Snowden: Terrorism a lower threat 'even if 9/11 happened every year'

[テクニカル諏訪子]

So Der Spiegel has interviewed Edward Snowden, but even though I'm one of the fewer people that already knew most of it, I thought it would be nice to share this to a broader audience now that it's what Snowden has said, instead of me.

"Even if September 11 were to happen every single year in the US, terrorism would be a much lower threat than so many other things,"he said.

Snowden said terrorism is "an ideal example of a growing culture of fear," noting that "the intelligence community has used it to approach it with a new dynamic of mass surveillance."

However, Snowden says, the "most tragic part" is that "eventually it is the process itself that is doing the terrorizing. It has become systemic” and this leads us to where we are today.

"How else does one explain a President Donald Trump other than a systematic failure of rationality?"

Snowden asked, noting that "we see things happening in places like Hungary and Poland with more authoritarian leaders.

"I think it is this new atmosphere of fear and that it won't change until we, as a public, learn to perform a new kind of alchemy and recognize fear when it is being presented. We need to learn to eat fear, to convert it into an energy that can be used to better a society rather than to terrorize and weaken it. But not even [former president Barack] Obama could do that," Snowden said.

Interview: Interview with Edward Snowden: 'There Is Still Hope - Even for Me' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International
Summary: Terrorism a lower threat 'even if 9/11 happened every year' – Snowden

Your thoughts?

 

[Demon_Skeith]

I've dealt with the public enough to know there are always those who are "sheep" and will merely follow the herd no matter how much glaring truth is known.

So yeah, he's right fear is just something controlling us and will most likely forever will.

 

[Burnsy]

Well that's stupid.

 

[Grungie]

I remember OP. This must have been before he moved to Japan and pretended he didn’t know how to speak English anymore.

 

[Dead2009]

Snowden is an idiot, no wonder he's still living in Russia.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

Snowden is an idiot, no wonder he's still living in Russia.

Haven't heard anything from him, think he's still alive?

 

[froggyboy604]

Haven't heard anything from him, think he's still alive?

I think Sowden still lives in Russia in 2022 according to Where is Edward Snowden now in 2022? He resides in Russia with his wife and child - TheNetline

 

[Burnsy]

I remember OP. This must have been before he moved to Japan and pretended he didn’t know how to speak English anymore.

The chosen 0.1% of otakus. Elevated and accepted into the holy land. テクニカル諏訪子 now spends his time with his obedient japanese wife, eating sushi and training in the ways of the sword.

 

[Dead2009]

Haven't heard anything from him, think he's still alive?

Hes still alive, cause hes constantly talking shit about the US on Twitter.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

I think Sowden still lives in Russia in 2022 according to Where is Edward Snowden now in 2022? He resides in Russia with his wife and child - TheNetline

Feel bad for the kid....

 

[froggyboy604]

Feel bad for the kid....

As do I, Russia is not a safe place thesedays since it is at war with Ukraine.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

As do I, Russia is not a safe place thesedays since it is at war with Ukraine.

Well that as well, but mostly having a dad that is a very wanted man.

 

[Uncrowned Guard]

Snowden asked, noting that "we see things happening in places like Hungary and Poland with more authoritarian leaders.

I can't help but feel that bringing up that nations like Poland, who lives with an invasion force staging across their border in Belarus and Russia threatening to perform nuclear strikes on them before occupying their nation, might be a slight bit more authoritarian due to their history of how that goes for their people then the attack on 9/11.