I think the answer is simpler than that even. The reason I don't get too bothered about it is that I've been a left wing activist for a lot of my life. So I take it for granted I'm being spied on. My father was a member of the communist party, so being spied on was just how it was and how it has always been for me. ------------
The question is not whether we know or suspect that the govt is spying on us. I've always assumed it and so has any leftist with an ounce of sense.
But it's one thing to know that the govt spies on its assumed enemies, and it's another to understand that it is spying on everyone and reserving the right to turn anyone into a criminal.
The issue right now is not what leftists think of the matter, but whether the population at large is willing to accept that the criminalization of the population of the US will make anyone safer. Can people who are not politically sophisticated understand that this spying is NOT about their safety.
This is what we need to talk about. So I find the faux sophistication of saying "why are you surprised?" insufficient to the matter at hand.
Joanna