It's not pretending, it's truth. You never own your land; you're just renting it from the local government with ownership entailing a bit more control over what you can do while it's "yours".
This is the only way to ensure your goals or objectives are realized; constant vigilance.
"You see, the government owns your car too, because you're driving on roads built by the government"
"Oh but you see, clearly, based on the government deciding under what conditions you're allowed to leave the country, the government owns your body too, and is therefore within its rights to torture and kill you on a whim."
Do you really see no problem at all with the idea that governments own everything and are just graciously "renting" things to us?
Do you sincerely see nothing as your own legitimate property? When you buy a new phone, is that actually the government's property instead of yours?