In college I used to live with three guys from Tunisia. They loved living in the U.S., despite being very wealthy back home. Their favorite activities including listening to Marley, smoking pot and immersing themselves in hour after hour of ping pong.
One day they were telling me how free Tunisia was, and I asked if it was OK to insult the President of Tunisia. They're eyes grew big and their body language became stressed.
I thought they were joking when they told me that you would get a visit from a government official if you spoke negatively of the President. I asked them, "So, you couldn't say, like, fuck Bill Clinton?" They really got stressed then. I think they believed that it was OK to say that in the US, but they had an ingrained reaction to questioning the government.
Which brings us to yesterday. I was sending an email to a friend and I included the phrase, "I am surprised you did not bring down a reign of terror on them." I hesitated sending the email.
Would the inclusion of the word "terror" cause me to be tracked in all my online movements for the next several months? Should I use a different word, or just get rid of that phrase?
What scares me is that I have those fears as a citizen of the United States. What scares me more is that I might not be paranoid.
Am I the only one who can see a day when liberal owned businesses must be designated with a pink "L"?