Quote:
Originally Posted by JacktheDumb
It is not that hard to understand, the government does undermine its citizens civil rights by spying on them and every part of their private life.
Whether it is done by guy watching your window all the time, going through your trash and breaking into your house or by "technology" doesn't make a difference.
Twenty years ago, my mother would call me into the living room if the computer wasn't working.
I spoke to her from across the Atlantic over Skype and she asked me to help troubleshoot her computer about 5 minutes into the conversation.
The reality is that many members of the Baby Boomer generation just go blank the instant they hear words related to technology. To them, this is all science-fiction. To explain encryption to somebody who is computer-illiterate is like teaching the blind to see.
The other major block is American exceptionalism. We have been indoctrinated to believe that America is the city upon a hill that everybody aspires to become. To maintain the image, we must perceive everything America does as good. So if the government is taking away our rights, then they are doing it to protect us and it would be un-American to oppose it. Of course, this logic is ridiculous but it's a belief held by many regardless of the contradictions that betray it.
Ignorance and blind nationalism are extraordinary obstacles to overcome.