fear factor
Oct. 10th, 2004 04:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miriam_eWell, the rodent's use of fear as a motivator has sadly been vindicated. He pulled off the seemingly impossible. He lied constantly to the Australian people, led them into a bloody and unnecessary war, made us a target for international terrorism, divided our society by promoting bigotry, all while overseeing increases of poverty and a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.
How did he do it?
Fear.
His election campaign was a perfect example of how he worked. Instead of talking about the genuine issues at hand he concentrated on vilifying his opponents. Expect more of the same during the next 4 years. He will never let up on the issue of terrorists and crime. We will be made to feel more and more insecure with less and less money in our pockets, and our jobs under greater threat. There will be fear that family is under threat, and fear that gays destroy marriage. There will be fear of child porn, and drugs, and arabs.
Welcome to the festival of fear.
But it is so odd...
Crime rates have been going down for many decades. Australia is actually one of the most productive countries on the planet; we shouldn't be needing to work and work and work to survive. There is plenty of money, food, and goods to go around. Our standard of living should be going up, not down. Poverty shouldn't be increasing. We shouldn't be involved in blatant wars of greed that cause terrorism or we will reap what we sow. And in any case, terrorism isn't the danger we've been led to believe. In the US the road toll kills about 40,000 each year -- more people than if terrorists were flying a couple of jets into twin towers every month! Here in Australia we haven't been struck by terrorism yet, though participation in an illegal war has increased our exposure to such dangers.
The newspapers and TV and politicians are trading on fear for short term gain... in fact it is turning out that they are the worst danger. To paraphrase Franklin D. Roosevelt, what we should fear the most is fear itself. It is ruining what should be a time of plenty and peace and high standards of living.
Lets hope we have enough Greens in the Senate to hold him back a bit. Labour seem to be of little use. Labour have succumbed to the evils of propagating fear too. I can't help thinking that if they had stayed away from the topic of terrorism, xenophobia, and gays they might have won.
I weep for the Tasmanian old-growth forests. Now that the rodent is back in, we will see a veritable blitzkreig on them.
[OK I have written this down now. I beg my mind to let me go back to sleep.]
How did he do it?
Fear.
His election campaign was a perfect example of how he worked. Instead of talking about the genuine issues at hand he concentrated on vilifying his opponents. Expect more of the same during the next 4 years. He will never let up on the issue of terrorists and crime. We will be made to feel more and more insecure with less and less money in our pockets, and our jobs under greater threat. There will be fear that family is under threat, and fear that gays destroy marriage. There will be fear of child porn, and drugs, and arabs.
Welcome to the festival of fear.
But it is so odd...
Crime rates have been going down for many decades. Australia is actually one of the most productive countries on the planet; we shouldn't be needing to work and work and work to survive. There is plenty of money, food, and goods to go around. Our standard of living should be going up, not down. Poverty shouldn't be increasing. We shouldn't be involved in blatant wars of greed that cause terrorism or we will reap what we sow. And in any case, terrorism isn't the danger we've been led to believe. In the US the road toll kills about 40,000 each year -- more people than if terrorists were flying a couple of jets into twin towers every month! Here in Australia we haven't been struck by terrorism yet, though participation in an illegal war has increased our exposure to such dangers.
The newspapers and TV and politicians are trading on fear for short term gain... in fact it is turning out that they are the worst danger. To paraphrase Franklin D. Roosevelt, what we should fear the most is fear itself. It is ruining what should be a time of plenty and peace and high standards of living.
Lets hope we have enough Greens in the Senate to hold him back a bit. Labour seem to be of little use. Labour have succumbed to the evils of propagating fear too. I can't help thinking that if they had stayed away from the topic of terrorism, xenophobia, and gays they might have won.
I weep for the Tasmanian old-growth forests. Now that the rodent is back in, we will see a veritable blitzkreig on them.
[OK I have written this down now. I beg my mind to let me go back to sleep.]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
fear
Date: 2004-10-23 08:59 pm (UTC)I was once told under not too good a circumstance that 'fear is the soul eater'. I was too young to understand what they meant in their twistered way but it stuck with me throughout life. Fear and scare mongering is often used by those who are weak and insipid but mostly for immoral reasons.
The child porn stuff that's been brought out into the open a 'bit' was looonnggg overdue. It's unfortunate that the issue is no more than a political tool and not seen as it really is. Have a look at who the rodent supports in religion and the old police heads, some who have 'left' and another who is under investigation overseas.
Thanks again for your good articles and I hope you don't despair too much.