Friday, November 08, 2002

Fear Pushers My wife and I saw Michael Moore’s film Bowling for Columbine tonight—it was great.  Don’t be scared that it will be depressing.  Although Moore can be quite disorganized, this is a good, entertaining movie despite its serious subject.  The message of the movie is that America is ruled by fear.   This is something the democrats need to understand better.  On daily Kos there is an extended discussion, some good, some terrible, on the state of the democrats. [thanks to Mike for pointing this out]. My feeling is that the democrats need to stand up against fear.   Here are a few of Moore’s points.  Murder rates have declined dramatically, yet coverage of murders on local news and police television shows has risen 600%.  It seems that fear sells.  Fear makes people irrational.  Moore seems to suggest that it is fear that drives many people to buy guns, and gets many of the gun nuts to say that.  The movie is a little mixed in equating America’s bloody history and foreign policy with the frequency of gun deaths here.  The point is that rates of gun deaths in the U.S. are about 1000% higher than in comparable countries, even with very violent recent history, like Germany and Japan.   Who benefits from fear?  The power structure willingly uses fear to remain in power.  Republicans—such as with the infamous Willie Horton ad by George Bush senior, traditionally have exploited fear again and again.   The fear inspired by terrorism played in to the hands of this power structure—it was like a slow fat pitch with the bases loaded in the 9th inning.  And the Bush team barely managed to get an infield hit.   There is a hilarious clip of Bush talking about putting the nation on alert for an unspecified threat.    What does continual heightened fear do?  It atomizes people, so they cannot come together in a community of common interest.  There must be some type of adrenaline reaction to fear that makes media go for violence (vicarious fear) again and again.  Moore had a marvelous interview with rocker Marilyn Manson, who said the country is based on fear and consumption.    America, which should be the safest, most relaxed, most secure, most friendly and welcoming place is instead a country where neighbors buy guns for fear of neighbors, where people flee communities because of racial fears, where the people with a little are constantly kept in a state of fear that someone will take something away from them.   What can we do to reduce fear?  A democratic platform might say Do not fear sickness, because everyone is entitled to care; do not fear old age, because everyone is entitled to support, do not fear Saddam, because he is weak and we are strong, do not fear losing a job, because we provide unemployment and training.  In short, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” was true for Roosevelt, when there really was something to fear – and it should be still a democratic rallying cry today, when there is really little to fear. 10:05:16 PM   comment []

© Copyright 2002 Toby Sackton. Last update: 12/26/2002; 9:30:58 PM.