Revision as of 23:08, 28 November 2010 editHauskalainen (talk | contribs)7,754 edits Tony Benn, a Brit politician makes this claim as does George Galloway I believe. I will get references. The media as well as politicians are accused.. again references to follow← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 10:16, 15 November 2024 edit undoXTheBedrockX (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users81,858 edits added Category:Mass surveillance using HotCat | ||
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{{short description|Arrangement in which fear of retribution is pervasive}} | |||
'''Culture of fear''' is a term used by certain scholars, writers, journalists and politicians who believe that some in society instigate overblown fears in the general public to achieve political or other goals. The term is often used to describe fears about Islamic terrorism or Islam in general which, it is argued, are fears that are usually exaggerated or irrational in nature. The press is often accused of sensationalizing news for commercial gain, and some 24/7 TV news channels, it is alleged, exaggerate threats to try to hold audience attention or to manipulate public opinion in favour of certain points of view. | |||
{{About||the Thievery Corporation album|Culture of Fear|text=A largely unrelated concept in sociology is the "fear culture" on the ].}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}} | |||
==Analysis== | |||
{{Global surveillance}} | |||
In his 2004 ] ] series, ]', subtitled ''The Rise of the Politics of Fear'', the journalist ] argues that politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society. Though he does not use the term "culture of fear", what Curtis describes in his film is a reflection of this concept. He looks at the American ] movement and its depiction of the threat first from the ] and then from radical ]s.<ref name="bbcpower">{{cite news |title=The Power of Nightmares: Your comments |newspaper=] |location=London |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4016713.stm |date=3 August 2005 |accessdate=27 November 2010}}</ref> Curtis insists there has been a largely illusory fear of terrorism in ] since the ] and that politicians such as ] and ] had stumbled on a new force to restore their power and authority; using the fear of an organised "web of evil" from which they could protect their people.<ref name="guardcanned">{{cite news |title=The film US TV networks dare not show |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |newspaper=] |location=London |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/may/12/cannes2005.cannesfilmfestival4 |date=12 May 2005 |accessdate=14 July 2010}}</ref> Curtis's film castigated the media, security forces and the Bush administration for expanding their power in this way.<ref name="guardcanned"/> The film features ], then Director of the International Centre for Security Analysis, and Senior ] in the International Policy Institute, ], saying that to call this network an "invention" would be too strong a term. But he asserts that it probably does not exist and is largely a "(projection) of our own worst fears, and that what we see is a fantasy that's been created."<ref>http://www.daanspeak.com/TranscriptPowerOfNightmares3.html</ref> | |||
{{Behavioural influences}} | |||
'''Culture of fear''' (or '''climate of fear''') is the concept which describes the pervasive feeling of ] in a given group, often due to actions taken by leaders. The term was popularized by ]<ref>{{cite book|last=Furedi|first=Frank|title=The Culture of Fear: Risk-taking and the Morality of Low Expectation|year=1997|publisher= Continuum International Publishing Group|title-link=Frank Furedi}}</ref><ref>Furedi, F. (2006). Culture of Fear Revisited. Continuum.</ref> and has been more recently popularized by the American sociologist ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Klaehn|first=Jeffery|title=Filtering the news: essays on Herman and Chomsky's propaganda model|year=2005|publisher=]|pages=23–24|title-link=Chomsky}}</ref> | |||
==In politics== | |||
