--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea that we should dismantle the…" description: "\"“The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of our political system to erect a ubiquitous surveillance state for the sake of this risk is t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/glenn-greenwald-1215_political-system_the-idea-that-we-should-dismantle-the-co_1003309.jpg" --- # The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of… ![“The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of our political system to erect a ubiquitous surveillance state for the sake of this risk is the height of irrationality. Yet exaggeration of the threat is repeated over and over.” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/glenn-greenwald-1215_political-system_the-idea-that-we-should-dismantle-the-co_1003309.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/glenn-greenwald-1215_political-system_the-idea-that-we-should-dismantle-the-co_1003309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/glenn-greenwald-1215_political-system_the-idea-that-we-should-dismantle-the-co_1003309.jpg) > ““The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of our political system to erect a ubiquitous surveillance state for the sake of this risk is the height of irrationality. Yet exaggeration of the threat is repeated over and over.”” [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dismantling core political protections for surveillance is irrational; exaggerating threats repeats this error. **In simple terms:** Surveillance state harms freedom; fear is overblown. Key Takeaway Guard liberties, question security narratives. Themes politics privacy surveillance freedom security Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy debate - public advocacy - legislative review Key Concepts liberal democracy civil liberties risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports the claimed threat? - How can we protect privacy without compromising safety? A Different Perspective Security concerns may be legitimate, requiring nuanced balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exaggeration Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exaggeration-threat-2132251/) [Irrationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrationality/) [Irrationality Exaggeration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrationality-exaggeration-2132250/) [Political system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-system/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Surveillance state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance-state/) [Threat Repeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat-repeated-2132252/) ## Related quotes > [The domestic NSA-led Surveillance State which Frank Church so stridently warned about has obviously come to fruition. The way to avoid its grip is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-domestic-nsa-led-surveillance-state-which-frank-church-so/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Mass surveillance by the state is therefore inherently repressive, even in the unlikely case that it is not abused by vindictive officials to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/mass-surveillance-by-the-state-is-therefore-inherently-repressive/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Taken in its entirety, the Snowden archive led to an ultimately simple conclusion: the US government had built a system that has as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/taken-in-its-entirety-the-snowden-archive-led-to-an-ultimately-simple-2/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Taken in its entirety, the Snowden archive led to an ultimately simple conclusion: the US government had built a system that has as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/taken-in-its-entirety-the-snowden-archive-led-to-an-ultimately-simple/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Wall Street is a huge issue. And it's controlling our lives today with this so-called election - we really have no choice. We're really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/wall-street-is-a-huge-issue-and-it-s-controlling-our-lives-today-with/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [The surveillance state has run amok. Technology that's enabled us to send selfies 24/7 - not that valuable - has also enabled us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/the-surveillance-state-has-run-amok-technology-that-s-enabled-us-to/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Seeing various aspects of the secret state and surveillance state echoes a long tradition in art of looking at the sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/seeing-various-aspects-of-the-secret-state-and-surveillance-state/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Orwell wasn't right about where society was in 1984. We haven't turned into that sort of surveillance society. But that may be, at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/orwell-wasn-t-right-about-where-society-was-in-1984-we-haven-t-turned/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [In a democracy, the citizens are supposed to have all the power, and the government is supposed to be the means by which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/in-a-democracy-the-citizens-are-supposed-to-have-all-the-power-and/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [The National Surveillance State doesn't want anyone to be able to communicate without the authorities being able to monitor that communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-national-surveillance-state-doesn-t-want-anyone-to-be-able-to/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I did not come to this country for the terror from paramilitary," declared Voytek, hoarsely. "I did not come to this country for motherfucker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-did-not-come-to-this-country-for-the-terror-from-paramilitary/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [We didn't have to use technology to build a surveillance state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/we-didn-t-have-to-use-technology-to-build-a-surveillance-state/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [China's leaders seek to subordinate the rights of the individual to the will of the Communist Party. They exert government control over companies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratcliffe/china-s-leaders-seek-to-subordinate-the-rights-of-the-individual-to/) [John Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratcliffe/) > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always-keep-track-of-collective/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/we-all-deserve-credit-for-this-new-surveillance-state-that-we-live-in/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More by Glenn Greenwald > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“The evidence shows that assurances that surveillance is only targeted at those who “have done something wrong” should provide little comfort, since