Why are we Americans so easily susceptible to fear?Almost all civilized

[Veggie Meathead]

societies in Europe and Asia do not seem to have the same sense of paranoia we seem to entertain about terrorism or communism or any other sort of ism.Are our politicians or media to blame?

[ronabop]

1. History is to blame.

The US hasn't dealt with any massive, internal, ongoing, terror or civil war since the Indian wars ended. So, we instead make up fake wars. (Cold war, war on drugs, war on terror..) People in the US are basically naive about what a real war actually is. They fear the unknown.

Europe and Asia suffered real, total, war, on their own soil, within the lifespans of still-living voters.

-Bop

[dumpster_baby]

18. good point; also WW2 brought them very close together, so they care for...

...each other a lot more than we do.

I really think America needs a major comeuppance.

[izzie]

2. Are we any more than any other people?

Interesting subject.Will think about it more.

[Veggie Meathead]

5. What puzzles me is we are without question the only superpower

that ever existed and, yet, we behave like scared kids.

[Fish08]

9. Fear is regularly used as a tool of the powerful

"What puzzles me is we are without question the only superpower that ever existed and, yet, we behave like scared kids."

Not trying to pick Veggie but throughout history many "superpowers" have existed. I would highly recommend taking a serious look at the Roman Empire as the comparisons that can be made to todays US are very interesting.

Fear is well documented as being used as a control mechanism for the masses (for dictatorships its in the beginners guidebook). The benefits of having a Country in a perpetual state of fear are far reaching. Who or what is responsible? That is a very complex question but you can say without doubt that neither the media nor the administration are innocent in allowing fear to breed untapped.

[newyawker99]

19. Hi Fish08!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[saracat]

3. Because we are arrogant narcissists.

It is so much more important when anything happens to us!

[ablbodyed]

7. That's the key>>>>

YOu combine inferiority complex with unbelievable ignorance, propaganda, and stupidity and what do you expect? This country is without doubt filled with the dumbest people on earth. Given the access to knowledge, the level of determined braindeadness is criminal. The rest of the world has every reason to be contemptious and fearful of the USA.

[Hamlette]

29. "dumbest people on earth"

have spent untold hours on this very board terrified about a report that the government is looking for a way to postpone the elections in the event of a terror attack.


Immaturity and narcissism. 24 hour profit driven news feeds into it.

[iangb]

4. The American people aren't unique....

.....any population being 'informed' by such top class propagandists as your leaders and media would react similarly.

[theoceansnerves]

6. uneducated masses

what was that report just released-- the majority of americans can only identify something like fifteen countries on a map of the world? which was probably last place among first world nations. i think people just really have no clue about the world outside our borders.

[DemBones DemBones]

11. Haven't public schools stopped teaching geography?

I know I took a separate course in geography in 7th grade, after studying geography as part of social studies all through elementary school. I also took a course in civics in 9th grade, plus US history in 11th grade, so the Bill of Rights, principles of democracy, etc. were drummed into me. I finished high school in the mid-sixties. My experiences as a parent and a teacher suggest that neither geography nor civics is being offered today. Today's schools have Channel One, teaching kids to be good consumers. Bah, humbug!

[opihimoimoi]

8. The Obedience Factor plays a huge Role in this Picture

All too many people are taught eary on.... not to think..... but to OBEY.

It is drummed into us by the likes of Hannity, Rush, and all the Pastors, Parsons, Elders, etc. Too many Americans are led around by the noses through propaganda/psyops/brainwashing.... and not even have an inkling of what is happening. They are clueless, obstinate, and arrogant....

[dbt]

10. In the first place, our media is owned by five corporations

The CEOs of these five are big bu$h supporters. Whatever message the White House wants disseminated gets disseminated. Whatever news the White House wants ignored, gets ignored. There's simply no other explanation for the sorry state of American news reporting. The press is in bu$h's back pocket.

Americans are so easily susceptible to fear because we have, for generations, trusted our TVs and radios to bring us the facts. When there's an attack or some other crisis, what's the first thing we do? Run to the TV or the radio. There we see and hear what the Regime wants us to see and hear. Our fears get a big dose of reinforcement from Fochs Noose, for glaring instance.

We're afraid because our thoughtscreens tell us to be afraid.

In the second place, our politicians pay WAY too much attention to what somebody might say about them on TV. THERE's your trouble!

:argh:
dbt

[DemBones DemBones]

12. Excellent points. How many Americans know

that Reagan killed the Fairness Act? Or what the Fairness Act was and why it was important? Reagan also started the deregulation that led to all our media being owned by a few corporate entities.

How many Americans know of CIA involvement in the media?

Americans foolishly believe we have a free press.

[dumpster_baby]

20. It is about more than just Bush and the GOP--Aggregation of Capital

The neoliberal corporate capitalist regime that has taken control of both parties has allowed large aggregations of capital to control us. The more capital is aggregated into the control of fewer entities, the easier it is to organize and coordinate efforts to control America through propaganda, lobbying, etc. Also, as more capital is aggregated into these entities, the more power they have.

