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Edited on Tue Sep-25-07 02:17 PM by Mythsaje
Get used to obedience. It starts with the small things, but you will be punished (sometimes in subtle ways) for stepping out of line.
"We don't like your tee-shirt."
"You can't say that to HIM."
"Who do you think you are?"
"We can't tolerate disruption."
"If you don't do what you're told, we can make it very painful for you..."
Every single one of us should be suspicious and critical of authority. But, of course, that's not the case now, is it? Authority is fine, even abuse of authority is fine, as long as it's not OUR ox being gored.
No wonder there seems to be a dearth of leadership in this country...we've stifled all the leaders. It's only acceptable on THEIR terms--whoever 'they' happen to be. Rules, laws, regulations, policies. They're like a cattle corral leading us right into the truck that'll take us to the rendering plant.
Every few days another thread pops up here in which we argue what is and what is not a reasonable suspension of our rights. Showing receipts as we're leaving a store, being tasered for being an obnoxious twit at a political rally, wearing a banned tee-shirt to school... Face it, folks, there is a major divide between even those of us on the left.
Every time someone says "oh, but that rule is GOOD for us," I have to stop and stare.
Are you SURE?
Now we can argue all day about whether or not a particular school dress code keeps the kids safer, or if chasing after the latest fashion trends is a good thing. This, in my opinion, is where the discussion becomes the most dangerous. For years we've been the frog in the pot, seeing rights slipping away before our eyes. It used to be the War On Drugs. The 4th Amendment found itself standing out in the cold, shivering, if the people could be convinced that it was in the interest of the community to suspend it for JUST THESE PEOPLE. At one time some RWers were talking about it being illegal to question the Drug War. They would have liked the ability to suspend the 1st Amendment the same way for the same basic reasons. "Drugs are dangerous and we have to do everything we can to end this scourge."
Some people even advocated the death penalty for drug dealing. Like Malaysia. Or China. It doesn't END the problem, but at least they can say they're doing everything in their power. And if we shot every fourth person on the street, the rest of them would be damned obedient now, would they? Fear is a great tool for government.
Bah.
Of course, that morphed into the War On Terror and the grip tightened just a little bit more. The 4th Amendment was stripped of any power at all, at least when someone could pin the terrorist label on something.
A lot of the arguments here don't stem from the incident in question, necessarily, but the principles behind it. It might be someone "making a big deal out of nothing at all," but that's not the point. The "slippery slope" might be a logical fallacy, but, sometimes, it reflects a very real condition. People growing blase about things they should really stop to consider on occasion is a very real problem.
When these things come up, here in particular, I DO stop to think about them. Receipt guy? Not important, in and of itself. But the discussion--now THAT'S important. How obligated ARE we to conform to the policies of a given corporation? It doesn't have the force of law, after all. But some of us act as though it does.
I'm wary of anything that seems to contract the boundaries of what we can and cannot legitimately do. As someone pointed out, "free speech zones" were first erected as a way to keep the protesters penned up and away from abortion clinics. See how their use has morphed in a far more dire direction?
There's always someone willing to tell you what's "impossible" or "unacceptable." A lot of people told me over the course of my life that my dream of being an author was "impossible." A "pipe dream."
That my "obsession" with reading, or with science fiction and fantasy, was "unacceptable."
They were wrong and I was right. I persevered. There are a lot of people who don't like those who insist on carving their own path. Whether it's from jealousy, or fear of anything different, I can't really say.
But we'd do very well to consider not only their motivations, but the ultimate end that may come of their actions and beliefs.
Every time a policy or regulation or law is put in place, we need to consider not only what good it can do, but what evil can come of it as well.
Few things are as simple as they may at first seem. There are very few absolutes and we should be very wary of anyone who acts as though there are many such.
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