The Culture Of Fear Fears Based On Fallacies
Americans have a tendency to underestimate the power of the media and its influence over our beliefs and expectations in society. News is delivered to our homes in many different ways including the television, newspaper and word of mouth. It is our first instinct to take what we see and hear from authority figures or news stations to be true. Therefore, we do not realize that the "media," in any form, often delivers more or less than solid facts. The media has the ability to report what it wants you to hear. The messages it communicates may exaggerate unimportant details but leave out or belittle major events it is uninterested in. The promoting of false beliefs is not limited to the media; influential organizations and people (such as politicians) can be just as effective in spreading such beliefs. The Culture of Fear, written by Barry Glassner, introduces readers to an inside look at this concept.
In his book, Glassner uncovers false beliefs held by a vast majority of people. These beliefs constitute myths and urban legends that make up an ever-growing "Culture of Fear" in America. The "Fear mongers," as Glassner classifies them, promote unwarranted fears among the general public. Americans therefore focus their attention on "being afraid of the wrong things." The "wrong things" include unwarranted fears the media expresses as truths. Often more important serious events become neglected when so much attention is put on propaganda in the news. Using a plethora of facts and statistics, Glassner supports his argument using specific examples of how "fear mongers" have succeeded in stirring up fear in the public. "How fears are sold," "Tall Tales and Overstated Statistics," and "Faulty diagnoses and Callous Cures" are a few themes Glassner uses to prove his point.
The theme, How Fears are Sold, is initially introduced in the first chapter, "Dubious Dangers on Roadways and Campuses." This section describes the...
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