4 ms·

This is typical bullying by cop that you see frequently in the media. It's bad, but in other countries you could end up missing or taken hostage. There are pa

This is typical bullying by cop that you see frequently in the media. It's bad, but in other countries you could end up missing or taken hostage. There are parts of the middle east and africa that I'd be very hesitant to travel to. I think the expectation is that the U.S.A. is a safer and more reasonable place than that. And perhaps it is, but it feels like the gap is shrinking. There are definitely some parts of the U.S.A. that I'd be hesitant to travel to as well.

vacri 15y ago
Are you serious? "It's worse in tyrannical regimes"? That's your defense? How about comparing to the US's contemporaries, like western Europe or Japan - the countries that are 'first-world nations'?
- grannyg00se 15y ago
  Pardon me? I don't believe I made any attempt to defend. In fact I suggested that the mindset of the U.S.A being safer than tyrannical regimes might be worth reconsidering. As far as police enforcement and incarceration in general, the US does not compare to Japan or western Europe. Which is why I didn't compare them that way. It is well known that the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world. According to wikipedia, "The United States has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's incarcerated population". That doesn't happen without some questionable police behaviour.
- trotsky 15y ago
  Japan's immigration control: Gulag for gaijin http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/01/japans-immigration-control http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/01/japans-immigra... Just off the top of my head because it was recently published. But if you don't think it'd be easy to dig up French or British security service nightmares you're deluding yourself.
mike-cardwell 15y ago
In other countries (like the UK), the worse you could expect is them to take your drink, pour it down the drain, and send you on your way. Only if you start getting threatening or violent would you expect a response at that level.

vacri 15y ago

Are you serious? "It's worse in tyrannical regimes"? That's your defense? How about comparing to the US's contemporaries, like western Europe or Japan - the countries that are 'first-world nations'?

grannyg00se 15y ago
Pardon me? I don't believe I made any attempt to defend. In fact I suggested that the mindset of the U.S.A being safer than tyrannical regimes might be worth reconsidering. As far as police enforcement and incarceration in general, the US does not compare to Japan or western Europe. Which is why I didn't compare them that way. It is well known that the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world. According to wikipedia, "The United States has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's incarcerated population". That doesn't happen without some questionable police behaviour.
trotsky 15y ago
Japan's immigration control: Gulag for gaijin http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/01/japans-immigration-control http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/01/japans-immigra... Just off the top of my head because it was recently published. But if you don't think it'd be easy to dig up French or British security service nightmares you're deluding yourself.

mike-cardwell 15y ago

In other countries (like the UK), the worse you could expect is them to take your drink, pour it down the drain, and send you on your way. Only if you start getting threatening or violent would you expect a response at that level.