The Psychology of Irrational Fear

[Spurminator]

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/the-psychology-of-irrational-fear/382080/

Snippet:

A recent CBS poll found (http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/10/8555593/poll-finds-majority-support-quarantines) that 80 percent of Americans now think U.S. citizens who travel to West Africa should be quarantined upon their return, even though most health experts think that would only make Africa’s Ebola outbreak worse.

Of course, Ebola is partly a stand-in for our ongoing collective anxieties, ever simmering and child-leash-purchase inducing. In calmer times, we might instead be wringing our hands over gluten, swine flu, or that illegal immigrants are coming here to “steal our jobs.”

A recent survey from Chapman University found that Americans are most afraid of (http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/10/5-things-americans-fear-the-most.html)walking alone at night, identity theft, safety on the Internet, becoming the victim of a mass shooting, and having to speak in public.

The study also found (http://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2014/10/21/fear-factors-why-are-people-afraid/) that Democrats were most likely to be worried about personal safety, pollution, and made-made disasters. Republicans, meanwhile, had the highest levels of fear about the government, immigrants, and “today’s youth.” It also found that having a low level of education or watching talk- or true-crime TV was associated with harboring the most types of fear. Despite the fact that crime rates have decreased over the past 20 years, most Americans, the survey found, think all types of crime have become more prevalent.

[DarrinS]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/28/world/asia/australia-immigration-policy-ebola/

[DarrinS]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-outbreak-prompts-colombia-st-lucia-to-issue-travel-bans/

[boutons_deux]

30K/year die in USA from garden variety viruses

16K/year die from PRESCRIPTION/FDA-approved drug overdoses, esp the new synthetic opioids and even acetaminophen.

etc, etc.

The true EVIL of the (right wing) media is stoking fears, paranoia, anger, hate for their political, financial (sell ads) gains.

[Spurminator]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/28/world/asia/australia-immigration-policy-ebola/


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-outbreak-prompts-colombia-st-lucia-to-issue-travel-bans/

And here's where we all wait in vain for you to articulate the point you think you're making....

[DarrinS]

And here's where we all wait in vain for you to articulate the point you think you're making....


Not just Americans that have this "irrational" fear.

[DarrinS]

Speaking of irrational fear


http://c1.nrostatic.com/sites/default/files/Hagan%2520flier%25202.jpg

[Spurminator]

Not just Americans that have this "irrational" fear.

Ok? Does that make it rational?

This article wasn't written to suggest Americans are more prone to irrational fear than other countries. No need to be defensive.

[Spurminator]

Speaking of irrational fear


http://c1.nrostatic.com/sites/default/files/Hagan%2520flier%25202.jpg


"Democrats are less irrational than Republicans" is another point that was not suggested by this article.

May I suggest you just start another thread titled "Here's what Breitbart told me to be mad about today"?

[boutons_deux]

Speaking of irrational fear


http://c1.nrostatic.com/sites/default/files/Hagan%2520flier%25202.jpg

not irrational AT ALL. Plenty of Repugs, esp tea baggers, want Obama gone before 2016. boner/mconnell told the troops to shut about impeachment before the election.

Like Repugs NOT talking about killing SS before the 2004 election, then sent dunce dubya around the country on a disastrous, risible "let's kill SS" sales tour.

Also, Repugs want to gut Medicare, cut Medicaid, and of course kill Obamacare, they just don't campaign on those issue now, because they are honest, good-faith motherfuckers.

[Bill_Brasky]

jesus christ the article wasnt even calling anybody out, just saying that the media loves to scare people over stupid shit, and points out how our biases lead us to be scared of different things. but of course darrin takes it as an attack on his precious republicunts and america in general. what a super smart guy with great reasoning skills who we should all take seriously.

[boutons_deux]

Here's explicit evidence, even proof, that the govt-hating Repugs use lies, proganada, fear, anger (along with racism and xenophobia) as political strategy

Here’s How Oil Industry Members Reacted When Told To Use ‘Fear And Anger’ To Win Fracking Fight (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/31/3587081/oil-industry-reaction-to-berman-speech-fracking/)

http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/RickBerman-638x379.jpg

“It’s brilliant in its simplicity,” said one audience member. “The way you’re going is really neat,” said another. “This has been very, very helpful,” said one more.

This is how some oil and gas industry members immediately responded after hearing a political strategy speech from lobbyist Richard Berman, secretly recorded (http://www.sourcewatch.org/images/c/cb/Berman_presentation.mp3) and published (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/31/us/politics/31lobbyist-docs.html)by the New York Times on Friday. The speech, given at the annual meeting of the Western Energy Alliance in June, recommended (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/31/3587097/lobbyist-richard-berman-oil-endless-war/) the oil and gas industry exploit “fear and anger” in voters, personally embarrass individual environmentalists, and “get people into a position of paralysis” about the issues in order to win the contentious fight over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

“You get in people’s mind a tie. They don’t know who is right. And you get all ties because the tie basically insures the status quo,” Berman said, according to the speech transcript (https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1349204/berman-at-western-energy-alliance-june-2014-doc.pdf).

“Fear and anger have to be part of this campaign. If you want to win, that’s what we’re going to do.”

According to the attendee list (https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1349204/berman-at-western-energy-alliance-june-2014-doc.pdf) obtained by the Times, Berman’s speech was heard by representatives of some of the biggest oil and gas companies and organizations in the United States, many of which are engaged in a high-profile political battles with environmental advocates over fracking. They included the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, BP America, Anadarko Petroleum, and the American Energy Alliance.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/31/3587081/oil-industry-reaction-to-berman-speech-fracking/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Cli mate+Progress%29

"because the tie basically insures the status quo", yep, Repug scorched-earth obstructionism maintains the status quo which is blatantly rigged in favor of BigCoprs, VRWC, 1%. Do you assholes really think the House tea baggers, Cruz, etc give shit about governging?

[boutons_deux]

Repug scaring, intimidating Iowans with "vote shaming"
(http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/31/3587414/iowa-republican-facebook-ads/)
GOP To Iowans: Your Neighbors Will Know If You Don’t Vote Republican (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/31/3587414/iowa-republican-facebook-ads/)

http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/GOP_Facebook.png

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/31/3587414/iowa-republican-facebook-ads/

You Repugs really are shitbags.