You want to see a graphic example of what “THEY” want to do to us?
Keep in mind, this is ACTUALLY HAPPENING, RIGHT NOW, TO MILLIONS OF CITIZENS. HUMAN PEOPLE ARE BEING TREATED LIKE THIS BY OTHER HUMAN PEOPLE.
As seen on Weibo: Shanghai residents go to their balconies to sing & protest lack of supplies. A drone appears: “Please comply w covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing.” m.weibo.cn/status/4755028…
I think the Chinese will explode soon - so much negative energy is being bottled up! They are a patient lot, but also stubborn beyond comprehension, when push comes to shove. No singing, no opening windows, no letting your dog out, no, no, no...
Took me most of a lifetime to realize that the American uncouthness mocked and reviled by those coming from sometimes quite ancient civilizations is what has, up to now, mostly saved us. Of course there's another side too. America was settled by a great variety of little extremist groups fleeing their larger societies, and when they arrived here they demanded continued conformity and obedience within the group. America as a society allowed individuals to escape into a legally secular culture where they could live as they chose.
But the human hunger to have a motivating belief always lets charlatans in when a person doesn't have a strong sense of self.
As any powerful society does, we've committed plenty of horrors, domestically and abroad. The strength of America has always been to be able to confront these openly while recognizing the foundational exceptionalism of our system. It's just as bad to be a blind patriot as it is to be a blind repudiator.