Fear is a necessary evil. Born out of the evolution of emotion, it serves to prevent irrational and dangerous activity. However, today, stress is no longer related to gathering food or finding shelter; it is related to business efficiency, interpersonal relationships, and other modern trivialities. As the world becomes more connected, fear and paranoia spread more rapidly. However, even though new technology has expedited the diffusion of negativity, humans have communicated for thousands of years. As humans began to think in a more complex manner, they began to worry. New communication methods and worrying combined led to humans sharing worries, which snowballed into larger scale paranoia. The social dynamic that leads to paranoia can …show more content…
An example of this are the rumors that spread throughout Europe before the plague even arrived. Europeans had only heard highly exaggerated stories of depopulation; they had no idea what to expect from the disease. The introduction to Tuchman’s It’s the End of the World refers to the beginning of Europe’s long struggle with the plague when trading ships consumed by disease arrived in Sicilian ports. Despite never witnessing the plague firsthand before its arrival in Sicily, Europe had already formed many preconceptions about the disease. However, this is not unique to the past; more recent panics have been the result of misunderstanding as well. Lepore’s It’s Spreading, demonstrates how people generally fear the monsters they do not know rather than the ones they do. The article highlights the dramatization of a disease transmitted by parrots to only a handful of Americans. Despite few reported cases, the many Americans went into a panic. Considering how little most people knew about the parrot fever at the time, this isn’t surprising. The text states, “Who knew? Nobody had ever heard of it before. It lurked in American homes. It came from afar. It was invisible. It might kill you” (Lepore). Just as many Americans feared an Ebola outbreak in their country despite the fact that the disease was only transmitted to a few hospital workers in the …show more content…
In many cases, organizations have motives for spreading fear. In Lepore’s It’s Spreading, the response of the media to the “crisis” is a fantastic example of journalists working to create publicity rather than to inform the public. The Washington Post published Parrot Disease Baffles Experts on January 8th, 1930 despite the fact that many experts already had an idea of what they were looking for. A few days later, more news outlets published responses to the death of Percy Q Williams, one of the few victims of the parrot fever. The Chicago Daily Tribune published a story titled Baltimore Woman Dies and the Associated Press “announced that the country’s scientists had declared war [on the disease]” (Lepore). As a result of the media’s exaggerated stories, people felt a greater need to keep up with the “dire” situation. This began a trend that allowed media outlets to sell more papers. This tactic is still around today. A great example of this is the aspect of “urgency” most 24/7 news networks convey to their audience. Making viewers feel like the future depends on a story makes them more apt to follow
The addition of fear is sometimes too much for people to handle. As if they didn’t have enough already” (Baker 1).
In The Influencing Machine, Gladstone argues that the media focuses on putting out news that remotely threatens viewers. In the text she states, “emphasizing bad news is good business…world [seems] more dangerous…actually is.” It is good business considering that it keeps the audience on their toes and makes them think about what is going on. When you visit news sites or look at news stations
In the year 1625, Francis Bacon, a famous essayist and poet wrote about the influences of fear on everyday life. He stated, “Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other” (Essays Dedication of Death). Clearly, external surroundings affect perceptions of fear as well as human nature in general. Although C.S. Lewis published the novel, Out of the Silent Planet, over three centuries after Bacon wrote his theory on fear, Lewis similarly portrayed external surrounding to manipulate perceptions of fear. From the first chapter of the novel, Lewis revealed fear to be a weakness that leads to ignorance. It was this ignorance that apparently fueled the cycle of corruption and immorality on “The Silent Planet.” Using the character Ransom to reveal the effect of memory and morality on fear, C.S. Lewis demonstrates that fear is a quality of the “bent” race (humans), and only by eliminating fear in our lives can the human race become hnau.
"Culture of Fear" is a book that describes that it is our perceptions that dangers have increased, and so much the actual level of risk. Glassner explains in all of his chapters how people and organizations use our fears as a way to increase their profit. Glassner also states about the prices we pay for our panics and all the time and energy we spend worrying. Americans are afraid because of the media's broadband expose of crime, violence, drugs and diseases.