Durodié's later examined the motives of the ] bombers and criticized the official report for ignoring the motives of the bombers. He criticizes analysts who have interpreted the available information according to their own preferred and uncritical models. He says "Contrary to the popular image of an organised, global network of religiously inspired fanatics, determined to create mass destruction, the actual evidence points to a small group, operating in isolation, using rudimentary tools and looking to rationalise their rage through religion." He argues that there is a broader sense of alienation and confusion that has gripped the modern world. As the old networks and affiliations that used to provide certainty in the last century have been eroded – national, religious and secular – some people today are in search of an identity and a meaning to their lives. The uncertainty of our times has, he argues, led many to view human action with concern, and encouraged a destructive misanthropy and created a dominant dystopian culture that has been acted upon by some who view themselves as particular victims. It is ''this'' dominant dystopian culture (our own) which, he argues, presents a cultural malaise and a pessimistic outlook that forms the backdrop, and inevitably shapes, contemporary terrorism, He argues that it is this that needs to be addressed if we are to defeat terrorism.<ref>http://www.durodie.net/images/uploads/British_Security_Durodie.pdf</ref> | |||
{{Main article|Fearmongering}} | |||
] politician ] explained how people can be made fearful and to support a ] they would otherwise oppose: | |||
{{quote|The people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and ] the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.<ref>] (1947) '']''.</ref>}} | |||
Former National Security Advisor ] argues that the use of the term ] was intended to generate a culture of fear deliberately because it "obscures reason, intensifies emotions and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue".<ref>{{cite web|author=Post Store |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301613.html |title=Terrorized by 'War on Terror' by Brzezinski |publisher=Washingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate=2010-11-23}}</ref> | |||
In her book ''State and Opposition in Military Brazil'', Maria Helena Moreira Alves found a "culture of fear" was implemented as part of ]. She used the term to describe methods implemented by the ] apparatus of Brazil in its effort to equate political participation with risk of ] and ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Alves|first1=Maria|title=State and Opposition in Military Brazil|date=1985|publisher=University of Texas Press|location=Brazil|page=352|ref=Alves}}</ref> Cassação (English: cassation) is one such mechanism used to punish members of the military by legally declaring them dead. This enhanced the potential for political control through intensifying the culture of fear as a deterrent to opposition.<ref name=Alves1>{{cite book|title=State and Opposition in Military Brazil|page=43}}</ref> | |||
], a Professor of ] at the ] points out that today's culture of fear did not begin with the collapse of the World Trade Centre. Long before 11 September, he argues, public panics were widespread - on everything from GM crops to mobile phones, from global warming to foot-and-mouth. Like Durodié, Furedi argues that perceptions of risk, ideas about safety and controversies over health, the environment and technology have little to do with science or empirical evidence. Rather, they are shaped by cultural assumptions about human vulnerability. Furdi say that "we need a grown-up discussion about our post-11 September world, based on a reasoned evaluation of all the available evidence rather than on irrational fears for the future.<ref>{{cite web|author=Frank Furedi |url=|title=Epidemic of fear |publisher=Spiked-online.com |date= |accessdate=2010-11-23}}</ref> | |||
Alves found the changes of the ] of 1969, as beginning the use of "], physical ], political control, and strict ]" to establish a "culture of fear" in Brazil.<ref name=Alves2>{{cite book|title=State and Opposition in Military Brazil|page=125}}</ref> The three psychological components of the culture of fear included silence through censorship, sense of isolation, and a "generalized belief that all channels of opposition were closed." A "feeling of complete ]" prevailed, in addition to "withdrawal from opposition activity."<ref name=Alves3>{{cite book|title=State and Opposition in Military Brazil|page=126}}</ref> | |||
The writer Jennie Bristow, argues that the culture of fear that emerged following the September 11 attacks and the subsequent ] were not so much emergent fears but rather top-down manufactured ones by politicians and reflected by the media. She also believes that the fears engendered, although irrational, allowed patriotism to emerge which eventually led to military adventurism in places not connected to either 9/11 or the anthrax attacks.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jennie Bristow |url=http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000006DD06.htm |title=How did we get from 9/11 to here? |publisher=Spiked-online.com |date=2002-10-12 |accessdate=2010-11-23}}</ref> | |||
