"We're Doing These Things to Keep you FREE!"

[klunderbunker]

You hear things like this thrown out a lot. "It's to ensure your freedom." "The troops are fighting to keep you free." "This is a free country." "You can't tell me what to do. This is a free country." What does it even mean to be free?

In America we have guaranteed rights by the Constitution such as freedom of speech, religion etc. That's not what I'm talking about. You constantly hear people say we're free and all that jazz. So are a lot of other countries in the world that we have very similar systems to. We have things like airport scans and all kinds of terrorism laws and spying and all such other things, all of which are done in the names of freedom and for your safety and all that jazz. With all these things being done, aren't we losing a bit of freedom?

If I remember my social studies teacher right just before 9/11, I was told that a terrorists' job is to change a person or country's way of life through means of fear. Today we have two wars going on which have drained the economy, thousands of troops being killed, personal rights like privacy being violated here at home by security measures used "to keep us free and safe", all kinds of laws are struck down "to ensure our freedom" even if they may or may not be for the betterment of the country. Things have changed huge and all due to the threat of potentially more attacks on us, which to me would imply that the more we do to fight against terrorism the more of its goals are accomplished, but that's another thread for later.

All that being said, what does it even mean to be free? Often times I start to wonder how free you are in this country, based on how much you have to give up in order to maintain said freedom. Sorry for rambling so much but I kind of got on a roll.

Thoughts?

 

[Mekanik Kommandoh]

Personally, I don't think the word "free" really means much anymore, at least within the context of how politicians use it. It's a buzz word used to get citizens to pay attention, because what scares people in this country more than anything? It's usually the potential loss of freedom. That's why so many drastic actions were taken post-9/11. Everyone was afraid that our freedom was in jeopardy. It's an effective tactic to justify a controversial action, even if it's not a particularly ethical one.

America certainly is freer than many countries, especially in terms of freedom of speech and all that. And, thanks to no draft, I have the right as an individual to refuse going to war by not volunteering to join the military. However, when I think of true freedom, Thoreau's writings come to mind. In his idealistic view of the world, being free would mean freedom from taxes, government, business, and each other - that is, no democracy, representative or otherwise. We are essentially governed by each others decisions every time there is an election; I wouldn't necessarily call that freedom. Of course, we have the freedom to choose whoever we want on the ballet, but that doesn't mean our choice will win. In addition, if said winner helps to create laws that we don't agree with, we still have the follow them, correct? If true freedom is indeed what Thoreau and his supporters were talking about, then America fails miserably at it.

Of course, that's just one idea of what freedom is and I don't think most Americans feel that anarchism is actually freedom. I do, but I'm in the minority and that's fine - I'm too lazy to revolt and content with how things are. I think that most Americans are satisfied with what freedoms they have and if freedom is the right to earn a living, vote, and raise a family, then America does a good enough job, spying, war, and airport scans notwithstanding. Still, whenever a politician uses the words "free" or "freedom", I tune out because there is usually very little substance in what they are saying.

 

[Барбоса]

Most of the whole "it's to keep you free" argument is total nonsense in the 21st century. Sure, it carried weight throughout most of the 20th century with the threat of war/invasion during the rise of fascism/Nazism/Japanese imperialism and during the Cold War with the threat of nuclear holocaust but once the Iron Curtain came down most of the rationale behind "keeping you free" disappeared too.

For any politician in the western world to say anything is to "keep you free" is just idiotic. Free from who/what exactly? The camel-fuckers in Al-Quaeda are not going to launch an invasion of Britain or North America. And let's face it, an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile is not going to stop Islamic fundmentalist intent on blowing himself up on your doorstep so why in the name of God does America still have thousands of nuclear weapons and why does the UK need to replace Trident?

I am not saying that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong but claiming that they are keeping me "free" is bullshit.

Of course, the idiocy of global opinion and political correctness won't allow it but just tell the truth. Say you were getting rid of a genocidal dictator in Iraq. It worked in Bosnia. Why not now? Anyone that says that it was just because of oil is an idiot. Sure, oil may have been an added bonus but as it turns out oil is actually worth a lot of money. Why be ashamed of that?

At best it is a silly, childish slogan that carries little weight in the modern world.

At worst it is the deliberate manipulation of people's patriotism for political ends that verges on scaremongering.

 

[Xemmy]

"America stands for freedom. If you think you're free, try walking into a deli and urinating on the cheese."- Anarchy 99

Freedom is a word that means being able to do whatever the hell you want. That pretty much means that NO ONE, is actually free. Politicians use it to describe America to touch back to a time when we were the free-est country in the world sometime 100 years ago, when the term doesn't really even apply here anymore. We're no longer the most free nation on Earth. That would be Amsterdam, or Belgium to my knowledge. We're SO free in this country that we can't even put what we want into our own bodies. XD

And the terrorists did their job. They took away even more freedom from us.
Our 4th amendment privileges are trampled on every time we travel now. And I would imagine that the government is foaming out the mouth to take away our 1st amendment.

And I said "privileges", because that's all they are. Ask the Japanese-Americans.
Just when these citicizens needed their "rights" the most, the government took them away. Rights aren't Rights if they can be taken away. They're privileges. They had one right- "Right this way...."

