I still think that Internet and technology is much safer in USA. Hey Americans actually care about privacy. In UK or other countries people are ready with lube when government asks them to bend over.
I disagree. I think this distinction results from Europeans being more humble and not from us being more concerned. I'm not convinced that our arrogance serves the freedom of technology or the internet. American's are eager to see themselves as citizens of the country that invented freedom. We assume our capacity for self-determination is absolute and unwavering. We like to see America, which is often great, as a reflection of ourselves. But ultimately this inclination is a double-edged sword. It forces us to accept personal responsibility for our country's flaws. You might think that this causes us to "actually care". I don't. While it is conceivable that a single person can shape their entire country the reality is immensely challenging and uncertain. Anecdotes to the contrary, though numerous and extraordinary, are curated by survival bias. We know this intuitively but can't express it without contradicting our idealism. When faced with a new social problem we essentially have 3 choices:
1. Abandon the pleasant safety of arrogance. Accept the non-totality of your control. Be practical. Do what you can. Risk the indignant judgement of someone that chose #2.
2. Abandon the intuition of humility. Be the solution. Assume you're the next Great Thinker in social progress. The MLK for problem x. Change the world. Care. Inspire people. Avoid narcissism.
3. Capitulate to the most primitive defense: denial/apathy. The government isn't spying on us. If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear. Are you a conspiracy theorist?
The best choice is #1. It's the unconscious choice of most Europeans. They simply lack the arrogance necessary to perceive our little problem with problems. American's are frequently stuck between #2/#3. While these people may appear to care more they are merely sublimating the intense anxiety of their self-imposed challenge. Their choice to meet insecurity with arrogance undermines the optimization of their unlikely success. They struggle to understand their relationship to the autonomous beast that opposes them. Of course, that is only if they choose not to deny the problem exists at all.