Former ] ] argues that the U.S. government's use of the term "]" was deliberately intended to generate a culture of fear because it "obscures reason, intensifies emotions and makes it easier for ] politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301613.html |title=Terrorized by 'War on Terror' by Brzezinski |work=Washingtonpost.com |date= March 25, 2007|access-date=2010-11-23}}</ref><ref name=twsDecC12>{{cite news | |||
British academics Gabe Mythen and Sandra Walklate, argue that following terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, Madrid and London, government agencies developed a discourse of "new terrorism" in a cultural climate of fear and uncertainty. UK researchers argued that this processes reduced notion of public safety and created the simplistic image of a non-white "terroristic other" that has negative consequences for ethnic minority groups in the UK.<ref name="Gabe Mythen1 and Sandra Walklate"> Gabe Mythen ], UK, Sandra Walklate ], UK</ref> | |||
|author= ] While the true nature of the threat can't be established: it can be less it can be worse. | |||
|title= Terrorized by 'War on Terror' How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America | |||
|newspaper= Washington Post | |||
|quote= The "war on terror" has created a culture of fear in America ... | |||
|date= March 25, 2007 | |||
|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301613.html | |||
|access-date= 2010-12-03 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
], a former professor of Sociology and writer for '']'' magazine, says that the present-day culture of fear did not begin with the ]. Before, he argues, public ]s were widespread on everything from ] and mobile phones, to ] and ]. Like Durodié, Furedi argues that perceptions of risk, ideas about safety and controversies over health, the environment and technology have little to do with science or ]. Rather, they are shaped by cultural assumptions about human ]. Furedi says that "we need a grown-up discussion about our post-September 11 world, based on a reasoned evaluation of all the available evidence rather than on ] fears for the future."<ref>{{cite web |author=Frank Furedi |url=http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000002D46C.htm |title=Epidemic of fear |publisher=Spiked-online.com |access-date=2010-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050922071512/http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000002D46C.htm |archive-date=September 22, 2005 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
==Books== | |||
* ''Culture of Fear: Risk taking and the morality of low expectation'', ], ISBN 0-8264-7616-3 | |||
* ''The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things'', ] ISBN 0465003362 | |||
* ''Politics of Fear: Beyond Left and Right'', ], ISBN 0-8264-8728-9 | |||
* ''State of Fear'', ], ISBN 0-06-621413-0 | |||
*''Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right and the Moral Panic over the City'', ], ISBN 0-8166-4361-X | |||
*'']: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century.'', ], (Simon & Schuster; 1st Simon edition, November 1, 2003, ISBN 0-684-87324-9) | |||
* ''You Have the Power: Choosing Courage in a Culture of Fear'' ] and Jeffrey Perkins, ISBN 978-1585424245 | |||
* ''Creating Fear: News and the Construction of a Crisis'', ], (Aldine de Gruyter, 2002, 223pp. ISBN 978-0-202-30660-3) | |||
British academics Gabe Mythen and Sandra Walklate argue that following the September 11 attacks, ], and ], government agencies developed a discourse of "new terrorism" in a cultural climate of ]. British researchers argued that these processes reduced notions of ] and created the ] image of a non-white "terroristic other" that has negative consequences for ethnic minority groups in the UK.<ref name="Gabe Mythen1 and Sandra Walklate"> Gabe Mythen ], UK, Sandra Walklate ], UK</ref> | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* | |||
In his 2004 BBC documentary film series '']'', subtitled ''The Rise of the Politics of Fear'', the journalist ] argues that politicians use fears to increase their power and control over society. Though he does not use the term "culture of fear," what Curtis describes in his film is a reflection of this concept. He looks at the American ] movement and its depiction of the ] first from the ] and then from radical ]s.<ref name="bbcpower">{{cite news |title=The Power of Nightmares: Your comments |newspaper=] |location=London |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4016713.stm |date=August 3, 2005 |access-date=November 27, 2010}}</ref> Curtis insists there has been a largely illusory fear of terrorism in the West since the September 11 attacks and that politicians such as ] and ] had stumbled on a new force to restore their power and authority; using the fear of an organised "web of evil" from which they could protect their people.