So no one is truly free. It's just a matter of being MORE, or LESS free. There isn't, and never will be an absolute. And America is somewhere in the middle.

-Quoted a bit from Carlin

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Freedom? That term has long since lost its original meaning in our country. By definition, freedom is when you are freed from any restriction that was put on you. It is when you are allowed to basically just do whatever you want, and have no consequences. But in today’s world, the many controversial issues that we face in our lives such as war, health care, taxes, gun control, privacy--all these and many more have all, little by little, been diminishing the freedom that once existed, or rather, invisioned by our forefathers.

Ideally, being free means to have a voice--a voice that protects our rights--the rights of our friends, our family, and the world we live in--all as equal members of a society we have created, fought for, preserved, and are proud to hand over to the next generation.

However, such ideology is no longer the case. But where does the problem all stem from? My best guess is from the people themselves. The average American is too stupid to make decisions for themselves. They rely on others to make them for them. And if, say for example, someone told them that what’s happening now is right, then chances are, they will go with the belief that said concept is indeed right.

One of the most common issues that we face today is terrorism. Though, it should be fairly noted that the problem isn’t exactly terrorism itself, but rather the fear of terrorism. Such as it was in the Bush Administration, the media hype and manipulation that came from it only made people fear terrorism even more than how it really should have been--little to nothing at all. The chances of dying as a result of a terrorist attack are actually lower than that of falling off a ladder; yet, that doesn’t stop the fearful idiots in America mindlessly eat up what these politicians tell them.

Fear on its own clouds the mind. It causes people to make irrational choices as well as let their emotions get in the way. When these two occur, these people can easily be manipulated by any form of propaganda any person (politician) may see fit. Thus, you have the over-exahjurated fear in terrorism.

Simply put: politicians are corrupt; Americans are idiots. Politicians will sit there and talk and talk ‘til they can’t talk anymore, but if the people themselves don’t decide to open their eyes and their ears and realize what the fuck is going on and how it is wrong (or right), then these politicians will only continue to deprive us of our so-called freedom.

Of course, not all Americans are idiots. There are few that see the errors in the ways of the government. But the problem is, are they willing to voice their opinion? If there is any type of freedom that America still truly has, it’s the freedom of speech. And if that doesn’t get taken full advantage of by the people, things in our nation will only get worse.

 

[Arkham Noir]

I think the word "free" has been blurred with the word "safe" at some point in history. Soldiers fight for their country's safety. Your scanned at an airport so that you can be safe. We are as free as we should ever hope to be. We are free to do almost anything with our lives. If you want to start a buisness, you can do it. You want to be a circus clown, you can do it.

Alot of people take for granted just how much freedom we have. Maybe we can't do anything we want, but get over it. There are laws tp prevent people from raping women in the streets and to prevent people from destroying everything. Call me crazy, but I think giving up the ability to do absolutly anything you want is worth the safety we are given. Rules and precautions are there to keep us safe. Anyone who complains about laws violating a bit of our freedom for ensuring we don't get killed is spoiled. Go somewhere in the world where they have zero freedom. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving up some stuff to ensure they don't get killed while walking down the street.

I'm all for having freedom, but I'm also not naive enough to think that people are just going to behave sensibily on their own.

 

[Chardee Macdennis]

Whatever freedom means, we are certainly NOT anymore. The only way we can ever truely be a free nation again, would be to drastically minimize the impact of government on our lives. We are free to make as much money as our skill set and determination allow us, but we are certainly not free to KEEP that money. My definition of freedom would mean an end to big government. Obviously, we won't see that in our lifetimes. There is certainly a purpose even an outright need for it, but in it's current state, we'll never be a free nation. We need to get back to the days of self sufficiency, only then will we be free. If a man/woman works hard, puts their talents and dedication to use, to support themselves and their families, they should be free to chose how to manage themselves, their money and their families. Taxes are a nessaccary evil, but the amount of taxes we pay is ludicris. Social Security for example, is a complete JOKE. I'll be lucky to even see any benefits of the money I currently contribute. Now, if we were truely a free nation, we wouldn't even need this system. The government needs to realize that we are capable of managing our own money. Of course, some of us are not, but you know what?...Tough SHIT. If you can not manage your money, that burden should fall on YOU. The rest of society should not be burdened with the task of monetarily contributing to YOUR failure. This is just one example of some of the social programs set up to help eliminate our freedom. I could go on and on about this for hours, literally, but I'll make one more quick point before I digress. KB, your point about terrorism, could not be more true! The new TSA pat downs and every other damn thing we have to go through now, is a very scary indication that the terrorists are winning. US citizens are forced to submit to bullshit polocies, all in the name of freedom. It's one of the biggest scams going. I'd venture to say that the terrorists are sitting back laughing. They've gotten to us, forced us to implement procedures that interrupt our daily lives and routines. In essence, they've won that battle. I can garauntee you that they're sitting back and enjoying the evening news showing the pat downs and what have you. They've forced us to change our ways, even in the slightest of ways, which was/is there exact intent. Most of us don't even realize what's happening, but it's happening nonetheless!