Majority Of Americans Support NSA Surveillance Programs: Poll

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
Americans have been taking poles for so long they no longer even feel it.
Oh, you mean polls.
From the MSM?
it's just gotsta be true!
"There's a weapon of mass destruction around here somewhere"

Oh wow. Nice. Very, very nice. So subtle it was smooth like silk.

Its a BS "fishing" poll.

Originally posted by MidnightTide
Well when you have a couple decades of social engineering and brainwashing, is it any surprise?

America is SCREWED.

Doesn't even take social engineering really. I saw some stats where the youngest generation was less concerned about surveillance than older generations and that one, I actually believe. I had to have a very long dialogue with my eldest on why surveillance is extraordinarily bad for speech and ergo, democracy (surveillance --> self inhibited speech --> reduced discourse --> reduced democracy). He saw the revelations of the NSA surveillance to be something he already knew and he just never said anything that could come back to haunt him later as a result. His attitude was actually very surprising considering I'm very outspoken on matters of civil liberties, particularly the First Amendment, and have written a number of articles on the subject of free speech and press, national security, and privacy issues. So hearing that from him was mind blowing to say the least (then again, could be the old adage about how kids never listen to their parents lol).

Whereas I'm not so concerned about the more paranoid baby boomers and gen x, I'm deeply concerned about what is the second largest demographic in the US--the Millenials. I think that part of the issue is that, by the time they really started becoming aware of the world in general, 2001 had already happened or soon after. Growing up in an environment where national security trumps civil liberties would, on its own, would become normalized. The statistic for this particular age group indicated a majority accepted surveillance without warrant or were wholly disinterested and I would be very interested if someone someday actually broke that out further within the demographic to see if it could be refined down to how old they were when 9/11 happened. Overall, that statistic is critically bad for the future and for democracy.

In terms of social engineering, I do think that there have been television shows that have touched on a broad based and automated accumulation of information. Both Chuck and Person of Interest delve into these topics with the rationale in both that it is being actively used to defend the nation from threats on a daily basis although Person of Interest's primary focus is on saving individuals from crime using such a machine established for the latter purpose. Both of these shows would be examples of social engineering in my opinion.

The reason that so many Americans do not find the surveillance of their every move creepy is because most of this generation never knew 'privacy' from day one.

1. This is the "Facebook" generation, where you post for the world your every thoughts and whereabouts.
2. This is also the 'microwave' generation, where you want everything instantaneously, even friendships and romantic relationships. There is no more 'dating'. People meet online, meet up the same day, and skip right to the chase.

I asked my teenage son last night how he felt about the Big Brother state we are in. He seemed very nonchalant and said that none of his peers were discussing this. He said that privacy was not important them at all.

This generation probably could not conceive of having a thought or whereabouts that were not broadcasted to the world.

Fox news just reported a surge in sales for the book "1984" by George Orwell.

My friends and I have this on our to-do list to re-read and discuss.

reply to post by ButterCookie


Friends are fun to read, but I find the font gets tricky to read right around the armpits, and some other places
It is interesting that its now that 1984 sales have sky rocketed though. I guess more people are going to be renting THX 1138 as well.

Shame people didnt have thier fingers on the pulse a few years ago.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


Oh I know they don't really care, they have everything at their fingertips, all the latest entertainment devices, movies, sports - food in the fridge - in comparison to billions they have nothing to worry about.

But just take a look at the economic future of the global, things are not looking all that great. So what happens when the bond bubble bursts, when the American dollar tumbles from the reserve currency status. What happens when everything isn't all peachy - when everything isn't at their fingertips or at the click of a mouse button. Oh you can be damned sure they will be concerned when big brother is over their shoulder looking at what they are doing. Want to complain about what the government is doing, land yourself in some trouble.

