A lot of people in America constantly attack the government for supposedly being a source of oppression. There is a problem with that stance. In America, the government is not the source of oppression. In America, the government is official and subject to check, balance and accountability. Whereas there are plenty of non-government entities that are not official, accountable, checked and balanced, and that as such have the potential to get away with extreme forms of abuse, corruption and tyranny.
Most of these entities claim themselves to be society or America. In reality, we see here people claiming to speak for such things exercising what I call a conman's totalitarianism. Nobody voted for them to speak for society or for America. Nobody has told them that they can do that. And in appropriating the powers to do such a thing, they are practicing a vast and illegitimate power grab.
People in a free country are meant to be protected from all forms of tyranny; and that means first and foremost the people who practice this illegitimate usurpation. It's not the government that in America oppresses the people; it is communities and societies - and those claiming to speak for the preceding - that do. If one is to choose between power that is official, accountable, checked and balanced, or power that is unofficial, unaccountable, unchecked and unbalanced, which would be a better bet to protect people's rights and liberties? I for one would vote for the official, accountable, checked and balanced organs of power any day.
Instead, in America the government is a modulating force that protects people's rights and liberties from oppressors and bullies. Whether these oppressors and bullies claim to speak for America, or speak for society, or speak for traditional values, the Constitution does not support them one bit. The law of the land clearly protects rights and liberties. And that means, against the oppressors and bullies who threaten these rights and liberties while claiming falsely to speak for America.
What we see in the places that such entities wield power is not liberty by any stretch of the imagination. What we see is conman's totalitarianism - an oppression by unelected, unofficial, unchecked and unbalanced organs of power and those who claim to speak for these illegitimate organs. What's worse: An official totalitarianism or an unofficial totalitarianism? That - not liberty vs. lack of liberty - is the issue that was at stake during the Cold War.
There should be a better way than either official totalitarianism or unofficial totalitarianism. There should be such a thing as real freedom. People should be able to walk naked down the street if they want to do so. People should be able to enjoy whatever relationships with each other they can agree upon. People should be able to leave places that aren't suitable for them and go to places that are suitable for them. People should be able to share poetry and art with each other on subways and buses and build a real culture instead of thinking that protecting their culture means beating up Pakistani immigrants or raping black girls.
In America, it's not the government that is the source of oppression. That was the case with the Soviet Union; that's not the case here. The true oppressors in America are private:
The people who claim to speak for society.
The people who claim to speak for community.
The people who claim to speak for "traditional values."
And it is in confronting them, not in making up more ridiculous accusations against American government, that true liberty is achieved.