Free countires...?

There was a time when I considered countries like the U.S. and the U.K. as "free" countries. Countries such as China used to scare me because the government was so powerful that the slightest hint of dissent will result in your imprisonment. Back then I was lucky enough to believe in a black and white world, where the Western countries were the good guys whereas dictatorships such as the Chinese government were inherently evil.

As I learned more about the world, I discovered things are never truly black and white, only in various shades of grey. Nonetheless, it was not difficult to convince myself that the Western countries come in much light greys than my own Motherland.

I can no longer say that.

I have read news reports stating London has over a million surveillance cameras in operation. I have heard complaints that the British government is becoming Big Brother. My impression of the country is that ever since 9/11 and especially the London bombing, it had enacted laws that substantially empowered law enforcement. I can't say whether the police is abusing their newly acquired power, but it nonetheless scares me, the way the Chinese government scares me.

The situation in the U.S. is a little different but just as worrying. I have read many articles about students getting suspended for doing the most trivial thing -- doodling a gun for example -- as well as people getting arrested for the most ridiculous reasons, such as standing around on the street. My impression of America now is that the slightest nonconformity will set off alarms that can get you into trouble. Since I generally hate conformity and might even unconsciously strive to be different, this makes me feel uncomfortable if not down right afraid.

I think "free" countries are a lot less free now, and most of the erosion of freedom occurred after the 9/11 terrorist attack, usually under the guise of security measures against further terrorist attacks. If you think about it, these security measures would have come in force regardless of the Coalition's achievements in Iraq, the so called "War on Terror". If this war really is about getting back our freedom, then we have lost miserably, even before the first soldier set foot in Afghanistan or Iraq.

We were defeated the minute we began to trade freedom for security.