zlacker

>>MDWoli+(OP)
United States is a police state. I said it 20 years ago, people laughed. Now you see if for yourself. American police have positioned themselves as the enemy of the people because they see people as their enemy. And the only way to stop the enemy is by applying brute force. If they're doing all this in front of cameras, imagine what they do when nobody is looking.

Whereas in other countries, such as the UK, police are considered civilians in a uniform and behave accordingly.

>>bsd44+Zf
How did this come about, is it the consequence of an armed society, or something else unique to Americans?

>>_xerce+vh
We have a very armed police because we have a very armed populace, and we have a very armed populace because security is your own responsibility, at least in the rural areas (also notice the urban/rural divide, armed populace is in the rural area, and the crazy police stories are from the urban area).

One of the main ways America is so different than Europeans because of its political system. Here we empower rural areas (due to electoral college). Without electoral college, the national policies are what urban policies are. NY state looks just like Canada from a political POV, large urban concentrated center who vote and dictate all the policies, and rural areas don't really get much of a say in state policy.

Urban areas are ok with different point of views, they are ok with lifestyles which don't result in 'spreading of the tribe' (i.e. abortion, LGBTQ etc), they are less religious, pro-infrastructure spending (because a fire brigade can serve a LOT of people).

Rural areas are more religious, self-reliant, pro-guns, anti things which don't spread the tribe.

In European democracies, this results in primarily urban driven policies, whereas in the US this results in a constant rural-urban divide and struggle.

>>splint+jr
This is an amazing response. Thank you. I might also add that income equality in America is at peak, and as COVID laid bare America has no clothes, were most people are 1 Paycheck away from bankruptcy, while billionaires are still winning from the stop market. You need a heavily militarized police force to maintain peace in such an unqeual environment