(and really, everyone has something to hide, I don't know any saints - do you?)

reply to post by ButterCookie


Absolutely, ButterCookie, though at least the kids that I know are a little more cautious in regards to "checking in" to places with Facebook. Their greater tendency is to avoid commenting on those things that they view as potentially coming back to haunt them. Interesting that your son had the same nonchalant attitude as mine, who just turned 17. My youngest (10 yo) had more of a "scary" response and was quickly able to fathom what a horror show it would be if surveillance continued to grow at the same time as "smart" (aka dumb, imho) technology did where facial recognition technology and built in cameras are being placed on televisions, consoles, and etc. I almost think that her response was so different from his because she hadn't yet been exposed to all of the things that you and I both listed. I know my son has finals week this week but I've already told him that, over his summer break, he's going to be reading/watching a collection of books and movies on the subject of surveillance and "thought crime". 1984, Brave New World, Equilibrium, Minority Report, Children of Men, and whatever else I can recall that follows the "what if" scenario of too much surveillance and control.

reply to post by MidnightTide

Totally agree. There are so many potential scenarios that could develop and have, historically, that have basically isolated various groups within society and left them subject to abuse. As I told my eldest the other night, you never know what it's going to be that takes you from "in" society to confronting society because your conscience simply cannot bear to stand idly by.

I think polls are a tool to sway Americans in whatever direction they want everyone to go. Think about it.

When you were in school you had 8 kids wanting to go on the swings and 6 on the monkey bars. The 6 kids saw that there were more kids at the swings so one by one, they conformed with the rest and went to the swings, even if they had to wait in line. Why? They didn't want to seem different. That is exactly what polls do!

If, let's say, 64% of Americans believe in "this," others will say, well, the majority think the opposite of what I do, maybe they're right? Maybe I'm not seeing something. Many will go and conform to that 64% to "get on board," or, "get with the program." They will in fact fool their own minds into thinking they're missing something and go against their original beliefs so as not to appear different. Kids do it. Adults do it. But there will always be some who stick to their beliefs and won't be swayed. It's these people they're afraid of.

This is a study I've been doing for many, many years. Whenever I see someone switching their minds to conform, I actually ask them, "Now just out of curiosity, why did you change your mind to the opposite of what you've been telling me?" Some have actually said, "Well, if there's that many, maybe I'm missing something." Many will change their mind AFTER they see poll results on TV and they see that the majority think opposite of what they do. Isn't that amazing?

Like in this NSA poll. Do you honestly think Americans supports being spied on? If they don't mind, then they don't know the full ramifications or the full details.

Next time you go out to a bar, go bowling, or anywhere to where there are people --a family event, a night out with the guys or girls, and just simply ask them. But, the trick is, DON'T do it as a group! Ask them one on one so there is no peer pressure and the results are not tainted or altered. If you ask while everyone is at a table, there'll always be a couple who say one thing first, then change their minds depending on which way everyone else goes. Also, there'll be some who hold off on answering to see where the others answer, THEN they will answer. Those are tainted answers and results, which cannot be added then to your study.

When poll results are released, pay attention. It's ALWAYS somewhere in the 50-60/50-6o range. It's NEVER blown out in one direction or another --especially when the subject is something very important, like gun control, same-sex marriage, etc. Those poll results will NEVER be one-sided.

Pay attention to how the poll results were gathered. How many people were asked? Gender? Age? Political/religious, etc. beliefs? Income? Marital status? Employed?

If they were asked by someone in person with a microphone, they tend to be wimpy and just say what they think people want to hear, or not even give an answer altogether. But, if it's done over the Internet, people are more brave over the Internet because there's that buffer zone, and the anonymity, so the answers are more honest, but also more easily altered to whichever they want the results to go.

I think polls cannot be trusted. It's a subliminal tool to not only get more people on board, but also to justify whichever laws they want passed. "Well, if THAT many people are in favor of it, I guess it's OK so I won't write my Congress-person." "I guess it's just me."

How many times have you seen a poll and the results they showed were not in line to what you believed in?

How many times after seeing poll results, did you change your mind to conform with the results? Be honest with yourself!

How many times after seeing poll results, did you say to your wife/husband/yourself/whoever, "I don't care what they say, I don't agree with that?"


"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." - Gandhi


- "One Nation Under..."

reply to post by OneNationUnder


Is there really much of an expectation of anonymity anymore, even over the internet? Outside of things like Tor anyways.

