
Edward Snowden Interview: 'There Is Still Hope - Even for Me' - runesoerensen
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/edward-snowden-interview-there-is-still-hope-a-1166752.html
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maxander
A line I particularly liked (from the second segment):

> "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."

A huge percentage of the modern news media is fear-based. In the last U.S.
presidential election, both candidates were running on largely fear-based
platforms (fear of Mexicans on one end, fear of Trump on the other.) Even most
political movements emphasize the terrible thing they're afraid of or angry
about instead of actual changes that could be made to fix things. This can't
be how things keep working.

I'm optimistic that we'll learn this "alchemy," though, for the simple reason
that the onslaught of media-terror has become so absurdly intense that people
can't help but become jaded. The first time you hear about a murder in your
area, it's terrifying; the second time, a bit more expected; what about the
tenth? The hundreth? We're being asked to believe in so many terrible things
at once that the human mind is just going to give up at some point.

As long as we can lose fear without also losing _concern_ , we'll be alright.

~~~
joneil
Krista Tippett (from the "On Being" podcast) talks about this as one of the
most important social tasks at the moment - to help calm fears of those around
us so that as a society we're less fearful of each other, and more open to
each other. I found it a fascinating call-to-action, as the rise of fear is
something I feel like I've been noticing.

Having said that, I'm only 30, so don't know if the local pattern of rising
fear is part of a larger story of less fear (compared to cold war days, for
example).

~~~
jacobush
I am a bit over 40. From how I remember the cold war, most people didn't
realise just how bad it was. I mean, risk of happening multiplied by impact.

~~~
projektfu
I remember it being there in the background but most people knew they couldn't
address it themselves, so just kept on as though the world wasn't going to
end. Who would be so crazy?

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alexandercrohde
Snowden gives a really solid interview every time. Very polished.

I'm interested that he called out the idea of "deep state." He defines it as
political forces that outlast a presidency (by that definition of course it
exists i.e. any political party), but perhaps the implied element is a
secretive nature and power over a president.

I wonder if there's an objective way to answer this.

~~~
wyldfire
> The deep state realizes that while it may not elect the president, it can
> shape them very quickly

Instead of seeing this as some sort of covert manipulation, maybe this
phenomenon is a reflection of just how much people prefer the status quo. IIRC
a lot of jurisprudence is based on deferring to status quo. It seems natural
that a new president's administration should remind them "hey, listen, we've
thought about item Q on your agenda a lot and we can't do it because of X, Y,
and Z."

On the other hand, I've shown up on software teams before and asked, "Hey can
we try Best Practice X?" \-- only to learn that "Yes, we have all thought long
and hard about Best Practice X but it Just Couldn't Possibly Apply Here. Also,
Dave doesn't care for it." ;)

~~~
thevardanian
There's that but there's also just the simple trajectory, and momentum our
laws, and law makers have. That is there are multiple actors in society that
have self-interests, whether that be getting reelected next election cycle, or
getting the shweet government contracts to run your business. The confluence
of all those independent actors may act towards similar behaviors, and that
produces a sort of illusion of "Deep-state ventriloquists". Think invisible
hand. It's just that everyone is essentially forced to make the same kind of
logical next step decisions due to environmental constraints, like economy,
laws, etc.

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soup10
Snowden seems like a great guy with a good heart. It's a shame that he has
been exiled to Moscow for embarrassing the government, but i'm happy he is
alive and not in a jail cell.

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warent
"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."

Very well said. In many ways, Snowden keeps the bar high for what we should
aspire to be, and what we can be.

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ionised
He says giving speeches and interviews is out of his comfort zone, but he
always comes across as articulate and well-spoken. More than I am for sure.

I'm glad he's doing okay though.

I believe he did the world a great favour and history will look back on what
he did with kindness, even if so many do not look on it that way now.

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yuhong
My favorite now is how the national debt goes up every time FBI/NSA spends
more money. Which of course causes more money to be printed.

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djschnei
Is there video of the interview?

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stagbeetle
The juxtaposition on the front page right now is cool.

iPhone X 623 6 hours ago | 1290 comments

Edward Snowden Interview: 'There Is Still Hope - Even for Me' 74 points 4
hours ago | 16 comments

As they move past from their earthly feelings of shame, whenst they stuck
their heads in the sand, now they revel in their vice.

~~~
BoringCode
Yes, there is more to life than the cult of Snowden. No reason to run around
with our heads cut off just because the man gave an interview.

~~~
jacobush
Apparently the cult of Apple has a much stronger following.

