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Walmart = Big Brother?

ChiangShih

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2009
Messages
628
Location
KC
This is less Wal-Mart and more citizens being asked to turn on citizens. This is just another symptom of a greater attempt at government-level social control. It is a play taken out of the playbooks of many other expansive control focused governments. Separate the government from the people and then the people from each other. This is done through fear and threat of danger. It turns the citizens against one another out of suspicion and allows for enactment and implementation of power expanding policies.

Most people shrug little events off, dismissing it as a security precaution, harmless but unnecessary, or too minuscule to worry about. The fallacy in these perspectives lies in the individuals inability to see the big picture. The convergence of many many small "harmless" precautions. The structural framework of a greater system of control slowly piecing itself together around us. Building itself up like a cage, we don't mind the bars so much as long as we can still see light. By the time it is completed and the light is gone, it is too late.

That said, this should probably be in news/social :D . However, I enjoyed the thought provoking article.
 

afcarry

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2010
Messages
206
Location
Southeast of KC Mossouri
I must agree with ChiangShih, but only to a degree. His point about a bigger picture is 100% spot on. I may not see a problem with a guy taking pictures of birds around work, but if I was to report it, then the agency I report it to will have one more piece of information. If several other people reported the same thing then they can begin to see a trend and possibly mitigate threats. Look into AFOSI's Eagle Eyes program. Its the same thing. I don't think this is really an attempt to turn citizens against each other. That will inevitably result in nothing short of anarchy, and thats the complete opposite of what our government is trying to achieve. I refuse to believe, however, that if I took a real concern to my local Wal-Mart manager it would be handled properly. Thats just adding one more (possibly immature) middleman into the processes of security. I guarantee that no Wal-Mart manager is a trained and qualified DHS information specialist. All they will do is call the police just like you could do on your cell phone. Then the police will become less responsive to individual calls because a buisness is reporting suspicious behavior.
 
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peterarthur

Regular Member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
613
Location
Phoenix, AZ
This is less Wal-Mart and more citizens being asked to turn on citizens. This is just another symptom of a greater attempt at government-level social control. It is a play taken out of the playbooks of many other expansive control focused governments. Separate the government from the people and then the people from each other. This is done through fear and threat of danger. It turns the citizens against one another out of suspicion and allows for enactment and implementation of power expanding policies.

Most people shrug little events off, dismissing it as a security precaution, harmless but unnecessary, or too minuscule to worry about. The fallacy in these perspectives lies in the individuals inability to see the big picture. The convergence of many many small "harmless" precautions. The structural framework of a greater system of control slowly piecing itself together around us. Building itself up like a cage, we don't mind the bars so much as long as we can still see light. By the time it is completed and the light is gone, it is too late.

That said, this should probably be in news/social :D . However, I enjoyed the thought provoking article.

I put it here because open carry is a "suspicious" activity to many and I expect the sheeple who take Napolitano's advice to heart to start watching us more carefully and become LESS interactive with us and more afraid and suspicious. Now, more than ever, we should carry and educate.
 

MK

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
396
Location
USA
If it were something trumped up by locals in the community like keeping an eye out for people loitering in the parking lot who could be selling drugs or looking for an easy carjack or kidnap victim, maybe keep an eye out inside the store for thievery, I wouldn't be so bothered by it. Organized neighborhood watch can be a great crime fighting tool.

The fact that its Homeland Security getting involved really bothers me and makes me wonder if its just some kind of test run to see if spying on your neighbor, trust your government, would fly in today's society with our current population of sleepwalkers. They definitely need to prop up a bad guy though. Who and what is the bad guy we are supposed to be looking for here? I can't believe that Homeland Security cares about the local shoplifter, crack dealer and carjacker in our neighborhoods.

Whose the bad guy?
 
S

sistersinister

Guest
Still Kickin'

Walmart still doing fine for me.. really happy with them
 

ChiangShih

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2009
Messages
628
Location
KC
That will inevitably result in nothing short of anarchy, and thats the complete opposite of what our government is trying to achieve.

Of course a government does not want anarchy. What a control oriented government does want is social disorganization (in all of its forms). Social disorganization leads to dependency on the government.

Sure, too much social disorganization can lead to anarchy, but there is still a wide line between the two.
 
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since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
I put it here because open carry is a "suspicious" activity to many and I expect the sheeple who take Napolitano's advice to heart to start watching us more carefully and become LESS interactive with us and more afraid and suspicious. Now, more than ever, we should carry and educate.

+1

Personally, I find Napoleanitano's message highly suspicious. How many of the general public are training to spot something "suspicious?" Very few. Meanwhile, terrorists are trained to behave in a nonsuspicious manner.

If any sizeable portion of the population takes her message to heart, the police and Wal-Mart managers will be seriously overburdened with meaningless reports of "suspicious" activities.

I love what this guy wrote: "If you observe me carrying a properly-holsterd firearm in Walmart, as I always do, please report my lawful carry of a firearm under both 2A and state law to Napolitano, if for no other reason than to simply piss her off."

I like what Leah Herron wrote, too.

ETA: Someone's already added a link to the YouTube video on Janet's Wiki page. That's actually a good thing, given the overwhelming abundance of negative responses, there.
 
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eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
When did this board start allowing "guests" to post? I thought you had to sign up as a member first. (just curious)

I am not familiar with this software, but my experience as a board owner is that this happens when a member's account is deleted, not just banned, but deleted. Maybe the member asked to have his account deleted.
 

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
I am not familiar with this software...

I am. It's a setting under the AdminCP (admin's control panel). The overwhelming preference is to set it so that guests may not post. vBulletin also supports a graduated means of giving newbies various privelages, and combined with other measures, is reasonably effective at thwarting spam.
 

bom1911

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
114
Location
Chesterfield County , USA
I may not see a problem with a guy taking pictures of birds around work, but if I was to report it, then the agency I report it to will have one more piece of information. If several other people reported the same thing then they can begin to see a trend and possibly mitigate threats.

I may have read this part wrong. Is there a problem with people taking pictures of birds?
 

mobeewan

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Messages
652
Location
Hampton, Va, ,
We already have "Big Brother". Then came "Big Sis". Now we have as I would like to coin the phrase "Big Wally" who is now working for "Big Sis".
 
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