<ref name="guardcanned">{{cite news |title=The film US TV networks dare not show |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |newspaper=] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/may/12/cannes2005.cannesfilmfestival4 |date=May 12, 2005 |access-date=July 14, 2010}}</ref> Curtis's film castigated the media, security forces, and the ] for expanding their power in this way.<ref name="guardcanned"/> The film features ], then Director of the International Centre for Security Analysis, and Senior ] in the International Policy Institute, ], saying that to call this network an "invention" would be too strong a term, instead asserting that it probably does not exist and is largely a "(]) of our own worst fears, and that what we see is a fantasy that's been created."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daanspeak.com/TranscriptPowerOfNightmares3.html|title=Exploring The Best Pro hormone Stacks|website=www.daanspeak.com|access-date=November 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224025014/http://www.daanspeak.com/TranscriptPowerOfNightmares3.html|archive-date=February 24, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
* - article published in the EarthLight magazine, #47, fall/winter 2002/2003 | |||
==In the workplace== | |||
{{Main article|Organizational culture|Toxic workplace|Workplace bullying}} | |||
Ashforth discussed potentially destructive sides of ] and identified what he referred to as ]: leaders who exercise a tyrannical style of management, resulting in a climate of fear in the workplace.<ref name="ashforth">''Petty tyranny in organizations'', Ashforth, Blake, Human Relations, Vol. 47, No. 7, 755–778 (1994)</ref> Partial or intermittent ] can create an effective climate of fear and ].<ref name="braiker">{{Cite book|title=Who's Pulling Your Strings ? How to Break The Cycle of Manipulation|last=Braiker|first=Harriet B.|year=2004|isbn=978-0-07-144672-3}}</ref> When employees get the sense that bullies are tolerated, a climate of fear may be the result.<ref name="Organisational">Helge H, Sheehan MJ, Cooper CL, Einarsen S "Organisational Effects of Workplace Bullying" in Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2010)</ref> Several studies have confirmed a relationship between bullying, on one hand, and an autocratic leadership and an authoritarian way of settling ] or dealing with disagreements, on the other. An ] may create a climate of fear, with little or no room for dialogue and with complaining being considered futile.<ref>Salin D, Helge H "Organizational Causes of Workplace Bullying" in | |||
Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2010)</ref> | |||
In a study of ] members, approximately one in five workers reported having considered ] the workplace as a result of witnessing bullying taking place. Rayner explained the figures by pointing to the presence of a climate of fear in which employees considered reporting to be unsafe, where bullies had been tolerated previously despite management knowing of the presence of bullying.<ref name="Organisational" /> Individual differences in sensitivity to ], ] and ] have been studied under the premises of ] and have also been ]. A culture of fear at the workplace runs contrary to the "key principles" established by ] for managers to transform business effectiveness. One of his ] is to drive out fear in order to allow everyone to work effectively for the company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deming.org/explore/fourteen-points|title=The W. Edwards Deming Institute|last=Acquate|website=deming.org|access-date=2017-10-19}}</ref> | |||
== Impact of the media == | |||
The consumption of mass media has had a profound effect on instilling the fear of terrorism in the United States, though acts of terror are a rare phenomenon.<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|last1=Nellis|first1=Ashley Marie|last2=Savage|first2=Joanne|date=2012-09-10|title=Does Watching the News Affect Fear of Terrorism? The Importance of Media Exposure on Terrorism Fear|journal=Crime & Delinquency|language=en|volume=58|issue=5|pages=748–768|doi=10.1177/0011128712452961|s2cid=145162485}}</ref> Beginning in the 1960s, George Gerbner and his colleagues have accelerated the study of the relationship that exists between ] and the ]. According to Gerbner, television and other forms of mass media create a worldview that is reflective of "recurrent media messages", rather than one that is based on reality.