> Yeah. USA has a really strong propaganda system and it's a shame that even on HN, where people should be more critical thinkers, this is not widely recognized.

OTOH, I recommend strongly you consider how strong the anti-US propaganda is online, including on places like Reddit and HN. It's an entire art form now, how to be critical of the US in every possible way. Whether it's cops, health care, or imperial measurements.

The reality in the US is much different than portrayed on here, and you ought to be aware of that.

> The reality in the US is much different than portrayed on here, and you ought to be aware of that.

I agree and I admit I've never even been there. But even when chatting with Americans -- here included -- the culture and thinking differences are immediately apparent.

I don't actively seek out any anti-anything propaganda, and started disengaging myself from political discussions lately (this thread is the shameful exception, sadly).

I can't claim I am completely unbiased, sure. But I am mostly commenting on impressions I have from hundreds of interactions, virtual and physical.

It is entirely possible that as an American I am just getting oversensitive to this. But all I ever seem to hear on HN (and Reddit) is everything bad about the US. To someone who has never lived here, I suppose it must seem pretty dystopian.

I do think you should visit :). Every time I visit a new country I am struck by just how different it is in real life compared to everything I've ever heard about it. It's the primary reason I like to travel at all. I'm not really into the tourist stuff, I love to get off the beaten path and see how people actually live.

At least go visit Canada. Might be surprising, or not, but it shares a lot of cultural similarities with the US.

It’s probable that many of those interactions are omitting important information or are exaggerating: the conversational equivalent of an affluent white teenager walking past a friendly cop with his hands over his head, which I’ve seen multiple times.

Not in my case. The people who told me the stories were well-established adults who very rarely lose their cool (but some cops have a way to piss you off so they can then justify their violence towards you).

So a good general suggestion from your side but doesn't apply to what I've heard and experienced.

I’m skeptical, but fair. :) Well, I hope you at least visit other areas of the world besides the US someday.

Can you clarify on the "I'm skeptical" part, please?

It's like, I have nothing to do today, oh I know, I'll just come to HN and lie about experiences with cops. Is that what you're implying?

I’m skeptical that you’ve sampled a good cross-section of experiences. It sounds like you exposed yourself to a high volume of anecdotes from a narrow category of respondents. You may also have been exposed to liars or exaggerations; you yourself aren’t lying.

Hopefully that’s stated directly enough for you.

It's your right to be skeptical -- although I can't fathom why. I got nothing better to do, I'm here specifically to mislead you.

Heh, okay.

Again, to be clear, I think you’re misled; you’re communicating sincerely.

As to why any of us are here, fair question!

We all judge by what we see. Obviously that's never the whole truth -- that much has always been true. So I never claimed to have the whole truth of the situation; of course I don't, it would be hugely naive for me to claim otherwise.

My general stance basically is "don't look at what's written, look at what people can do and get away with it because that's exactly what most people will do".

> USA has a really strong propaganda system and it's a shame that even on HN, where people should be more critical thinkers, this is not widely recognized.

That's the fault of "American exceptionalism". At least one positive thing happened as a result of the 45th - Americans can no longer deny that their nation is immune from falling into the hands of a proto-fascist and a gang of cronies and goons in his wake.

Anyway, the list of points is (sans the pledge) applicable across most countries in the Western world... partially because a lot of our culture is US-influenced (social networks, but first and foremost Hollywood's media industry) and because our media isn't much better. Germany's most influential BILD tabloid is a rag that spreads authoritarianism and right-wing ideology, and the cop show Tatort consistently has peak TV attendance rates.