a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-evidence-shows-that-assurances-that-surveillance-is-only-targeted/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Only In America can a renowned and devoted terrorism supporter like Peter King be the arbiter of national security and treason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/only-in-america-can-a-renowned-and-devoted-terrorism-supporter-like/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Above even our physical well-being, a central value is keeping the state out of the private realm—our “persons, houses, papers, and effects,” as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/above-even-our-physical-well-being-a-central-value-is-keeping-the/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/that-capability-at-any-time-could-be-turned-around-on-the-american/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Converting the Internet into a system of surveillance thus guts it of its core potential. Worse, it turns the Internet into a tool of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/converting-the-internet-into-a-system-of-surveillance-thus-guts-it-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“the desire for privacy is shared by us all as an essential, not ancillary, part of what it means to be human. We all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-desire-for-privacy-is-shared-by-us-all-as-an-essential-not/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I don't have a 'side'—I'm responsible for what I say and nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/i-don-t-have-a-side-i-m-responsible-for-what-i-say-and-nothing-else/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Encryption matters, and it is not just for spies and philanderers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/encryption-matters-and-it-is-not-just-for-spies-and-philanderers/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Among other devices, the agency intercepts and tampers with routers and servers manufactured by Cisco to direct large amounts of Internet traffic back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/among-other-devices-the-agency-intercepts-and-tampers-with-routers/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“NSA has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/nsa-has-increasingly-made-use-of-a-secret-technology-that-enables-it/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [A key purpose of journalism is to provide an adversarial check on those who wield the greatest power by shining a light on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-key-purpose-of-journalism-is-to-provide-an-adversarial-check-on/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“We all instinctively understand that the private realm is where we can act, think, speak, write, experiment, and choose how to be, away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/we-all-instinctively-understand-that-the-private-realm-is-where-we/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) [Explore all 270 Glenn Greenwald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) ## More Irrationality quotes > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“All at once, because life’s too short and it’s always like magic when you find a good thing. All at once, because I’m much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nessie-q/all-at-once-because-life-s-too-short-and-it-s-always-like-magic-when/) [Nessie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nessie-q/) > [A miracle entails a degree of irrationality-not because it shocks reason, but because it makes no appeal to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-levinas/a-miracle-entails-a-degree-of-irrationality-not-because-it-shocks/) [Emmanuel Levinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-levinas/) > [The point is that religion puts a value on irrationality, which makes it the perfect tool for promoting irrational beliefs like misogyny. Other ideologies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marcotte/the-point-is-that-religion-puts-a-value-on-irrationality-which-makes/) [Amanda Marcotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marcotte/) > [The experience of the irrationality of the world has been the driving force of all religious revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-experience-of-the-irrationality-of-the-world-has-been-the-driving/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Irrationality is part of everyday rationale”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/irrationality-is-part-of-everyday-rationale/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [Power doesn't corrupt. It's neutral. Someone always wants to corrupt power. It's the way a shotgun is not a deadly weapon until someone chooses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ditko/power-doesn-t-corrupt-it-s-neutral-someone-always-wants-to-corrupt/) [Steve Ditko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ditko/) > [The idea of Jewish settlements under Palestinian sovereignty, as was suggested by someone in the Prime Minister's office, is very dangerous and reflects an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naftali-bennett/the-idea-of-jewish-settlements-under-palestinian-sovereignty-as-was/) [Naftali Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naftali-bennett/) > [I suppose if you look back to your early childhood you accept everything people tell you, and that includes a heavy dose of irrationality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-suppose-if-you-look-back-to-your-early-childhood-you-accept/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Reason is the shepherd trying to corral life's vast flock of wild irrationalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eldridge/reason-is-the-shepherd-trying-to-corral-life-s-vast-flock-of-wild/) [Paul Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eldridge/) > [What a mathematical proof actually does is show that certain conclusions, such as the irrationality of , follow from certain premises, such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/what-a-mathematical-proof-actually-does-is-show-that-certain/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [An engineer cannot participate in irrationality ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/an-engineer-cannot-participate-in-irrationality/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [There is not a more disgusting spectacle under the sun than our subserviency to British criticism. It is disgusting, first, because it is truckling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-not-a-more-disgusting-spectacle-under-the-sun-than-our/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) [Browse all 140 Irrationality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrationality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of our political system to erect a ubiquitous surveillance state for the sake of this risk is the height of irrationality. 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