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In reply to the discussion: Can we please put the discussion, whether the US is a police-state, to rest? [View all]AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Granted that was the NG, not the police, but they were acting in a law enforcement capacity at the time... Things changed in response to the protests and outrage.
I don't see much outrage today, so I think, at least personally, for me, it becomes something like a 'police state' when there is a general acceptance of the conditions I mentioned. It takes a VERY egregious act, like the shooting of Oscar Grant. And that wasn't even a strong/broad reaction, it was highly localized.
But that's just my personal definition. Not just the presence of JBT's, or the like, but a general social acceptance of that condition.
I do agree, the term has lost much of its meaning/power over the years. And certainly, the label becomes laughable when you contrast us to North Korea, as bad as our problems are. So, thank you for raising that point. Context and contrast and definitions matter.
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