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Callanan|first=Valerie J.|date=2012-03-01|title=Media Consumption, Perceptions of Crime Risk and Fear of Crime: Examining Race/Ethnic Differences|journal=Sociological Perspectives|language=en|volume=55|issue=1|pages=93–115|doi=10.1525/sop.2012.55.1.93|s2cid=145094843}}</ref> Many Americans are exposed to some form of media on a daily basis, with television and social media platforms being the most used methods to receive both local and international news, and as such this is how most receive news and details that center around violent crime and acts of terror. With the rise in use of smartphones and social media, people are bombarded with constant news updates, and able to read stories related to terrorism, stories that come from all corners of the globe. Media fuels fear of terrorism and other threats to national security, all of which have negative psychological effects on the population, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia.<ref name="auto"/> Politicians conduct interviews, televised or otherwise, and utilize their social media platforms immediately after violent crimes and terrorist acts, to further cement the fear of terrorism into the minds of their constituents. | |||
==Publications== | |||
Sorted upwards by date, most recent last. | |||
* ''The Formation of the National Security State: the State and the Opposition in Military Brazil, Volume 2'' (1982) by Maria Helena Moreira Alves | |||
* ''Risk Society, Towards a New Modernity'' (1989), by ], {{ISBN|978-0-8039-8346-5}} | |||
* '''' (2000), by ] {{ISBN|0-465-01490-9}} | |||
* ''Creating Fear: News and the Construction of a Crisis'' (2002), by David L. Altheide, Aldine de Gruyter, 223pp., {{ISBN|978-0-202-30660-5}} | |||
* '']: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century'' (2003), by ], Simon & Schuster, {{ISBN|0-684-87324-9}} | |||
* ''The Climate of Fear'' (2004), by ], BBC ] 2004, London, Profile Books, 155pp., {{ISBN|1-86197-783-2}} | |||
* ''State of Fear'' (2004), ], {{ISBN|0-06-621413-0}} | |||
* ''Culture of Fear: Risk taking and the morality of low expectation'' (1997), by ], {{ISBN|0-8264-7616-3}} | |||
* ''Politics of Fear: Beyond Left and Right'' (2005), by ], {{ISBN|0-8264-8728-9}} | |||
* ''You Have the Power: Choosing Courage in a Culture of Fear'' (2005), by ] and Jeffrey Perkins, {{ISBN|978-1-58542-424-5}} | |||
* ''Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right and the Moral Panic over the City'' (2006), by Steve Macek, {{ISBN|0-8166-4361-X}} | |||
* ''Cultures of Fear: A Critical Reader'' (2009), by Uli Linke, Danielle Smith, Anthropology, Culture and Society, {{ISBN|978-0-7453-2965-9}} | |||
* ''Social Theory of Fear: terror, torture and death in a post Capitalist World'' (2010), by Geoffrey Skoll, New York, Palgrave MacMillan {{ISBN|978-0-230-10349-8}} | |||
*''Witnesses to Terror'' (2012), by Luke Howie, Baskinstoke, Palgrave MacMillan {{ISBN|978-0-8232-2434-0}} | |||
* {{cite book |title=It's Better Than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear |year=2019 |author=Gregg Easterbrook |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=978-1541774032}} | |||
* {{cite book |title=A State of Fear: How the UK government weaponised fear during the Covid-19 pandemic |year=2021 |author=Laura Dodsworth |publisher=Pinter & Martin |isbn=978-1780667201}} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Portal|Psychology}} | |||
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
*] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* '']'' | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] ('']'') | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* {{sectionlink|Tactics of terrorism|Fear}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
==Further reading== | |||
* | |||
* – article by Corey Robin published in ''La Clé des langues'' | |||
* – article published in the EarthLight magazine, #47, fall/winter 2002/2003 | |||
* {{cite book| title=Jumping at Shadows: The Triumph of Fear and the End of the American Dream |year=2017 |author=Sasha Abramsky |publisher=Bold Type Books |isbn=978-1568585192}} | |||
{{Bullying}} | |||
{{Workplace}} | |||
{{Misinformation}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Fear}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Fear}} | ||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
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Latest revision as of 10:16, 15 November 2024
Arrangement in which fear of retribution is pervasive For the Thievery Corporation album, see Culture of Fear. A largely unrelated concept in sociology is the "fear culture" on the guilt–shame–fear spectrum of cultures.
