Originally Posted by
Dillon Spencer
I understand that you start by saying you're not opposed to the idea in principle, but then go on to compare an effort to help victims of domestic abuse to the Gestapo... You don't want to be misconstrued, but how exactly is that supposed to be construed? There's quite a gulf between those two stances.
Domestic violence is notoriously hard to catch, as it happens in the home and is underreported by victims. Earlier posters have pointed to reports of domestic violence being on the rise in various parts of the US since the lockdown. Why would we expect it to be different there? I don't know the exact lockdown situation in the Czech Republic right now, but from the sounds of the article the only people that may be in a position to spot the signs (besides family members) are postal workers and delivery people. For the most part it just sounds like they're receiving training on how to spot the signs, and direction to keep their eyes peeled. They're not kicking down doors and performing warrantless searches. If they think they spot something in the course of doing their regular job, they're receiving guidance on whether to refer someone to an app with resources, or if the situation warrants reporting to the police.
I mean, I'm a teacher. I've received training on how to spot signs of abuse, and am required by law to report it if I suspect anything or a student says something. I've never had to, but I have colleagues that have. It's something we take incredibly seriously, and certainly don't do on a whim. The legal requirement to report exists in my province, and I'm pretty sure the rest of them are the same. There's damn near a million of us in the country. Doctors, I know, have the same requirement. That's a whole lot of snitches just waiting to turn in their neighbours, but despite how I'm sure many of you feel about Canadia, we thus far remain concentration camp free.
To be clear, I'm sure you don't believe domestic abusers should be protected. I'm just pushing back because I feel like a lot of people are looking for tyranny around every corner these days. I fully support being vigilant about government overreach, but I think your outrage and disappointment is better spent elsewhere. I don't know about various professional requirements to report abuse in the US, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are already millions of people that are legally required to watch for abuse and report it. You (and others) probably just haven't thought about it until now because you haven't had reason to.
To me, Cody Annino getting snitched on for going in to clean and maintain his own gym has far more of a Gestapo-esque stench to it than this. I know we've already proven Godwin's law a few times here (although less than I'd have expected in 182 pages. Great job team!), but let's not get too cavalier with the Nazi comparisons.