The Politics of Fear

There is so much to be afraid of these days that sometimes I find it helpful to keep a list. An ongoing war in Iraq, possibilities of nuclear war, widespread terror attacks, road rage, SARS, mad cow disease, and the significant threat of allowing gays the right to marry each other are just a few of the things vying for your attention. With all that's going on, it's hard to know what should scare you more. But fear not, my fellow Americans! For you can always count on the utterly dependable Bush administration to let you know when and what you should fear the most.

For starters, there is the ever-helpful terror alert level to keep you informed on what color your fear should be as you cower in your home behind your plastic sheeting and duct tape. And if that isn't enough, President Bush is committed to making frequent public statements to reassure us all that "Americans are safer" since the United States invaded Iraq. This despite reports from the State Department that worldwide terror has actually increased since the war began. But then, George Bush has never been one to let himself be refuted by irrefutable facts.

But lest you start to feel too reassured, there's always the evening news to scare you back into submission. It is interesting to note how in this election year news that is damaging to the Bush campaign is quickly followed by an increase in the terror alert, or an announcement of al Qaeda's "almost completed" plans to attack the US . . . somewhere . . . at some time . . . in some way.

John Kerry announces Edwards as his running mate, Ken Lay is taken into custody by the FBI, and the 9/11 Panel disputes any actual link between Iraq and al Qaeda, and almost immediately we have Tom Ridge telling us of "a large-scale attack" being planned by al Qaeda, but offering no specific details and no plans to raise the terror alert level. But let us take this opportunity to remind you to vote for President Bush in four months, because he is both committed and able to keep you safe from attack. Not like that John Kerry who wants to leave you to the mercy of that . . . guy, that al Qaeda guy . . . what was his name again?

September 11th threw the country into a panic, as we realized for the first time since Pearl Harbor just how vulnerable we really are. That despite being the world's leading superpower, we are not invincible. Within months this heightened fear had brought us the Patriot Act, and with next to no opposition, the biggest setback to the Constitution in US history was put into effect. If it was ever true that the terrorists "hate our freedom," they have less and less to hate with each passing day.

Decisions made out of fear have a disturbingly ubiquitous and deleterious place in our nation's history. Sweeping, unfounded panic during the Salem witch trials, before we were even a nation to ourselves, resulted in the deaths of no less than 20 innocent people. In the 1950s Senator McCarthy used the country's intense fear of communism to persecute and, in effect, ruin the lives and careers of any number of American citizens, many times without anything as justifying as actual proof. There are times when fear is overpowering enough to make people overlook even the most atrocious and obvious violations of civil and Constitutional rights.

George Bush and his administration know this and they know that they can exploit the reasonable fears of Americans to push things like the Patriot Act or their own re-election. As Jon Stewart satirized recently on The Daily Show, "basically we want you to be afraid enough that you dont vote for John Kerry. But not so afraid as to not go out and vote for Bush." But Americans should be voting based on who they feel would better lead this country. Fear causes people to overlook important issues, and sound, informed decisions are not those made under duress. Let us take the time before this election to look into the issues, to examine everything that is at stake, and to research the candidates' voting records. Let us cast our votes out of solid, unimpeachable conviction, rather than the fear of thinking for ourselves.