Sunday, January 10

a new decade of fear?



I am really sick of it, I had it, I quit, opt out, or whatever. The fear-mongering tactics of the government grind down my nerves. OK, so there was this incident lately of a fellow who boarded a plane on Xmas from Amsterdam, fire-bomb explosives in his underwear. Just think about it, it is almost funny, a guy with "loaded diapers".
But that's not the point. The issue is more volatile than that. Soon (they already started) each passenger on an airplane will be strip-searched, either by a machine, or by incompetent humans. Wonder when they let you, or force you to fly naked.
Even then, there is no guaranty. I bet you, that people can swallow enough explosives into their stomach to create a major hazard, in plastic liners, ready to explode on command.
Whatever, thousands of people either die or get severely crippled in car accidents every day in the USA. Nobody talks about them. It is an un-proportional move to call this an emergency, a threat to the nation, a terrorist attack. Even if that guy had succeeded, blown up the plane, killed 290 something people, it would have been a tragedy, but compared to the statistics of every day's death toll, a minuscule droplet into the bucket.
I am urging you all, to disconnect from the theorem of fear. It creates bad blood and clouds our vision. 
Instead, courage is on demand and asked for. We have to stop this paralyzing witch hunt, Osama Bin Laden is dead. That's a fact. All right, it might be Fatamorgana, spelled without the "ph" , so I substitute the "f" now ...

 

   

12 comments:

Seraphine said...

that's the purpose: to sow fear and ultimately undermine the institutions we hold dear. it's asymmetrical warfare, desperation, what a weaker society, the disenfranchised, uses against a stronger society in an effort to gain legitimacy, recognition and some power. there is a political solution, but it mayn't be the one we want.
our best defence is to make society stronger, not to take away rights and freedoms, and certainly not to use torture.
the creation of social wealth negates the terrorist's destruction of the same.

♥ N o v a said...

It's rather sad, really, the little games that are played. One little action, and let's see how the U.S. responds.

Even children tire of such lame, pointless games.

The Rambling Taoist said...

From my vantage point, it's all about money. Whip up hysteria so people will give the thumbs up to purchase billions of dollars of body scanners to reward campaign contributors.

Look at the recent "swine flu" scare. We were told it would be a major pandemic, so people were urged to get a swine flu shot. Well, the pandemic never materialized, yet the gov't and media continue to push folks to get the damn shot.

Why? Because the gov't spent billions of dollars buying the stuff and now they want to get their money's worth. Unfortunately for them, a lot of people -- me included -- aren't getting one and so the gov't can't give the pharmaceutical industry any more dough because they still have millions and millions of unused doses on hand.

Cym said...

I've heard it said somewhere that where there is fear there is power. I wonder, are the fear mongerer's really afraid, or is it just a charade, where they have something to gain from it all?

I hate TV, especially TV News, but I do watch it from time to time. Was watching either CNN or FOX recently, don't remember which but someone on a news show, maybe it was that dope Ben Stein, though I could be mistaken, said that "we are now living in the age of terror".

Really? The age of terror? Haven't there been isolated acts of terrorism going on for thousands of years? It's nothing new is it?

The only thing new about it, is that just like the swine flu scare, its threat is being exaggerated, with the purpose of generating an atmosphere of fear. Why?

Of course money is always a factor in this, but I think it's more about control. Changing society for the worse, taking away more of our freedoms under the pretext of fighting terror. Exploiting the fears of the masses as a tool of premeditated manipulation, to institute major legal changes in the entire structure of society, and to generate popular support for wars.

Where do you see the fear mongering the most? The News media, particularly television. Television is the primary tool used to promote a culture of fear and hate.

Personally I'm not buying into it at all. Though I acknowledge that there are many crazy and extremely dangerous people in this world, who are most certainly not all terrorists, but I'm not going to be afraid of something I have absolutely zero control over. Your more likely to get mugged on the street, or killed in a car accident, than by a politically or religiously motivated terrorist.

This is nothing new. People who are afraid are much easier to control. But do keep in mind that the kind of people who use these kinds of fear mongering tactics to manipulate and control people, are not good people you can trust to be working in your best interests, and could even be said to be quite psychopathic.

What kind of people use fear to control people? People who are dishonest, unethical, corrupt, criminals, con artists, liars, thieves, and cold blooded killers.

Cym said...

Oh I remember now. That interview was on CNN's Larry King Live. And it wasn't Ben Stein but Rudy Giuliani who said "we are now living in an age of terror".

Mercutio said...

Recently, I was considering the very same incongruity.
It is said, and a great body of evidence would suggest, that people are so corrupt these days, and likely have been without anyone noticing for a very long time.
And yet, I can look around me and see that most people are basically good. Neighbor helps neighbor, friends help friends, and strangers pull together for a cause.
And yet it is these very same people that are so corrupt.
Odd that.

lindsaylobe said...

The transformation to a less fearful society hopefully will be enhanced by future generations when our grounding will be more informative and ethically based to co operatively turn to the real 21st century issues of sustainability which puts such attempted terrorist attacks into the minor league as you suggest.

In relation to your previous post and whilst still on the topic of fear I thought the letter from Albert Schweitzer to his future wife may be of interest to you.
From a letter written by Albert Schweitzer to his future wife Helene, dated May 1, 1904] "Sometimes it seems to me as if I had arrived beyond the clouds and the stars, and could see the world in the most wonderful clarity, and therefore have the right to be a heretic. To know only Jesus of Nazareth; to continue his work as the only religion, not to have to bear anymore what Christianity has absorbed over the years in vulgarity. Not to be afraid of hell, not to strive for the joys of heaven, not to live in false fear, and the false submission that has become an essential part of our religion--and yet to understand the one Great One, and to know that one is his disciple."

Best wishes

katrin said...

Hi Zee, It's nice to be here. lots of good reading, very good!
And I love your prints, beautiful!!

How is what you say a fatamorgana? I recently had a post on a fatamorgana. And right now i like to stay in that castle, which was created, of layers of air, lifting the actual world, it feels safe to be in that space, away from my own fears, and fears put upon us.

Zee, it's me. (you know right?) but i will sign this with my new blog :)

jozien said...

:)You can stop scratching your head. Sorry.
For you I am just someone out there in cyberspace, now how real is that? Maybe similar to fatamorganas or fears.
I like to say some profound truth now, but really i don't know much. But i do believe in awareness, so thanks for writing the way you do about this fear.

Seraphine said...

i'm glad you're taking a holiday, zee. opt-out for a few glorious days on the beach.
you can probably rent a guitar for a few days (ask your hotel; send them an email now, while you are thinking of it) and write some songs.
bon voyage, and don't forget the sun screen.

Zee said...

Thank you all for your supportive, funny and thoughtful responses!

But I am too lazy right now (again?) so I will decline to answer your comments individually.
Sorry!

The Crow said...

Doh.
I was going to post something, but if I am not going to get an individual response, why bother?
Ego ego ego...

Swat dat ego an' you swat dat fear.