I've written to my congressperson many times, you will always get the same canned answer and their minds are already made up before you hit send. All you can do is act after the fact and not vote them in the next cycle, not that voting has much integrity left aside from things like gerrymandering, understaffing and restricted access to make sure the lines are long and people are discouraged from coming, and other shenanigans like groups sending fake e-mails or postcards telling them the wrong dates, times, and locations for polling stations.

reply to post by TrueBrit


Precisely, American Idiots all around me which is precisely what our government wants.


How about, lets just have the NSA allow us to only log on to our computers when they tell us we can so as to not miss any of our real time surfing.

I dont trust and look polls but let's be honest here : Majority of Americans are uneducated, brainwashed, uninformed..... so this result is not surprising.

This conditioning and priming for Big Brother started back with "MySpace", which morphed into FaceBook and now Twitter.

Facebook subtly formed 'group think' by creating the 'like' and 'dislike' function.

No. They do not.

It's just another attempt to make people think what they want them to think.

The old Jedi mind trick.....

Most people are to stupid and too lazy to research and have their own "informed" opinion and will regurgitate whatever they read in the news as fact.

They can put out a "poll" like that and sway many, many Americans to thinking that way.

It's sad but true that people are so gullible.

Originally posted by leemachino
I've noticed more news reports about bomb threats being phoned in since this NSA story broke. The flight to Phoenix, Newtown school and now Princeton University.

Seems a bit odd is all. A way to get people on board.

Yep. I saw several today alone..the plane in Virginia, and then the airport in Atlanta.

Who took the poll? Who paid for it? Where was it taken?

I don't believe it thus far

Once again thanks for replies, I hope this gets attention-here and net searches- show people interested that there's more to question about these "polls" than to believe.

Seeing more on the topic such as...

Majority Of Americans Okay With NSA Dragnet... Or, Wait, Not Okay With It; Depending On How You Ask

But perhaps the largest factor is the phrasing of the questions. A Rasmussen poll conducted during the same period came to nearly the completely opposite conclusion. Most voters oppose the U.S. government’s secret collection of the phone records of millions of Americans and think the feds are spying too much on U.S. citizens these days. Just 26% of Likely U.S. Voters favor the government’s secret collecting of these phone records for national security purposes regardless of whether there is any suspicion of wrongdoing. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% are opposed to the practice.

And in favor of:

The Majority of Americans Still Don't Care About the NSA Spying on Them

A bit of good news for the 265 sitting members of Congress who voted to extend the legislation that the NSA claims as its mandate to collect phone data: the majority of Americans don't care. Pew Research today released a poll suggesting that 56 percent of the country thinks doing just that is just fine.

Prism Yahoo is sticking up for it.



American's don't care? Hah. Show them otherwise.

reply to post by dreamingawake


Really? Because I read today on Gizmodo (or Engadget, forget which is which) that the majority of Americans are against the NSA Surveillance program.

I wouldn't put too much stock in bought and paid for media polls from the bought and paid for corporate media.

Plus, this story is just getting started, this kid has already turned over a treasure trove of documents and the list of things this government is doing that the public has confirmation of is about to go up by some 1000 percent.

Obama may very well have to resign to prevent impeachment and save his political party at this point. It doesn't matter that Bush started the ball rolling on this, Obama is the one holding the hot potato (sucks to be him).

By the end of this week not even corporate media is going to be able to pass off BS polls like this one once the stories come out. Right now, top govt officials are calling the UK and elsewhere BEGGING them to stop publication.

Originally posted by mwood
No. They do not.

It's just another attempt to make people think what they want them to think.

The old Jedi mind trick.....

Most people are to stupid and too lazy to research and have their own "informed" opinion and will regurgitate whatever they read in the news as fact.

They can put out a "poll" like that and sway many, many Americans to thinking that way.

It's sad but true that people are so gullible.

Yeah, I've tried that same trick w/ my wife "you like it "there", didn't work for me, isn't going to work for the NSA either.