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The Politics of Fear
Or Does Governing Require Fear as its Primary Emotion
Having lived through the Bush cycle of fear are we now to be treated to a new focus for our dread? Is the economic disaster worse than 911 and the threat of a nuclear weapon in the hands of terrorists? Maybe we ought to look at this from a different emotional context. No one has total control over their emotions, so lets just all tranquilize ourselves into acceptance.
Think of the benefits of tranquility. You never worry about the future. No fear; no furious flurry of activity trying to fend off fates that usually won’t happen. Living without fear in the most awful circumstances has too long been the purview of heroes and heroines. Let’s all just tranquilize and reach the great state of numbness together.
Never mind the fact that Ming the Munificent Banker is on his way to foreclose on your house. It will take him months to get there. A little Zoloft in the water could do so much for the condition of our economy. People would probably buy like there was no tomorrow again if they could just forget to be afraid of the result. Home prices would rise. We could avert the coming disaster in Commercial Real Estate values. Everything would be wonderful in Mudville if Mighty Casey just had a forth strike ordered by the Federal Reserve or the SEC.
We don’t really need to change reality. We just need to learn to ignore it under more trying circumstances. Our level of tolerance to pain is just a little too low. Vicodin for everyone, belly up to the counter boys and let’s get over this crisis in a hurry.
Meanwhile back in reality Snidely Whiplash still has Sweet Sue tied to the railroad tracks and Dudley Doright is stumbling around in a stupor. Funny how that works, the real world is still there after all of the palliatives fade quietly away in the distance.
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