What a privieleged take on "freedom".

I am that elderly (Ukrainian/Polish) American blaming the Unites States for the world hating us.

The way we are doing business right now—with this proxy war with Russia, and how that is affecting world economies—we will be having more hate coming our way soon.And—we deserve it. American hegemony needs to end. Manifest destiny is a lie.

I faced the Vietnam death lottery—where they wanted to send me to the other side of the world to kill people, or be killed. Unless you were willing to face prison you had no choice.Puts a new spin on the ides of “fighting for freedonm.” Now the government has gotten smarter—using economics to make young men join out of desperation—but all are still required by law to register for Selective Service at 18; not doing so will cost them at minimum future government jobs.

"Agitate for laws that control of break up monopolies"—You'll get nothing but a rash from trying to do that. It has been going in the reverse direction for decades.

"Run for office"—have you looked at the amount of money it takes? And how the major parties will do whatever is necessary to make sure you lose if you are not doing what they want?“

Don't like the "food" products on the shelf? Don't buy them, there are alternatives.”

Boy did you ever miss the author’s point about the ten companies that control the entire industry.

Then, after the author explains the surveillance and control that Amazon exerts on its employees—one of the biggest employers, and practices that others are picking up on—all you can say from inside your insulated bubble is: “Don't want to put up with Amazon's workplace, don't work there.” That's really special.

You write from a place that is so dazzlingly blind to the amount of privilege you have.

And luck. Anything to hold onto that by-his-own-bootstraps myth.

You provide 1950s Hollywood images of what it’s like to start a business in Russia— “government officials to pay off” (yes, we all watched the Saturday morning cartoons with Boris Badenov) and then act as if anyone can start a business here. You need to travel around the USofA a bit and get some perspective.

Even comfortable white people like you will roll their eyes.

All of your arguments that “we have infinitely more power to change our country for the better” are the fantasy that the government sells. Many, maybe most, buy it.

It’s a Brave New World —the “citizens” pacified, submissive, screen-addicted, anti-intellectual, hoping for superheroes and megabucks.

“In America you can say anything you want - as long as it doesn't have any effect. Where there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official spokesmen have all the loud-speakers." - Paul Goodman