Paranoia is a very strange “Mental condition in which a person has long-term pattern of distrust and suspicion of others” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Our prehistoric ancestors faced a ferocious world where misjudgment could be fatal. In adapting to this rigid way of life, man had adopted the idea of paranoia and embraced it. By constantly observing their surroundings and trusting only those they knew, homo sapiens were able to survive in these barbaric times. Later on, man became much more knowledgeable and gained skills that enabled him to build shelter and store food. However, it almost seems like this trait of paranoia was handed down through the new generations, causing people in our society to seem “abnormal.” Many writers
Through a lifespan, people will endure many stressful events and experiences. The severity of these events easily overwhelm them and as a result they will let their emotions overshadow sensible decisions. When in such an emotional state, it is common that people make impulsive decisions based off their feelings, but, this could lead to permanent consequences. Of the numerous emotions, fear predominantly is seen in times of crisis. Fear can be defined as, “An emotion of uneasiness that arises as a normal response to perceived threat that may be real or imagined” (Adamec). Fear may arise from a confrontation or from avoiding a threat, or it may come in the form of a discovery. Fear is often a direct result of one being scared due to a crisis
Fear is not only interconnected to all emotions, but it can also be directly linked to nearly all faucets of everyday life. Society is so driven by fear that it has been the prime causation factor of wars and the driving force behind entire economies. Major news networks capitalize on fear based commentary. They seemingly promote fear by placing strong emphasis on only those stories that highlight things such as corrupt politics, homicide, the bankrupt economy, school shootings, and the so called, “War on Terror.” The News Stations keep people in constant search for the ever-elusive piece of mind. Networks such as MSNBC, CNN, ABC and FOX bring in billions of dollars by conditioning the human psyche with an abundance’s of commercials targeting consumers based on race, ethnicity, status and creed. Big business and Governments intention is to frighten its citizens an...
Alice Park’s article in TIME Magazine, entitled “The Two Faces of Anxiety”, outlines the key positive and negative effects anxiety can have on both the individual and humanity as a whole. Because of the steady increase in diagnoses of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and similar mental illnesses, evaluating the origins of anxiety as well as its effects are crucial steps for developing both medical treatments and alternative methods of coping with the disorder. While many of the 40 million American adults suffering from anxiety believe that eliminating the feeling altogether is ideal, they fail to consider what psychologists have mounds of empirical evidence in support of: anxiety is not inherently adverse, and can, in many cases, be advantageous. Anxiety is generally understood to be a biological process in which specific symptoms, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, manifest as a response to stressful scenarios. In these potentially-fatal situations, the fight-or-flight response is an evolutionary reaction developed to prevent species from engaging in behavior that could result in extreme negative consequences, while also preparing them for possible conflict. Overall, this response is a constructive adaptation, but an issue arises when individuals face stressful, albeit non-fatal, situations. The body still experiences the same symptoms despite the absence of any “real” danger, and the person suffering from the anxiety feels as though he or she has little control over the behaviors brought on by the condition. Triggered by both genetic and environmental factors, there appears to be a wide variation in the severity of anxiety as well as what treatment methods are effective for each individual. However, many psychologists ...
In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air
Newspapers and nightly news shows have become a business. They no longer go by the public services values they once stood by (Sensationalism, 2005). Instead of being the fourth branch of government, they are just like any other money making business. It is no longer a race to put out the truth; it is more a race for dollars and control. Sensationalism is purely fueled by money and popularity. If a news outlet garners a large amount of popularity, they can swing votes, and influence voters. Sensationalism has already affected many political situations. Sensationalism has proven to spread like a virus. If sensationalism is not controlled, there is no way the news outlets can be the advocate for the people.
Human's fears should not be taken lightly. Fear could do anything to one's minds, though without fear, man can be as savage as animals. In the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding presented fear of the unknown to be a powerful force in a man's mind. Fear of the unknown is a powerful force, which can turn to either insight or hysteria. The kids feared of not being rescued off of the island, so they made signal fires on top of the mountain. Then, there and gone, Roger's fear of the old rules he abided to. Also, there were the fears of the beast which confused and isolated the kids from the top of the mountain.
People have always been scared of the truth, whether it is about recognizing their own or others’ flaws, or simply seeing what they received on their latest test. This fear of the unknown or of the unveiling of the truth could affect anyone, anywhere and is prominent in its impact on the news. Universally, people enjoy feeling safe and having the comfort of having someone else to share the same comfort and security. Due to this humanistic desire to find self-security, people including the media sometimes use bias to suggest danger or safety in order to invoke the interest of an audience towards a piece of information and away from the full picture. Throughout the story, Rennie explores not just her own personal psyche, but also that of some
Fear has controlled the world and shaped humans into what they are now. New technologies have been created, because of the fear humans have. Over time new fears have evolved, and illnesses occurred due to anxiety and depression from these fears. The terror that runs through each individual is different. Without fear there would be no evolution or protection.
Mass media controls the public like puppets. It affects everything a person does with their lives. Just like in Fahrenheit 451 we live in a society of fantasizers. We believe what the media tells us and to not question it but just go along with it. Media is everywhere whether we are aware of it or not.
This paper is focused on how fear as a subject is being perceived by many as a dominant and primitive human emotion. An uncontrollable energy that’s exists and created within every individual, which is directed towards an object or a given situation that does not present an actual danger. The individual then analyzes that the fear is contradictory and thus cannot help the reaction. Gradually, the phobia aims to build up and aggravate as the fear of fear response takes hold. Eventually they distinguish their fear responses as negative, and go out of their way to avoid those reactions. ‘Fear is derived as a basic feeling and therefore created by us – it is not something we have, but something we do. The principle of fear is to keep us safe.’