Yes. That is part of why the various COVID measures proved quite unpopular. In Australia for example we saw the standard crowd-control treatments [0] being used to break up protests of people who objected to the sudden spike in authoritarianism. There was also the internationally eyebrow-raising financial abuse that the Canadians were doling out that was a new low for anti-protest tactics and political repression.
You replied to "it doesn't count as anti-authoritarian if you don't get tear-gassed". I hope you are prepared for the follow up of "it doesn't count if it's not in the USA", and whatever form of special pleading to come after that.
The discussion was explicitly about American anti-authoritarianism, so countering with evidence of perceived government overreach in Australia is a laughably bad approach--no special pleading is required. It's a complete shifting of the goalposts, suggesting the person is really grasping at straws to make some kind of point.
That doesn't answer my question, which was about Americans.
> grasping at straws
So stay at home orders and gathering bans [1] aren't authoritarian? Note, I am not asking if they were justified, or necessary (or perceived as such, given the information known at the time), but if they were authoritarian.
If someone argues a point poorly, that doesn't make the point itself invalid.
Oh, I'm not here to indulge you in some petty argument. I was just pointing out that the comment about Australia wasn't the slam dunk you made it out to be.
By all means, believe whatever you want. I doesn't bother me one bit.
> I'm not here to indulge you in some petty argument.
You're the one focusing on the specific arguments made, instead of the substance of the point being argued itself, and running away when faced with an argument you can't weasel out of.
I live in Australia, I don't think government overreach in Australia is a laughing matter; beyond maybe a few dark jokes. We're people too.
Old mate was asking a stupid question - people care enough about the COVID restrictions to protest in every country they were bought in. Exactly how heated the protests get isn't really a factor and how unreasonable the police response gets isn't really a factor either. What is jeffbee's complaint supposed to be - COVID protesters in the US behaved too well for his liking? People only show they care about law and principle when they are physically threatening police? Maybe he wanted them to act like monkeys to show they were serious? Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. The literal one is yes. People were tear gassed. Move on to the next question.
Equating not wearing a mask with assaulting federal agents, damaging federal property, or being part of an unlawful assembly doing the former is quite a stretch.
Be realistic about why the groups in LA are getting tear-gassed or pepperball’d.
