Or as someone put it, "People shouldn't fear the government. The government should fear the people."
I feel like we've lost the vocabulary we ought to be using to talk about the legitimacy and role of the state. More people need to read J.S. Mill (and probably Hobbes.) Even today, works by both are surprisingly good reads and embed a lot of thoughtful and timeless wisdom.
But isn't the government fearing the people exactly why they're relentlessly pushing ChatControl?
if they feared the populace, they couldn't push for legislation that entrenches their position without any benefits to citizens.
US cops fear everyone else, and look what that gets us.
[dead]