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Culture of fear (or climate of fear) is the concept which describes the pervasive feeling of fear in a given group, often due to actions taken by leaders. The term was popularized by Frank Furedi and has been more recently popularized by the American sociologist Barry Glassner.
In politics
Main article: FearmongeringNazi German politician Hermann Göring explained how people can be made fearful and to support a war they would otherwise oppose:
The people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.
In her book State and Opposition in Military Brazil, Maria Helena Moreira Alves found a "culture of fear" was implemented as part of political repression since 1964. She used the term to describe methods implemented by the national security apparatus of Brazil in its effort to equate political participation with risk of arrest and torture. Cassação (English: cassation) is one such mechanism used to punish members of the military by legally declaring them dead. This enhanced the potential for political control through intensifying the culture of fear as a deterrent to opposition.
Alves found the changes of the National Security Law of 1969, as beginning the use of "economic exploitation, physical repression, political control, and strict censorship" to establish a "culture of fear" in Brazil. The three psychological components of the culture of fear included silence through censorship, sense of isolation, and a "generalized belief that all channels of opposition were closed." A "feeling of complete hopelessness" prevailed, in addition to "withdrawal from opposition activity."
Former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski argues that the U.S. government's use of the term "war on terror" was deliberately intended to generate a culture of fear because it "obscures reason, intensifies emotions and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue".
Frank Furedi, a former professor of Sociology and writer for Spiked magazine, says that the present-day culture of fear did not begin with the September 11 attacks. Before, he argues, public panics were widespread on everything from genetically modified food and mobile phones, to global warming and foot-and-mouth disease. Like Durodié, Furedi argues that perceptions of risk, ideas about safety and controversies over health, the environment and technology have little to do with science or empirical evidence. Rather, they are shaped by cultural assumptions about human vulnerability. Furedi says that "we need a grown-up discussion about our post-September 11 world, based on a reasoned evaluation of all the available evidence rather than on irrational fears for the future."
British academics Gabe Mythen and Sandra Walklate argue that following the September 11 attacks, 2004 Madrid train bombings, and 2005 London bombings, government agencies developed a discourse of "new terrorism" in a cultural climate of fear and uncertainty. British researchers argued that these processes reduced notions of public safety and created the simplistic image of a non-white "terroristic other" that has negative consequences for ethnic minority groups in the UK.
In his 2004 BBC documentary film series The Power of Nightmares, subtitled The Rise of the Politics of Fear, the journalist Adam Curtis argues that politicians use fears to increase their power and control over society. Though he does not use the term "culture of fear," what Curtis describes in his film is a reflection of this concept. He looks at the American neo-conservative movement and its depiction of the threat first from the Soviet Union and then from radical Islamists. Curtis insists there has been a largely illusory fear of terrorism in the West since the September 11 attacks and that politicians such as George W. Bush and Tony Blair had stumbled on a new force to restore their power and authority; using the fear of an organised "web of evil" from which they could protect their people. Curtis's film castigated the media, security forces, and the Bush administration for expanding their power in this way. The film features Bill Durodié, then Director of the International Centre for Security Analysis, and Senior Research Fellow in the International Policy Institute, King's College London, saying that to call this network an "invention" would be too strong a term, instead asserting that it probably does not exist and is largely a "(projection) of our own worst fears, and that what we see is a fantasy that's been created."
In the workplace
Main articles: Organizational culture, Toxic workplace, and Workplace bullyingAshforth discussed potentially destructive sides of leadership and identified what he referred to as petty tyrants: leaders who exercise a tyrannical style of management, resulting in a climate of fear in the workplace. Partial or intermittent negative reinforcement can create an effective climate of fear and doubt. When employees get the sense that bullies are tolerated, a climate of fear may be the result. Several studies have confirmed a relationship between bullying, on one hand, and an autocratic leadership and an authoritarian way of settling conflicts or dealing with disagreements, on the other. An authoritarian style of leadership may create a climate of fear, with little or no room for dialogue and with complaining being considered futile.