It is a positive feedback loop mechanism: Suppose a number N (where N=7, in this case) Entities {a,b,c,d,e,f,g} control a total sum of $C of capital, each having an amount of capital equal to $C/N, which is $C/7 in this case. Furthermore, they are able to coordinate and organize to protect their capital and consolidate their gains and also use their collective power to gain a competitive advantage over other business entities.

Also they can organize activities that will increase their profits. For example, they may pass laws that make American workers more dependent on their jobs and less mobile (e.g., laws designed to thwart development of universal healthcare). However, the ability to coordinate and cooperate is inverse to their number. More entities are harder to organize, and less are easier to organize. With 7 entities, let us assign a cooperation factor of M. M = 1/N * T, where T is some constant or factors.

Then at some particular time, 4 of these entities {a,b,c,d} manage to get the upper hand (gain more capital) over the other 3 and use their advantage to elimiate {e,f,g}. Now these 4 control more money individually, and they are smaller in number and therefore easier to coordinate and cooperate, thus their lobbying activities, issue management, etc., are easier to organize and are thus more effective.

This dynamic repeats in a cycle, eliminating and consolidating the members of the set. The set collectively grows smaller and more powerful, more easy to organize and effective.

The members of the set are the players in corporate capitalism.

Now, turning to the particular dynamics of political memes in America: A political meme is just political idea that can spread from one person to another. We might say that memes about politics and how to run America may classified into ideas that favor corporations over people (give corporations more power, allow them more profit at the expense of workers), or ideas that favor people over corporations, giving them more power, make them more mobile, give them greater choice of jobs, more demand for their services and skills, more them less dependent on any one job or employer, etc.

Our urban sprawl and ever-longer car commutes have atomized and separated us from "bottom-up" political memes, separated us from the neighborhoods where we were indoctrinated in bottom-up politics in the urban neighborhoods, isolated us from the grange-hall, bottom-up politics of the rural areas. Those mechanisms of bottom-up political meme propagation are things of the past. And we will pay a price for that by having a smaller middle class and a larger lower class.

We are isolated from any grassroots political community. So our political knowledge comes from "top down" mass media sources. We are like captive prisoners of war in some POW camp being brainwashed. Trapped in our cars, commuting an hour or more to work, a critical mass of Americans have been brainwashed by the talk radio. With so little time left, we just plop down in front of the TV, once again a captive audience for top-down political memes.

But it really does not have that much to do with the GOP vs Dem. That is just spy vs spy tragicomedy. Yes, corporate-capitalist agents have used think-tank issue management to further the neoliberal agenda more often through the GOP than the Dems. Yes, the think tanks are more closely aligned with the GOP. Yes, the GOP is the frontman for the neoliberal corporate capitalism that controls America. But Clinton was definitely a pawn of corporate capitalist neoliberalism, too. A greedy and grasping man, he wanted everything he could get from them.

So the Democrats are almost as bad. Or at least they were that way in the 90s.

[lottie244]

13. Let me take a guess: Because we do bad things?

My grandma always said if you are good and behave yourself and never lie and treat other people right you have nothing to fear. I think my grandma was right.

[tom_paine]

31. WTF could this post possibly be about?

I also think your Grandma was wrong. So very very wrong.

The 11,000,000 Jews, Poles, gypsies, and homosexuals slain in Nazi Death Camps.

According to Grandma they had it coming.

Grandma was wrong. Bsd things happen to good people all the time. Innocent people are railroaded all the time while Bushevik Monsters just keep on sucking blood.

Grandma was wrong. Sorry.

[Tansy_Gold]

14. Fear is a culture built of many elements

and it helps to have a good background in American cultural history -- not just political history -- to understand why fear and its companion religion play such a huge role.

If you haven't read Barry Glasner's "The Culture of Fear," which provided the thematic background for "Bowling for Columbine," do so. It will make a lot of the cultural elements much more understandable. Then, for the history, pick up Kevin Phillips' "The Cousins' Wars."

[Veggie Meathead]

16. Thanks. I will look up your references.

[Killarney]

15. the MEDIA

[rman]

17. There is more fear mongering in the US...

... by those who hope to benefit from manipulation of a population that is easily manipulated because it is afraid.

Where i live (Netherlands, Eu) there is fear mongering as well (warnings by officials about expected attacks) but it started much later and it isn't as heavy handed as it is in the US, in part because the press here does present more of the other side of the story.

[Jerseygirltoo]

21. Xenophobia

This goes back hundreds of years in our history. I don't blame the politicians or the media(although they often play a role).
Many Americans are just very ignorant about the outside world, partly due to our isolated geographic position, and ignorance breeds fear. Europeans are used to living surrounded by a lot of other nations, we are fearful and suspicious of foreigners. We are not multi-lingual the way a lot of Europeans are. We have lousy education in history and geography.

