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Too much text. If anyone want to have at least some slim success conveying these ideas the message has to be impactful and short. That's why "think of the child

Too much text. If anyone want to have at least some slim success conveying these ideas the message has to be impactful and short. That's why "think of the children" and "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" work so well.

outside1234 13y ago
I explain it in four words: "We are all guilty of something." And then I explain that a corrupt power can use this nearly perfect intelligence machine can use this to find something that they hold over our heads. From there its a pretty easy explanation to get to a Hitler like figure being in charge.
- RougeFemme 13y ago
  Except that many people believe they are - and will always be - "guilty" of nothing. (I have nothing to hide. . .). So that argument won't fly with huge numbers of people. It's like the huge number of people who believe the police department/judicial system/system of choice is infallible until they personally know someone who was treated unfairly or see some egregious example of unfairness in the media. And even then, they still often believe that they never would have done XX and never would have found themselves in that situation.
  - narcissus 13y ago
    That's why when I have this discussion, I go for things that are obviously not illegal but something that almost everyone does... Whenever someone tells me they have nothing to hide, I ask them how often they masturbate. It's an awkward enough question that it gets them off guard and then I just keep telling them how it's totally legal, almost everyone does it and it's completely natural. Eventually they will find an excuse that they think is acceptable, but I just end with "so what you're telling me is that you do have something to hide..." I have a couple of other things I pull out of my pocket (like the time I discussed this with my mother) so generally if that one doesn't get them, one of the others will. But then again, I thankfully haven't had to have the discussion too often, so I don't really know how well my scenarios stand up to true scrutiny.
  - spuz 13y ago
    If you interpret "guilty" as meaning "an action one is responsible for" then we really are all guilty of something. You are guilty of waking up this morning, you are guilty of making that post, you are guilty of expressing your opinion. The point is that a government that is tyrannical enough can in the future make anything you would normally think is totally innocent a crime and then use that against you to put you away.
- mpclark 13y ago
  Two words for you: "That's not four words"
  - outside1234 13y ago
    sorry, i actually say "we are all guilty" but I thought I'd add the rest because there is no inflection on the internet.
dalek_cannes 13y ago
a) When a message doesn't condense well, use anecdotes. I think cold war East Germany is a good example of what happens when politicians are allowed to spy on citizens. b) Or, 'what if' scenarios. You say you have nothing to hide? What if in the future they decide that you're emotionally unstable if you are prone to crying easily, or if you raise your voice when angry? Or if you suffer from a phobia? And they keep you from important jobs or from having children?

outside1234 13y ago

I explain it in four words: "We are all guilty of something." And then I explain that a corrupt power can use this nearly perfect intelligence machine can use this to find something that they hold over our heads. From there its a pretty easy explanation to get to a Hitler like figure being in charge.

RougeFemme 13y ago
Except that many people believe they are - and will always be - "guilty" of nothing. (I have nothing to hide. . .). So that argument won't fly with huge numbers of people. It's like the huge number of people who believe the police department/judicial system/system of choice is infallible until they personally know someone who was treated unfairly or see some egregious example of unfairness in the media. And even then, they still often believe that they never would have done XX and never would have found themselves in that situation.
- narcissus 13y ago
  That's why when I have this discussion, I go for things that are obviously not illegal but something that almost everyone does... Whenever someone tells me they have nothing to hide, I ask them how often they masturbate. It's an awkward enough question that it gets them off guard and then I just keep telling them how it's totally legal, almost everyone does it and it's completely natural. Eventually they will find an excuse that they think is acceptable, but I just end with "so what you're telling me is that you do have something to hide..." I have a couple of other things I pull out of my pocket (like the time I discussed this with my mother) so generally if that one doesn't get them, one of the others will. But then again, I thankfully haven't had to have the discussion too often, so I don't really know how well my scenarios stand up to true scrutiny.
- spuz 13y ago
  If you interpret "guilty" as meaning "an action one is responsible for" then we really are all guilty of something. You are guilty of waking up this morning, you are guilty of making that post, you are guilty of expressing your opinion. The point is that a government that is tyrannical enough can in the future make anything you would normally think is totally innocent a crime and then use that against you to put you away.
mpclark 13y ago
Two words for you: "That's not four words"
- outside1234 13y ago
  sorry, i actually say "we are all guilty" but I thought I'd add the rest because there is no inflection on the internet.

dalek_cannes 13y ago

a) When a message doesn't condense well, use anecdotes. I think cold war East Germany is a good example of what happens when politicians are allowed to spy on citizens. b) Or, 'what if' scenarios. You say you have nothing to hide? What if in the future they decide that you're emotionally unstable if you are prone to crying easily, or if you raise your voice when angry? Or if you suffer from a phobia? And they keep you from important jobs or from having children?