In a study of public-sector union members, approximately one in five workers reported having considered leaving the workplace as a result of witnessing bullying taking place. Rayner explained the figures by pointing to the presence of a climate of fear in which employees considered reporting to be unsafe, where bullies had been tolerated previously despite management knowing of the presence of bullying. Individual differences in sensitivity to reward, punishment and motivation have been studied under the premises of reinforcement sensitivity theory and have also been applied to workplace performance. A culture of fear at the workplace runs contrary to the "key principles" established by W. Edwards Deming for managers to transform business effectiveness. One of his fourteen principles is to drive out fear in order to allow everyone to work effectively for the company.
Impact of the media
The consumption of mass media has had a profound effect on instilling the fear of terrorism in the United States, though acts of terror are a rare phenomenon. Beginning in the 1960s, George Gerbner and his colleagues have accelerated the study of the relationship that exists between media consumption and the fear of crime. According to Gerbner, television and other forms of mass media create a worldview that is reflective of "recurrent media messages", rather than one that is based on reality. Many Americans are exposed to some form of media on a daily basis, with television and social media platforms being the most used methods to receive both local and international news, and as such this is how most receive news and details that center around violent crime and acts of terror. With the rise in use of smartphones and social media, people are bombarded with constant news updates, and able to read stories related to terrorism, stories that come from all corners of the globe. Media fuels fear of terrorism and other threats to national security, all of which have negative psychological effects on the population, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Politicians conduct interviews, televised or otherwise, and utilize their social media platforms immediately after violent crimes and terrorist acts, to further cement the fear of terrorism into the minds of their constituents.
Publications
Sorted upwards by date, most recent last.
- The Formation of the National Security State: the State and the Opposition in Military Brazil, Volume 2 (1982) by Maria Helena Moreira Alves
- Risk Society, Towards a New Modernity (1989), by Ulrich Beck, ISBN 978-0-8039-8346-5
- The Culture of Fear (2000), by Barry Glassner ISBN 0-465-01490-9
- Creating Fear: News and the Construction of a Crisis (2002), by David L. Altheide, Aldine de Gruyter, 223pp., ISBN 978-0-202-30660-5
- Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century (2003), by Hunter S. Thompson, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-684-87324-9
- The Climate of Fear (2004), by Wole Soyinka, BBC Reith Lectures 2004, London, Profile Books, 155pp., ISBN 1-86197-783-2
- State of Fear (2004), Michael Crichton, ISBN 0-06-621413-0
- Culture of Fear: Risk taking and the morality of low expectation (1997), by Frank Furedi, ISBN 0-8264-7616-3
- Politics of Fear: Beyond Left and Right (2005), by Frank Furedi, ISBN 0-8264-8728-9
- You Have the Power: Choosing Courage in a Culture of Fear (2005), by Frances Moore Lappe and Jeffrey Perkins, ISBN 978-1-58542-424-5
- Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right and the Moral Panic over the City (2006), by Steve Macek, ISBN 0-8166-4361-X
- Cultures of Fear: A Critical Reader (2009), by Uli Linke, Danielle Smith, Anthropology, Culture and Society, ISBN 978-0-7453-2965-9
- Social Theory of Fear: terror, torture and death in a post Capitalist World (2010), by Geoffrey Skoll, New York, Palgrave MacMillan ISBN 978-0-230-10349-8
- Witnesses to Terror (2012), by Luke Howie, Baskinstoke, Palgrave MacMillan ISBN 978-0-8232-2434-0
- Gregg Easterbrook (2019). It's Better Than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1541774032.
- Laura Dodsworth (2021). A State of Fear: How the UK government weaponised fear during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pinter & Martin. ISBN 978-1780667201.
