Edward Snowden whistle-blowing in vein?

[Rad1um]

I just want to see where everyone's head is at. What good was it for Edward Sowden to "Blow the whistle" on the NSA? Here are the facts

1) he blew the whistle and as a result, he's on the run
2) he is risking his LIFE for this, but nothing is being done about it
3) The majority of the country LOVES to jump on the band wagon but a week later they don't really care that they're being monitored. It was just going with the majority who complained about it for a few days. Now its back to normal
4)While the country quickly forgets about his efforts and continues posting every intimate detail of their lives on social websites, he's STILL on the run and his life is in danger
5) There is only a tiny portion of the country that TRULY cares, some of them just made petitions or maybe wrote a letter. Petitions? Really? This DOES NOT work. Even with the mandatory response the NSA will say "THIS IS AN ON GOING NATIONAL SECURITY MATTER CAN'T BE DISCUSSED THANKS!!!"

Bottom line is, it just feels like he bit off way more than he can chew. Nobody really cares enough to actually do something concrete about it. I personally don't care about the NSA spying and Prism. Since HOTMAIL was current, since people started building free websites at Angelfire and since Kazaa was a place to grab free music, even since then I assumed all my online activities were public, IE: NOT private. Call it paranoia or whatever, I think that the public had a good idea, and I also think that Snowden should have kept his nose clean, STFU, get paid for doing what someone is gonna do anyways and he will be safe and sound with his family. Not running like some kind of criminal worrying if someone in the grassy knoll is gonna bust a cap on his ass. Any thoughts?

Tl;DR::: wanna ride bikes?

[Thedoja]

It is not fear or oppression that the shepherd stills his flock, but through the lushness of fresh grass and warm sunshine that they will remain content.

[Stir]

I just want to see where everyone's head is at. What good was it for Edward Sowden to "Blow the whistle" on the NSA?

The fact that you expected as much (as did I, and lots of others I'm sure) doesn't make it okay. Yes, I think mister Snowden did the right thing. Quite a lot of people simply do not comprehend how open their activities are to those who really want to find out. Besides, business practices often retain legality by pretending that they're careful with your information. They maintain that, because of this promise, they do not compromise laws regarding consumer privacy. In short: It's a farce, but it is a farce that can compromise much more than your rights to privacy. It sets potential precedence that could compromise legal integrity itself.
Furthermore, the state is bound by law. One of those things is the right to privacy. If the state can be allowed to break such laws, then law itself no longer applies to the governing body, and you're living in a state of fascism... Once one sheep hops that fence, who's to say where it'll lead?

'Oh, yeah; they're monitoring our internet use... Expected as such; just shrug and carry on' is not a healthy attitude because that laxness in response is stretchable. Who's to say what'll be next?

Basically: My argument boils down to George Orwell's 1984

[Simulacrum]

Basically: My argument boils down to George Orwell's 1984

You'd think a people that went through the great depression, two world wars, and endured the threat of the cold war, in what could only be described as an unmitigated stream of bullshit, would have the grit to muscle through a few thousand people dying and some buildings collapsing... but then I guess all the people who endured all those real threats are dead.

[steale]

You'd think a people that went through the great depression, two world wars, and endured the threat of the cold war, in what could only be described as an unmitigated stream of bullshit, would have the grit to muscle through a few thousand people dying and some buildings collapsing... but then I guess all the people who endured all those real threats are dead.

Pretty much. It's now a nation of general apathy toward anything substance, where people can tell you what Kim Kardashian named her baby, but not who their state governor is, what their senators and house representatives voted on, or who is peeking in on what porn they're watching.

[Redlokyldoreifanggore]

1) VAIN! Not vein, VAIN!!!

2) Considering I've almost always ever used a school-sponsored email, or have only sent emails to close family members, specific extracurricular groups, or scholarship committees, I've always been careful of what I say. It's honestly not a difficult thing. I don't mean to sound like a "I've got nothing to hide" person, and that's because I do. Hence why I watch what I say, when I say it, and where I say it.

3) You'd think with all the comedy satires, news specials, conspiracy theorists, and everything in between, most of us would have already had the common sense to assume that the "Patriot Act" actions of our government were still going on (assuming they weren't before). Does that make it any less invasive? No, but it shouldn't have really been such a "whistle blowing" ordeal.

4) Our society is sensationalist. The news is sensationalist, the government is sensationalist, social media is sensationalist, people are sensationalists. This, like every school shooting, war, massacre, etc. is usually a big fuss for 2-4 weeks and then forgotten. It's how our world works. Similar to the Benghazi, IRS, and whatever other "Obama's administration is the coming of Satan" whistle-blowing story that's gotten beaten to death.

5) Snowden got in over his head. He needed to gather much, much more information. He needed a good media outlet to make sure his "big reveal" would be constantly drilled into our minds so that we would be forced to remember what our government was up to every day. He evidently forgot how sensationalism works. Had he been in a safe zone, unknown to most of the world, he might've been able to actually accomplish something. Sadly, much like Assange, he revealed something that we've grudingly accepted (Soldiers laughing as they kill civilians! OMG I had no idea!!!) and now he's on the run, turning his already futile efforts into last week's big story. He should have collaborated with Anon or some other hacking / whistle-blowing group and utilized his information better. He should have known what both our media and government were like. So yes it is in vain. Nothing will probably come with this little revelation, and we will go back to our daily lives awaiting the next big conspiracy, shocking insider info, or major revolutionary scandal to talk about at the water cooler.



tl;dr Snowden's reveal's shouldn't have been that big of news, we should have all already known or at least suspected it, we live in a sensationalist world, it won't change till humanity or technology is gone, Snowden should've planned ahead a lot better and gotten better info. And his efforts are in vain.