Am I paranoid? in Off Topic

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ID:182054
 
Feb 10 2009, 1:36 pm
So I checked out the Communist Manifesto a few days ago. I listened to a debate on communism and heard a lot of interesting points about Marx's view of capitalism. Anyway I had always heard people joke about being put on a watch list after checking out certain books, and I even read a news story about someone who checked out The Little Red Book and Homeland Security showed up at his house.

Well today while I was on campus, two members of the US Army showed up to my house looking for me. If I hadn't checked out the book so recently I don't think I would even think about it. Am I being overly paranoid? I tried to assume they were out on recruitment, but after they were told I was on campus they said they would go look for me. I figure if it was recruitment they would also visit my friends in the neighborhood but they didn't.
#1 Feb 10 2009, 1:47 pm
Probably so.

Communism has recently had a major backslide and I highly doupt it likely that the goverment would send someone to spy on you. Not when we have open communist and worse, terrorist, around. Main threat to US Security... Not Communism but indeed terrorism.

[EDIT] PS. Karl Marx's ideas only work good on paper... as you can see from the poor outcome of the past attempts.
#2 Feb 10 2009, 2:00 pm
In response to Axiom (#1)
The main problem with Marxism is that it would only work if the government was headed by good people; otherwise, it will become Communism. Had Trotsky become ruler of Russia after Lenin (Stalin had him assassinated), the Russian government might have come out OK.

Also, Marxism != Communism.

EDIT: Made a small mistake, fixed it.
#3 Feb 10 2009, 2:18 pm
In response to Axiom (#1)
Axiom wrote:
[EDIT] PS. Karl Marx's ideas only work good on paper... as you can see from the poor outcome of the past attempts.

Communism as Marx has probably never been implemented in practice. If it has, then it was only for the relatively brief time Lenin was in power.
#4 Feb 10 2009, 2:21 pm
My friend has read the Communist Manifesto and the journal of Che Guevara, and no one has contacted him about anything. You're just being paranoid.
#5 Feb 10 2009, 2:21 pm
Overly paranoid for sure. If the military wanted to keep tabs on you, I doubt they would be so obvious. Even still, Mark's works are quite well known, and it doesn't sound strange for a college student to check it out. On top of that, the army rarely gets involved in homeland affairs. We have several better fits for such jobs, army would be one of the last on the list.
#6 Feb 10 2009, 2:28 pm
In response to Danial.Beta (#5)
Danial.Beta wrote:
Overly paranoid for sure. If the military wanted to keep tabs on you, I doubt they would be so obvious. Even still, Mark's works are quite well known, and it doesn't sound strange for a college student to check it out. On top of that, the army rarely gets involved in homeland affairs. We have several better fits for such jobs, army would be one of the last on the list.

Don't be so quick to dismiss it. My brother had the same thing happen to him, but he got a phone call.
#7 Feb 10 2009, 2:30 pm
In response to Jerico2day (#6)
And how old was he? Last years of high school, or just out? Early years of college? The army always does that, as they try their damnedest to recruit. I got one of those phonecalls, and got into a debate about preferring to keep my free will with the person on the other end of the line. <_<
#8 Feb 10 2009, 3:41 pm
It's definitely just paranoia. Marx's particular brand of utopian idiocy doesn't foment rebellions very often anymore, and the military is known for heavily pursuing recruitment opportunities of people in your age group.

Anyway in the modern political climate, being one of a few million college students who've taken a look into communist philosophy this year makes you completely uninteresting in a security sense.

Lummox JR
#9 Feb 11 2009, 12:24 am
The whole reds-under-the-bed thing is very much dead. The Australian government has had no issues giving me a security clearance, and while I'm not a communist, I am the next best thing. While Australia may not be America, we had the same communist-scare thing, and we are very close allies.
#10 Feb 11 2009, 10:26 am
Soccerguy13 wrote:
So I checked out the Communist Manifesto a few days ago.

Looks like the 'other side' is tracking you, too:
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

:P
#11 Feb 11 2009, 3:08 pm
In response to TheMonkeyDidIt (#10)
TheMonkeyDidIt wrote:
Soccerguy13 wrote:
So I checked out the Communist Manifesto a few days ago.

Looks like the 'other side' is tracking you, too:
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

:P

Does the girl come with the shirt?
#12 Feb 11 2009, 3:40 pm
In response to Mobius Evalon (#11)
That sexism isn't appreciated.
#13 Feb 11 2009, 4:10 pm
In response to PirateHead (#12)
I appreciated it.
#14 Feb 11 2009, 4:12 pm
In response to Airjoe (#13)
I concur.
#15 Feb 12 2009, 12:36 pm
In response to Popisfizzy (#7)
Popisfizzy wrote:
And how old was he? Last years of high school, or just out? Early years of college? The army always does that, as they try their damnedest to recruit. I got one of those phonecalls, and got into a debate about preferring to keep my free will with the person on the other end of the line. <_<

It wasn't recruiters. I'd rather not go further into it here. If you want to talk about it more, feel free to PM me.
#16 Feb 12 2009, 4:14 pm
If you do happen to find yourself interrogated, possibly with the assistance of various sex crimes that may or may not be on this [possibly inexistent] interrogation team's agenda, do post your experience with it here.
#17 Feb 13 2009, 3:47 am
In response to Lummox JR (#8)
This is my problem.. I find myself compleatly uninteresting to these people. IDK what these other people did to get phone calls and visits, but i work my ass off trying to catch the attention of big brother and all i got is an automated phone tap on my grandpa's phone... same as a common bloody drug dealer.. like wtf. whats a guy got to do??
#18 Feb 13 2009, 1:55 pm
In response to PirateHead (#12)
PirateHead wrote:
That sexism isn't appreciated.

that wasn't sexism. that was hormones. *big* difference.
#19 Feb 13 2009, 2:24 pm
In response to digitalmouse (#18)
Letting hormones be an excuse for sexism isn't appreciated either. :-)
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