America s Culture Of Fear - 1397 Words

America s Culture of Fear Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Americans number one fear is corruption of government officials according to a 2015 survey of researchers at Chapman University. Other fears that top the list are terrorist attacks, identity theft, bio-warfare and government tracking of personal information. These more justifiable fears are just a part of anxiety ridden America. We are also afraid of aliens, Ebola and lets not forget the mass hysteria surrounding Y2K which promised to wreak havoc in computers and computer networks worldwide and cause all kinds of catastrophes. We are living at†¦show more content†¦Propaganda ensures that people only get to know what their government wants them to know. In WWI, the lengths to which the government would go to in an effort to blacken the enemies name reached a new level. All forms of information were controlled, newspapers were expected to print what the government wanted the reader to read. Propaganda is as old as people, politics and religion. People will usually pull every string in their power to persuade everyone to agree with their agenda. One of the best known scare tactics used by politicians was Lyndon Johnson s â€Å"Daisy†. The 1964 political advertisement begins with a 3 year old little girl, standing in a meadow with birds chirping while counting the petals of a daisy that she pulled off , repeating some numbers and counting in the wrong order. As people sat in their living rooms, smiling and feeling all warm and fuzzy about this sweet picture of innocence , the girl reaches the number 9 and pauses. This ad all the sudden takes a turn when a mans voice takes over saying â€Å"ten† at the start of a missile launch countdown. The camera then focuses on the girls eye until her pupil fills the screen, blacking totally out on zero .The bl ackness is instantly replaced with the thunderous sound of a nuclear explosion and a mushroom cloud. A voice over from Johnson states emphatically â€Å"These are the stakes, To make the world in which all God s children canShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War And Postmodern Eras1579 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica is often said to envelop in culture of fear. American elites have established this supremacy by the means of propaganda. From the Cold War to the War on Terror, these elites have maintained power along with the American Government to make sure they have control of their consumers. This has been accomplished with the establishment of an American foreign policy that has helped create a bipolar world. It allows America to focus on its interest and create a myth that the American people haveRead MoreAmerican in the 90s Essay736 Words   |  3 Pagesthe 1990’s was an explosive time in American history both figuratively and literally. In the 90’s there was an extreme variety of different failures and also advances in technology. We as a nation had new advancements in space travel, our military and the way of life preparing for the turn of the century. As a country we didn’t know what the new millennium had to bring for us, but we were ready. Most significantly changing America though was from our creativeness that took place, the fear we had,Read MoreRed Scare, KKK, Civil War Brought Fear to America1717 Words   |  7 Pages Fear â€Å"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.†- H. P. Lovecraft. In the 1900’s, fear drove America. The Red Scare was a time when Americans were afraid of the threat of Communism. 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From a constant state of anxiety, to changes in media and the arts, to McCarthyism; the Cold War fervently affected the quality of life, personal expression, and American politics. Predominantly, the Cold War inflicted fear and apprehension within the American people that was so overpowering that it affected every aspect of their lives and overall American culture. The biggest and most fervent effect of the Cold War on American culture was theRead MoreMinorities Affected By Civil And Equal Rights965 Words   |  4 PagesA-Changin† is a lyrical poem written by Bob Dylan. â€Å"The Fear of Losing a Culture’ is an auto-biographical essay written by Richard Rodriguez. Both of these literary works have a shared theme of change and social conflict. However, both works were written at different times in history. There are similarities as well as differences between the two works. The shared theme of change for these two works is the change that is taking place in America concerning black Americans and civil rights in â€Å"The TimesRead MoreEssay on Hsu Hua the End of White America1095 Words   |  5 PagesSarah Thompson Dr. Campbell English 101 April 22, 2013 The End of White America Hua Hsu is the author of â€Å"The End of White America’† and also teaches in the English Department at Vassar College. He’s known for writing about music, sports and culture. Many of his articles have appeared in magazines such as The Village Voice, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic and The New York Times. In his article â€Å"The End of White America?† Hua Hsu attempts to convince the reader that demographic shifts, immigrationRead MoreThe Views Of The Middle East1456 Words   |  6 Pagesconnection with culture or tradition. The truth of the matter is that Islamic influence has been pervasive in American society for many years. What were once predominately Christian institutions, have become more willing to allow Islamic culture and religion influences into their organizations. While the Muslim community has made substantial contributions in the areas of science and commerce, the impact of the Islamic religion itself has been much more noticeable on the social landscape of America. ChangesRead MoreFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thomson730 Words   |  3 Pagesplace for risk takers and gamblers and for people trying to achieve something. In Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Duke and Gonzo take a road trip to Vegas. Drugs and alcohol were prominent in the main characters’ journey and the substances were used to show Duke and Gonzo escape from life, their path to find the American Dream and to bring out the truth of the drug culture in America. Drugs and alcohol can be used as a depressant or as a stimuli but one thing is certainRead MoreThe Social and Cultural Life of Americans during the Cold War1590 Words   |  7 PagesThe threat of nuclear war in the 1950s was real and was one that was on the mind nearly every person in both the United States and the United Kingdom. After the end of the Second World War the world can be seen to be split into two sides, the East and the West, Communism and Democracy. After the Second World War the Soviet Union became paranoid with the West as well as the United States become paranoid of the Communist East, and after the Soviets had made their first nuclear bomb this created massive