See also
- Abusive power and control
- Abusive supervision
- Cancel culture
- Conspiracy of silence (expression)
- Criticism of the War on Terrorism
- Crowd psychology
- Divide and rule
- Fear appeal
- Fear mongering
- Information operations
- Information warfare
- Intimidation
- Horror and terror
- Hostile media effect
- Kiss up kick down
- List of health scares
- Machiavellianism in the workplace
- Mass hysteria
- Mean world syndrome
- Media hype
- Mind games
- Moral panic
- Narcissism in the workplace
- Nineteen Eighty-Four
- Online shaming
- Opinion corridor
- Police state (Polizeistaat)
- Peer pressure
- Propaganda
- Psychological warfare
- Psychopathy in the workplace
- Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
- Rape culture
- State terrorism
- Strategic communication
- Strategy of tension
- Tactics of terrorism § Fear
- Toxic leader
- Toxic workplace
- Traumatic bonding
- Yellow journalism
References
- Furedi, Frank (1997). The Culture of Fear: Risk-taking and the Morality of Low Expectation. Continuum International Publishing Group.
- Furedi, F. (2006). Culture of Fear Revisited. Continuum.
- Klaehn, Jeffery (2005). Filtering the news: essays on Herman and Chomsky's propaganda model. Black Rose Books. pp. 23–24.
- Gustave Gilbert (1947) Nuremberg Diary.
- Alves, Maria (1985). State and Opposition in Military Brazil. Brazil: University of Texas Press. p. 352.
- State and Opposition in Military Brazil. p. 43.
- State and Opposition in Military Brazil. p. 125.
- State and Opposition in Military Brazil. p. 126.
- "Terrorized by 'War on Terror' by Brzezinski". Washingtonpost.com. March 25, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- Zbigniew Brzezinski While the true nature of the threat can't be established: it can be less it can be worse. (March 25, 2007). "Terrorized by 'War on Terror' How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America". Washington Post. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
The "war on terror" has created a culture of fear in America ...
- Frank Furedi. "Epidemic of fear". Spiked-online.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- Communicating the terrorist risk: Harnessing a culture of fear? Gabe Mythen Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, Sandra Walklate University of Liverpool, UK
- "The Power of Nightmares: Your comments". BBC. London. August 3, 2005. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
- ^ Jeffries, Stuart (May 12, 2005). "The film US TV networks dare not show". The Guardian. London. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- "Exploring The Best Pro hormone Stacks". www.daanspeak.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
- Petty tyranny in organizations, Ashforth, Blake, Human Relations, Vol. 47, No. 7, 755–778 (1994)
- Braiker, Harriet B. (2004). Who's Pulling Your Strings ? How to Break The Cycle of Manipulation. ISBN 978-0-07-144672-3.
- ^ Helge H, Sheehan MJ, Cooper CL, Einarsen S "Organisational Effects of Workplace Bullying" in Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2010)
- Salin D, Helge H "Organizational Causes of Workplace Bullying" in Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2010)
- Acquate. "The W. Edwards Deming Institute". deming.org. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ Nellis, Ashley Marie; Savage, Joanne (September 10, 2012). "Does Watching the News Affect Fear of Terrorism? The Importance of Media Exposure on Terrorism Fear". Crime & Delinquency. 58 (5): 748–768. doi:10.1177/0011128712452961. S2CID 145162485.
- Callanan, Valerie J. (March 1, 2012). "Media Consumption, Perceptions of Crime Risk and Fear of Crime: Examining Race/Ethnic Differences". Sociological Perspectives. 55 (1): 93–115. doi:10.1525/sop.2012.55.1.93. S2CID 145094843.
Further reading
- The Culture of Fear by Noam Chomsky
- The Politics of Fear – article by Corey Robin published in La Clé des langues
- Beyond a Culture of Fear, by K. Lauren de Boer – article published in the EarthLight magazine, #47, fall/winter 2002/2003
- Sasha Abramsky (2017). Jumping at Shadows: The Triumph of Fear and the End of the American Dream. Bold Type Books. ISBN 978-1568585192.
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