[theboss]

34. Right.....because Europeans are never xenophobes

This may be the title-holder for the most insanely naive, reactionary thread ever on this site.

Let's see some of these enlightened European countries are currently occupied to prevent their minority groups from slaughtering each other.

Some more of these enlightened European countries deal on a daily basis with home-grown terrorists (some of whom have Greek authorities scared out of their minds about August).

Some of these enlightened European countries need to ban all religious symbols because fear of Muslims and Jews is reaching dangerously high levels.

[AP]

22. Fear is fascism's best tool & it does work in Europe. Fear of the IRA

was probably a huge factor in preserving Tory rule for years. In France, fear of immigration is probably why they have a conservative government.

All over the world, democracy and fascism's battle is a battle between hope and fear.

Fear won the day in 2002, but I doubt it's going to win in 2004. However, if it loses, it will be by tiny increments.

[Cats Against Frist]

23. Christians and Big Business

They don't like any -ism or -obia, not officially sanctioned by -Ism & -Obia Headquarters, that interferes with their right to make money and convert people.

These two entities are intermingled more than one may think. They joined together to defeat communism, and have been best friends ever since.

It could be said that though our current "Terrorism" situation has more to do with brutal foreign policy than a holy war, once again, it is, however, Christians, who are out in full force to team up with the war profiteers.

Bush knows. That's what's with all this "God's President" bullshit.

This is not to say that they don't like other -isms and -obias, because they do. But specifically, terrorist and communist scares lead back to the ruling class and the church.

[StopThief]

24. None of the "civilized countries" are. . .

known as the Great Satan.

[Trajan]

25. Because we are being ACTIVELY manipulated ...

Using fear as a lever is a political TACTIC ... it is a PROCESS that is being pursued by the prty in power ...

We DO NOT NEED the ridiculously useless color-coded 'terror warning' system ... it is a YOKE placed on the necks of every citizen, to be yanked by the administration whenever they need a poll boost ...

Numbers dropping like a rock ? ... declare "Al Qaeda ready to attack !" ...

Well guess what ? ... We have ALWAYS had enemies who wanted to attack us .... there have ALWAYS been those who hated the US, and have declared so ...

After 9-11 ... We all should know this > 'We may be attacked by terrorists' ..

Funny thing is: it is a FACT that BEFORE 9-11 > 'We may be attacked by terrorists' was also a true statement ...

WE MAY BE ATTACKED BY TERRORISTS ..... got it ? ...

NO one needs to tell us this: we already know this ....

ANYONE who thinks there is NO possibility of being attacked by vicious malcontents is simply ignorant ...

But: through the color-coded 'terror warning system', the WH is ACTIVELY pressing the 'terror' button .... Telling us what we already know in an effort to 'terrorize' our own population ...

Such a brazen example of political manipulation of the citizenry is unprecedented ....

WITHOUT a clear and direct threat against a specific place and a specific time; these warnings are nothing but political fearmongering .... it should NOT be allowed .....

[Veggie Meathead]

26. During the Iran-Contra hearings, the WSJ, carried a news item

that said John Poindexter was in charge of a disinformation program to plant stories in the newsmedia (print and TV) to discredit opponents and to prop up support for the Reagan administration.Now he shows up as the head honcho(until recently) of the Total Information Awareness ( I love the doublespeak!) program of Ronald Dumbsfeld.The fact there is a seamless connection between Bush the elder's reign ( as the real President for the figurehead Reagan) and the current usurper ensures that many of the same programs that we assumed were dead have been revived and are flourishing in Iraq and elsewhere.

Very uneasy times for all us, to say the least.Any one know the whereabouts of a John Poindexter supposedly resigned from this administration?

[leftofthedial]

27. we are better trained

to salivate when the media bell rings

[noonwitch]

28. It's the bears-just pay your bear tax and pretend it's the immigrants

"I knew it was the immigrants even when it was the bears."

Moe Slizak

[msmcghee]

30. My guess is that it has to do with unchecked capitalism.

The best way to sell things is to use fear as a motivating emotion. Advertisers compete with each other to create the greatest fear in our minds - so they can bring in their product to protect us. Billions of dollars are spent every day bombarding us with these messages.

Those millions of hours of advertising that we watch adds up and sensitizes us to fear. Although our lives are exremely safe and easy by any standard in human history - we end up believing we are living in a world of dangers and that only buying more products can protect us.

In other parts of the world there are stronger checks and regulations on advertisers and the public is generally more sophisticated about advertising - taking it with a grain of salt.

[dumpster_baby]

32. The "Cancel the Election" scam is another example of this

All the talk about "Cancelling the Election" is another way to get people scared and malleable.

[theboss]

33. Maybe Europe and Asia should have paid more attention to those -isms.

Considering most of those countries lived under a nasty -ism within the last 75 years.