The Half-Life of Fear

A Political Essay by Kevin I. Makice

February 22, 2003

A Spanish proverb, made famous by director Baz Luhrmann a decade ago, warns that a life lived in fear is a life half lived. Whether applied to rebellious ballroom dancers, middle-aged computer programmers or skittish politicians, the message is equally valid.

Fear begets sorrow.

These days, fear is more prevalent than the other basic emotions of grief, joy or even anger. From Paris to Palestine to P'anmunjom, the streets are filled with ordinary folks imagining extraordinary horrors. The most gruesome nightmares are being orchestrated by elite men sporting biased agendas and ulterior motives. There is a vast gulf between those most influencing international activity and those most affected by such decisions. What is not to fear?

High on Anxiety

In all animals with such ability, fear has very real benefits. The emotion is triggered by situations that pose a threat, acting as a warning against much greater danger. There are physiological symptoms that accompany the sensation and prepare the animal for an appropriate reaction. Blood may be diverted from one part of the body to another, such as from the brain to the limbs, in what is commonly termed "fight or flight." In humans, it is an innate function that begins in infants at seven months. Behaviorists also believe many fears are learned.

When the threat is real, fear is an asset facilitating self-preservation. When the threat is imagined, the resulting anxiety is debilitating. Judgment is impaired, and reactions are exaggerated. Even without the eyes-closed image of skyscrapers collapsing, more than four million American adults suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) to a level that keeps them from fully participating in their own lives. According to Psychology Today, people with GAD tend to overestimate the likelihood of harm and view minor or ambiguous events as catastrophes. "If normal fear is an alarm," write Brad Schmidt and Jeffery Winters, "GAD is a false alarm you can't turn off."

Such anxiety arises in part because fear breeds fear. As studies on cadets in the U.S. Air Force revealed, those who experienced panic attacks once were more vulnerable to future attacks. Once bitten, twice shy. In this post-9/11 world, susceptibility is at an all time high.

Our nation has a long relationship with fear. Puritans brought their anxieties about evil with them to the New World and led themselves into trials by fire. The backbone of racial conflict is fear and its companion, ignorance. Whites feared blacks and built policies of protection and repression on those anxieties. The most notorious moment in capitalist history was Black Tuesday, the American stock market crash of 1929. Irrational panic gutted the exchange and helped a world power into a decade of depression. Ultimately, recovery was facilitated by war. Even theatre was infectious, as testimony to the after-effects of Orson Welles' Halloween prank would attest. In all cases, the most beneficial course of action was overlooked through the haze of anxiety.

Our international neighbors have similar resumes. Some cultural fears are founded on ignorance, but some key ones are the result of past traumas. The base mistrust of foreigners visiting China, Russia or the Middle East follows a long history of invaders and abusive governors from more powerful countries. Unlike the 2001 attacks on the U.S. -- which were as quick as they were insidious -- the betrayal other nations have suffered has accumulated torment over generations. The lessons of fear have been subtle by comparison but more frequent and potent.

The Duct Tape Solution

The Bush Administration has dismissed that important perspective, choosing instead to advance the self-interest of a powerful minority of Westerners under the guise of moral righteousness. To that end, our nation's leaders continue to perpetuate the immediate aftermath of the al-Queda attacks, turning real fear into a societal angst.

Last week, the President, through his Office of Homeland Security, called upon Americans to prepare for a terrorist attack. Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge suggested an emergency kit in every home that included reams of plastic sheeting and duct tape, plus a three-day supply of water. Since this was relayed to citizens in conjunction with raising the new security alert from Yellow to Orange -- a serious elevation based on overtly vague threats -- the rush of panicked consumers raiding Wal-Marts of the suggested supplies should have been expected. Yet a few days later, in the face of criticism, it was Ridge backpedaling: "God forbid, there may come a time when the local authorities or national authorities will tell you that you've got to use them. But for the time being, we just don't want folks sealing up their doors or sealing up their windows."

At best, the Administration was ignorant of the power they held over an anxious constituency. At worst, it was calculated. Government hawks were shoring up a second front with North Korea in the same breath that raised the alert, lending instant credibility to both causes.

In his most recent documentary, filmmaker Michael Moore seemed to take aim at the proliferation of guns and gun-related crime in America. But by the end of the film, it was clear that Moore's sights were set on the culture of fear. A terrorized populous means an active economy, the film implies, whether it means buying arms, alarms or restrictive legislation. And if the power brokers own the message, the media offers itself as a willing messenger. A particularly poignant montage showed talking heads taking turns promoting the impending dangers of killer bees advancing our southern borders. If it isn't "Africanized" bees, then it is Anthrax scares from foot powder. Or just the more subdued routine of murder, mayhem and corruption that drives ratings.

Fear is addictive, after all, and addictions are reliable. There is a commercial value to fear that benefits from a constant state of anxiety.

Hawkish international initiatives benefit as well. Joe Citizen is more inclined to believe in an imminent personal threat if every television and newspaper is regurgitating vague warnings from elected officials. The OHS press release published on their website doesn't even have a date to mark the age of the security alert. By keeping Americans peppered with hysteria, the Administration can maintain the sense of urgency about terrorism without having to endure an actual attack.

Lessons From Above

Whether intentional or not, our government must acknowledge the anxiety it causes. It must realize that a nation encased in plastic sheeting is insulated more from neighbors than it is airborne viruses. What was so moving about the attacks on New York and Washington is the communal response to real tragedy. What is so disturbing about the emergency kit suggested by the Office of Homeland Security is that it implies he who stockpiles the most water survives.

In his book, "Refrigerator Rights", Will Miller laments community as an endangered species. Physical, technological and cultural factors have eroded dependence on neighbors even as the complexities of the day require such trust. "If we're isolated," writes Miller, "it seems only natural to attempt to solve our problems alone. But the solution to the problem of isolation can't be found within ourselves. It must come from being with others."

Fear is sometimes conquered through desensitization, exposing the afflicted to the perceived threat in small doses until the anxiety fades. Fear is sometimes overcome through flooding a person with so much terror normal levels pale by comparison. But the most effective technique in conquering fear is positive modeling. Show the anxious that the threat can be faced without bringing harm.

Government is the parent for society. The U.S. is parent to the world. Positive modeling should come from above and show how to face terror without bringing harm. Instead, we seem to be parented by guardians with little faith in mankind or the ideology that brought them to power.

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