Abortion bounties, book bans, forcing families with trans kids to flee their homes: Republicans are building a model of govt that forces people to live and act how conservatives want, enforced by the fear that anyone can be an informant. A Snitch State (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
In Texas and elsewhere, new laws and policies have encouraged neighbors to report neighbors to the government.
Some of us are old enough to remember the Stasi and the fact that about 1 in 6 East Germans were either informers or on the Stasi payroll. It’s a weird model for Texas to emulate.
The push began about a decade ago in Canada. Strong vibes of The Malicious Practices Act of 1933. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
"A boy of nine had popped up from behind the table and was menacing him with a toy automatic pistol. "'You're a traitor!' yelled the boy. 'You're a thought-criminal! You're a Eurasian spy! I'll shoot you, I'll vaporize you, I'll send you to the salt mines!'" — Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Their version of “freedom” SMH
This was terrific and I enjoyed reading it
They say “snitch-state”, I say Stasi.
wait for it... next up... children encouraged to report on their parents. It's happened before. It blows up family and community, until there is only fear.
Great article!
I thought we cancelled Operation TIPS 22 years ago.