[preg_match]

The US is most definitely hostile towards its own people, and we also have the most comprehensive surveillance apparatus in the world. On par with, if not more extensive than, China.

People largely can't protest here right now, and US citizens are being killed. People are being sent to work camps in countries where laws do not apply. And our leadership is, right now, priming the American people for when they reject the results of future elections. Not to mention everybody involved in the last attempted coup was pardoned - after we were told that our current leadership had nothing to do with the coup.

The state of the US is much more dire than most people are letting on. And it's understandable why. Nobody likes bad news, and we all like to believe things will be okay. All I know is I can't take my phone into the airport. I can't go out and protest without risking my life and freedom. I can't drive anywhere without my location being tracked and logged. And, if I get pulled over, I must comply with any order, no matter how unlawful, otherwise I risk being executed in the street.

Some of these things have been going on for a while, and some are new. But all are real.

[buellerbueller]

>The state of the US is much more dire than most people are letting on.

This is unfalsifiable, so not a great claim. You can continue to claim this forever without having to prove it.

>All I know is I can't take my phone into the airport. I can't go out and protest without risking my life and freedom. I can't drive anywhere without my location being tracked and logged. And, if I get pulled over, I must comply with any order, no matter how unlawful, otherwise I risk being executed in the street.

Wild, wild exaggerations, but you will point to your unfalsifiable claim to justify them.

The VAST MAJORITY of people in the US who engage in the things that you claim that they cannot, do so, and with no consequence.

I am no fan of this administration, but I am even less a fan of outright exaggeration (which is even one of the defining hallmarks of Mr. Trump)

[preg_match]

None of this is an exaggeration.

It was just recently ruled that your phone can be searched extensively at an airport, without a warrant. The only reasonable thing to do is simply not bring your phone.

Notice what I am claiming and what I have claimed. I am not claiming these things will happen. I am saying there is a risk. People have gotten executed by the state for not complying with obviously unlawful orders. It has happened many, many times. And before you argue: yes being shot by the police is "public execution by the state without a trial or conviction". That sounds harsh, but that doesn't make it inaccurate.

Every time you are pulled over, there is a risk. Any time you enter a public space, there is a risk that ICE, which is a domestic peace-keeping military force, will arrest you or kill you. There is a risk. There is a risk you will not receive due process. Every time you go to a protest, there is a risk your phone will surveilled, sometimes remotely. We know ICE uses 5G devices to surveil the the air waves. Every time you go to a protest, there is a risk you will be subjected to tear gas or rubber bullets.

All of these things are real, are proven, and have occurred on many occasions that we know of. There is really no dispute here, so you can try to dispute it, but if you do, then you are outing yourself as a dishonest person, and of course then naturally nobody will waste their time talking to you.

Now, you probably aren't happy about this. Neither am I. But emotions such as unhappiness do not magically override reality. Whether these things are happening or not and whether they are a risk is a separate question. A question with only one reasonable answer: yes.

[buellerbueller]

>The only reasonable thing to do is simply not bring your phone.

Actually, not bringing your phone is eminently unreasonable, particularly to an airport. Sure, you could wait in a line for a paper boarding pass, but if everyone were "reasonable" and did this, what do you think it would do to airport lines? What would happen when a flight gets canceled, and everyone rushes to the desks for help?

Buddy, birth has a 100% fatality rate. Life is risk.

[preg_match]

If anyone knows that life has a 100% fatality rate, it would be me, with cancer. Trust me I know that.

It’s not an argument, it’s just not.

There is an amount of acceptable risk, you’re right. How do we calculate it? By making sure we follow due process, the law, and we hold parties accountable.

ICE is allowed to execute Americans. Yes, allowed. Because they’ve done it many times, and face 0 accountability. So they are allowed to do that.

Now use your knowledge about humans. When humans are allowed to do something, what happens? If we let people get away with murder, what is the end result? This isn’t rocket science buddy. Put on your thinking cap.

Ditto for the police. When the police make mistakes and violate your rights, they face zero consequences. Your average McDonald’s cashier faces more consequences if they forget your god damn ketchup. So the police are allowed to violate your rights, yes they are. So they do, obviously.

I’ll admit: this conversation is a little bit frustrating to me. Because this is not a deep analysis or conspiracy. It’s just very simple facts and then some very basic incentive analysis. It’s disheartening that there are Americans going around not putting any thought into the power structures of entities they interact with. It’s dangerous, too. People like you are the best target ICE and the police could ask for. They want people who lollygag and don’t care about their phone getting tracked, aren’t concerned about tear gas and rubber bullets, and who believe their rights won’t be violated.

[buellerbueller]

I am sorry that you live in so much fear and anger. You have already been beaten.

[preg_match]

There is no fear or anger. You've completely run out of arguments so you're resorting to plan B: make me out to be a crazy person. Because then, you're allowed to ignore crazy people.

Everything I am stating is fact. These things do happen, and when no accountability is taken, we call that "allowed to happen". They are allowed to happen, any reasonable person will agree.

You can be intellectually lazy and decide to plug your ears and go "lalala not listening!". That's fine, that's your choice. Just know that any reasonable person will look at that and realize you are not a critical thinker, and they will move on.