In Germany, and I'd guess in other countries as well, the penalty for speeding (and other traffic offenses) is not only a ticket to pay, but also penalty points going into the driver's record. Collect enough penalty points, and they'll suspend your licence.
This, of course, is concering actually breaking the law, but insulting the police officer giving you the ticket is also against the law, so there is a penalty for bad behaviour. A far cry from the dystopian system they're trying out in China, but still. I also could very easily see countries in Europe and North America, including the U.S. and my own home Germany, eventually going in that direction. State surveillance has gone up a shitload since the turn of the century, and laws have become very authoritarian, too (and not just since Trump and the rise of the New Right in Europe). The U.S. still imprisons people without a trial in Guantanamo Bay, including in the past several people who turned out to be innocent, and several state governments in Germany are actively trying to bring about a new police law making it possible for people to be imprisoned indefinitely merely on suspicion.
So, while we are still far from the authoritarianism of China, I do think our main concern should be to fight off authoritarianism in our own countries instead of only pointing fingers at other nations.
This, of course, is concering actually breaking the law, but insulting the police officer giving you the ticket is also against the law, so there is a penalty for bad behaviour. A far cry from the dystopian system they're trying out in China, but still. I also could very easily see countries in Europe and North America, including the U.S. and my own home Germany, eventually going in that direction. State surveillance has gone up a shitload since the turn of the century, and laws have become very authoritarian, too (and not just since Trump and the rise of the New Right in Europe). The U.S. still imprisons people without a trial in Guantanamo Bay, including in the past several people who turned out to be innocent, and several state governments in Germany are actively trying to bring about a new police law making it possible for people to be imprisoned indefinitely merely on suspicion.
So, while we are still far from the authoritarianism of China, I do think our main concern should be to fight off authoritarianism in our own countries instead of only pointing fingers at other nations.
