I received a comment saying that if I was against reporting my neighbor than shouldn’t I be against reporting deplorable acts such at Abu Gharib.
I could write a book on the differences. Frankly I thought that people understood the differences between telling tales out of school and whistle blowing.
During the Joe McCarthy era, people were encouraged to report on their neighbors if they thought that they were Communists or otherwise disloyal to the Government. People would report neighbors or other people that they had personal grudges against. The later people would be thoroughly investigated–everywhere from their home to their jobs. Many lost jobs based solely because they were being investigated, whether the charges were true or not. There are laws in place against that now, but there are always ways of getting around things.
Sodomy is a crime in many states. In five states there are specific laws pertaining to homosexual activity and sodomy. I’m not real into the details of anybodies sex life. It’s in the category of too much information, even and maybe especially my best friends. But legally people can report other people for sodomy. It’s boggles my mind that people would even know that people are having sex, let alone…
In this new American climate of homosexuality is a sin, I can see some people with search lights looking at their gay neighbors, and trying to see what they’re doing behind the curtains. Yick.
Whistle blowing is seeing things that aren’t right, and making sure that people know about these things. Norma Rae–remember her? was a whistle blower, as were the people who reported the incidents at Guantánamo Bay.
Whistle blowing is reporting a boss who sexually harasses you or denies you a promotion because you’re not one of the boys. Merrill Lynch has recently been the subject of several investigations in this area.
Yes people could still do these things to be vindictive, but usually they do them because they have been discriminated against.
If you believe that your neighbor should go to jail because you think that they might smoke pot, or have sex in positions you don’t like, I guess that’s your call. But when the government asks you to do that and you comply because you believe that it’s your responsibility as an American, then you’re just being a sheep who is following a vindictive, petty horrible government.
Forgot to add that in Nazi Germany as in Stalin’s USSR, kids were urged to rat on their parents; neighbors on neighbors. Actually in Nazi Germany, Hitler’s rise to the top was much aided by this.
For the record: I am not a Socialist. I love capitalism. I am as much a patriot as any Repub. I remained in New York (as did everyone I know) after 9/11 because this is our city, we love it, and we wanted to help rebuild it.
No good asking me, I’m a raging liberal.. lol..
I believe in love, freedom, liberty, and the intelligence of the heart. Not grassing on your neighbour’s grass..
We should look back into our history of American propaganda. During the cold war and WW II propaganda told us that America was a free society. Would you want to live in a country where your neighbors would report your every indiscretion? This propaganda was used to create a fear of the enemy.
But, today there is a new fear that is being spread. The government wants you to report your neighbors. Who can say what crime rises to the level of reporting your neighbor to the government? Isn’t this why we have police?
But even more than that, the level of distrust in your neighbor will surely rise if these activities are encouraged. It is more than the reporting of a crime, it is a change in the culture.
When we were in Germany we moved into an apartment that didn’t allow pets. We had a cat, but apartments were hard to find so we moved in anyway. Having done the same thing in the US at one point we didn’t worry about being caught. But one thing that we didn’t count on was a nosey neighbor who reported us to the landlord. Do we want that in America?
oh this is dangerous…it is a very slippery slope. If we limit the debate simply to drugs, I know certain drugs at one time or another legal that are not…but, that is another issue. If someone abuses drugs the goal should be to help them…not punish their family.
Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling about medical marijuana can be combined with that proposed law where you go to prison for not squealing on your neighbors. If a terminally ill person lives in your neighborhood, you might have to protect yourself by turning that person in for using medical marijuana. That way, if it turns out that person actually did have marijuana, you’ve saved yourself from a 10-year prison sentence for not squealing.
Isn’t this a great direction we’re heading in?
Choosing to blow the whistle on a person, organization, or group, is different than being told you must blow the whistle on people.
Pia, you gave a very good example of what happened when the government told people to tell them if someone was a communist. Lives were destroyed for the silliest of reasons.
If two adults want to have sex while hanging off the ceiling and their dog watches, fine. If someone wants to smoke pot in the privacy of their own home, no skin off my nose. Neither activity hurts someone else.
If someone wants to torture someone in prison (in Gitmo or elsewhere) or desecrate a religious object (no matter what religion), than other people are being hurt. Those people who have the courage to stand up and say “This is wrong” should be applauded. Not compared to people forced to squeal or be prosicuted for a non-crime crime.
Ah, yes. That bill should be titled “How to Conduct a Witchhunt” in order to remove all ambiguity.
The only upside would be that, during the congressional hearings, nobody ‘guilty’ would be able to remember the details about which they were supposed to be testifying.
Senator Acshat: Mr Snitty, on or about the night of June 7th, 1994, witnesses place you at the scene of a party where marijuana was smoked. Were you at that party?
Me: Um, I think so. I don’t remember for sure. That was right around when that wookie dude my friend used to know came back from the Dead show in Cleveland with that killer sheet of Purple Jesus blotter.
Senator Acshat: Were any of the people on this list also at that party?
Me: Um, I don’t remember. Maybe. I was really baked… Hey, do you guys have a vending machine in here somewhere? I could really go for like some of those little chocolate-covered donuts or some Doritos or something. Or better yet, is there like a Taco Bell around here? Nachos bellgrande kick ass.
Yes! Sally, very good point. Helping people is the way to go, if they need it.
I once got turned in by a ‘friend’ in highschool for smoking (tobacco) and she claimed she ‘did it because she loves me’ and wanted to help. Well, I was pissed as hell.. And it didn’t help me out much. It’s a fine line Sally, but yes, I agree. That’s far more useful..
The thing about kids being encouraged to rat on their parents….it’s being done now, in our public schools.
Not only are kids encouraged to rat on parents, but they are encouraged to nag parents about things like that after-dinner glass of wine, or smoking a cigarette.
Nice people we’re raising, eh?