or 80s when the height of technology was localized tape CCTV in a handful of places. Did everyone die and everything burn down? How can anyone with a straight face be this hysterical when most people currently alive grew up without any surveillance
The US in the 70's and 80's is not comparable to current US given different socioeconomic factors. China is far safer than the US is, if you want an accurate example.
> Is that why prisons so safe and free of crime?
Surveilled prisons are safer than non-surveilled ones. Compare a technology forward prison with a prison in a third world country if you want an example.
>The US in the 70's and 80's is not comparable to current US given different socioeconomic factors
The socioeconomic factors have become more favorable. Excluding surveillance there's been a secular crime drop due to aging demographics, family planning / abortions, potentially even decline in lead etc. The US is not as safe as China, but it's safer than the US 40 years ago all other things held equal. Of course an authoritarian state is safer but that's meaningless to compare yourself to if you value freedom.
What's actually changed is an absolute spread of paranoia and fear of imagined threats even in neighborhoods that look like as idyllic as a Scandinavian village.