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IMO we're past the point of the layperson being so technically hopeless they'd swallow this whole. I grant the numbers are still out there, but I think the peop

by tbrake 13y ago

IMO we're past the point of the layperson being so technically hopeless they'd swallow this whole. I grant the numbers are still out there, but I think the people convinced/reassured/calmed by this kind of PR are that way because they genuinely think it's worth it. Maybe even a "better the devil you know" scenario?; it's worth "our guys" having their hands on all of this power, with its potential for abuse, than the "other guys". What I don't get is why, if you're the NSA, would you go through the PR effort for people already on "your side"; you're not going to sway a large swath of the population and there surely can't be that many fence sitters on this issue.

busterarm 13y ago
So their supporters can point to something that appears legitimate when they're trying to "win hearts and minds" of their friends and family.
yardie 13y ago
A college friend of mine that works in DC defended the NSA in a FB comment by saying, "we sort of knew all along they were doing this anyway." So, because they haven't done anything bad that we know of they should continue the course. This is a college educated, engineer grad defending NSA practices. I feel the layperson knows this is wrong but feels mentally, outgunned by all the smart people telling them they are right in doing this.
- cglace 13y ago
  Why would someone being an engineer make them more hostile to NSA spying? There are tons of engineers working for the NSA.
  - yardie 13y ago
    He doesn't work for the NSA, he could work for an NSA contractor but I wouldn't know. That's the thing. Like most liberals he doesn't have a problem with this administration and spying. We'd be on the same side if this was a republican administration but because he is a democrat and canvases for the DNC he sees nothing wrong with what this administration is doing. To me it's really frustrating. It's like trying to argue with Diane Feinstein over the intelligence bill.
- doktrin 13y ago
  > "we sort of knew all along they were doing this anyway." In the wake of the original leaks, reading this particular snippet on FB posted by otherwise intelligent friends was one of my ultimate pet peeves. It neatly encapsulates both self-affirmation ("oh I totally knew this was going on, because I'm wicked smaht") and a shocking degree of complacency.
  - mindslight 13y ago
    .. Or just disgust at the complacency pre-Snowden and continuing adoption of broken technologies stemming from lack of critical forethought. The centralized data silos of web 2.0 were and are never not going to be used against you.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  I've noticed that there is considerable overlap between those who derided as unsupported the claims of NSA abuses pre-Snowden and those who minimize the same abuses as "we all knew that they were doing that, what do you expect them to do" after the Snowden leaks.
- grecy 13y ago
  > "we sort of knew all along they were doing this anyway. That's an interesting way of justifying actions: We sort of knew Hitler was killing millions anyway. We sort of knew the CIA was testing nasty diseases on the Guatemalan population anyway. We sort of knew North Korea was violating a ton of human rights anyway. etc. etc.

by tbrake 13y ago

busterarm 13y ago

So their supporters can point to something that appears legitimate when they're trying to "win hearts and minds" of their friends and family.

yardie 13y ago

A college friend of mine that works in DC defended the NSA in a FB comment by saying, "we sort of knew all along they were doing this anyway." So, because they haven't done anything bad that we know of they should continue the course. This is a college educated, engineer grad defending NSA practices. I feel the layperson knows this is wrong but feels mentally, outgunned by all the smart people telling them they are right in doing this.

cglace 13y ago
Why would someone being an engineer make them more hostile to NSA spying? There are tons of engineers working for the NSA.
- yardie 13y ago
  He doesn't work for the NSA, he could work for an NSA contractor but I wouldn't know. That's the thing. Like most liberals he doesn't have a problem with this administration and spying. We'd be on the same side if this was a republican administration but because he is a democrat and canvases for the DNC he sees nothing wrong with what this administration is doing. To me it's really frustrating. It's like trying to argue with Diane Feinstein over the intelligence bill.
doktrin 13y ago
> "we sort of knew all along they were doing this anyway." In the wake of the original leaks, reading this particular snippet on FB posted by otherwise intelligent friends was one of my ultimate pet peeves. It neatly encapsulates both self-affirmation ("oh I totally knew this was going on, because I'm wicked smaht") and a shocking degree of complacency.
- mindslight 13y ago
  .. Or just disgust at the complacency pre-Snowden and continuing adoption of broken technologies stemming from lack of critical forethought. The centralized data silos of web 2.0 were and are never not going to be used against you.
dragonwriter 13y ago
I've noticed that there is considerable overlap between those who derided as unsupported the claims of NSA abuses pre-Snowden and those who minimize the same abuses as "we all knew that they were doing that, what do you expect them to do" after the Snowden leaks.
grecy 13y ago
> "we sort of knew all along they were doing this anyway. That's an interesting way of justifying actions: We sort of knew Hitler was killing millions anyway. We sort of knew the CIA was testing nasty diseases on the Guatemalan population anyway. We sort of knew North Korea was violating a ton of human rights anyway. etc. etc.