Fear is the driving force in every culture. Humans are instinctually motivated to protect themselves, so anything that poses a threat or a disturbance to the norm will cause a great deal of reaction. In many ways, fear controls the world. It’s no surprise then, that America, one of the greediest and most powerful countries in the world, is experiencing a constant inner turmoil for the monopoly of fear culture. Corporations and political groups throughout America strive for the complete control of fear, and ultimately the control of fear’s hostages, the American people. This cannot be done by simply presenting something horrific (although some outlets proceed anyway, such as the many efforts to cease cigarette addiction through the inclusion …show more content…
Throughout the film, evidence of the culture of fear is very prevalent. We see news outlets spending 100% of their attention on 1% of the actual happenings, and of course, what’s chosen to be presented is extremely selective and heavily overemphasized. This is similar to if someone has a bad blemish, and it’s all they can see if they look in the mirror, when in reality, 99% of their skin is blemish free. The news takes a magnifying glass to that blemish, applies makeup and prosthetics to further mangle its image, and then lights it on fire. Only then will they actually begin to report about this blemish, while never forgetting to include their signature ignorance to every other detail. For the same reason someone might be afraid to get their picture taken during a bad breakout, the news has scared a majority of the American population from a countless number of things. Unlike a bad breakout, however, the news is an unrelenting force of never-ending fear culture nonsense that won’t vanish after a few applications of …show more content…
We see it on every form of media, and then we see its effects on everyone we know. Everyone feels that they need to be scared in order to be safe. “If we don’t watch the news, we won’t know what sort of sick, sadistic, and black killers are waiting for us outside our door. We won’t know if every piece of food in our kitchen was recalled for containing shards of vaccinated glass. We won’t know what sort of natural disaster or unstoppable Mad Cow Ebola infection is heading our way to burn us alive while we’re walking home from church. We won’t know what god to pray to incase that happens, because there won’t be anybody validating our views and patting us on the back for doing what’s right while everyone else continues to do what’s wrong. We won’t know if we should eat gluten free, if our cellphones are giving us cancer, if our pants are too tight, if videogames are killing our brain cells and turning us into murderous barbarians, if a celebrity is pregnant, if doctors are truly letting us die just because we are organ donors, if our neighbor is a pedophile, if that really is Jesus on a piece of toast, or if the things we use and wear are organic enough.” There isn’t a clear answer to solve this problem. The only thing to be done is to promote critical thought and analysis about the things people otherwise accept and make assumptions for, day in and day out. Search for unbiased sources of news that do not capitalize on fear to
“At the University of California at Irvine, experiments in rats indicate that the brain’s hormonal reaction to fear can be inhibited, softening the formation of memories and the emotions they evoke” (Baard).
College is hard, scary, and stressful especially with children involved. I think it is a good thing I went to college when I did otherwise, I would be stuck in the same minimum wage job that I have had for the past year. It is going to be hard and stressful but the truth is that were all scared. It is just a matter of pushing myself into getting where I want to be. My main fear with college is mainly flunking out, it is scary but, it is also achievable. I thought to myself, “Hey, if my best friend can go to college then why I can I not”. There was three things that pushed me into going to college. Those are: getting a better job so I can spoil my children, continuing my education, and to be a role model for my children.
...so bad, though, shouldn't the media be covering it and don't citizens have something to be afraid of? And if the media is indeed over-covering the issue and America is safer than we think, why did Moore make this film? CONCLUSION All in all penetrating, contradictory gossipy Michael Moore’s "Columbine" a strong and effective yet moralizing castigation of gun violence is an eye opener for all Americans. "I wanted to say something much larger about how society is manipulated by politicians and corporations into being in a constant state of panic and fear," Moore asserted, "and how once you get the population whipped up like that, conservative regimes can get just about anything they want out of the people without firing a shot." Since I'm not pretending to be an objective journalist in this article, I'll just conclude by saying, Amen to that, Brother. Bibliography
In the documentary Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore, it asks important questions and provokes thoughts. The United States is known to have the highest gun-murder rate in the world. Not that shocking if you watch the news. The media influences fear in the heart of Americans and creates hysteria all over the globe. The documentary had me thinking why are we in fear well for example every day there is always something violent going on in the news a shooting, someone getting stabbed, a woman’s purse get lifted. The media is inflicting fear in our hearts and we really just let it happen without saying a word. In my opinion I think it’s a disguise from the big picture. What is the United States hiding from the American people? The documentary started off with Michael going into a Bank and from my understanding if you open up an account with the bank you can take advantage of their special offer of being able to pick any type of gun that is advertised which I thought was completely crazy especially when the guns are stored in the bank.
...de Americans on September 11, 2001. Now we are being told this number is possibly three times higher than originally reported, adding to the horror in America’s citizens. Society has been indoctrinated in the belief that there is continuously a worldwide threat. Paranoia and anxiety has been the key focal point and the American way of life.
One of the most controversial topics of the century hinges on one simple question: What makes the world go round? Most will jump to say money. Some will argue in favor of their religion. Others will point out scientific facts. The truth is, none are correct. One emotion, one aspect of life shines above the others, extending its light on merely half of our beloved globe, leaving the other semi-circle to deal with pitch black: fear. To understand its impact, society’s definition of fear must be perceived. Fear is officially defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something dangerous will harm him/her. However, with his classic novel, Alan Paton shows that it extends far beyond that. An old man by the name of Stephen Kumalo leaves the comfort of his tribe in Ndotsheni, and embarks on a
In June of 2016, the deadliest mass shooting in the United States happens at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In the aftermath of Sunday morning when covering the shooting, News 13 a local news channel from Orlando used pathos in their news to create fear about terrorism to the audience. On the other hand, The New York Times used eyewitness videos and expert interviews to appeal logic.
Throughout his documentary, Moore, uses many sub-topics to try to convey his message that America is run on the culture of fear. These include the school shootings, the causes of gun violence, the culture of fear that lives in America, the lack good welfare programs, how he believes that the NRA was insensitive by having pro-gun conventions right after the school shootings, and how Americans segregate and stereotype against blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos, and Canada’s lack of gun violence. All of these sub-topics individually are effective in displaying the reasons for the culture of fear in America, but sub-topics together, they create a random mix of ideas with no clear connection. I was very confused. I had no idea what Michael Moore’s true purpose was. Was it that the Columbine shootings were horrible, and he was trying to raise awareness of the event? Or was he trying to say that Americans segregate people too much? I was not the only one confused. In the article “Bowling for Columbine: Film Asks Provocative questions about US Cul...
"Shots fired! Shots fired!" is what was heard through the Philadelphia police scanners on the morning of February 11, 2004. Many officers raced to the scene of T.M. Pierce Elementary in North Philadelphia. It was too late, one dead and another wounded. Yes, ten year old Faheem Thomas-Childs dead and the crossing guard wounded in the arm. It was 7:30 am when gunfire exploded through the school yard as parents/guardians took their children to school on what was supposed to be another beautiful school day. This scene and others like it are becoming more often in the US. What do many people see when they look at American society? Does it look satisfying? Or does seeing violence and other dehumanizing acts question what type of society we live in? Violence in mainstream media is the cause of many violent acts and crimes across the Untied States. Ten-year-old Faheem Thomas-Childs wasn't murdered by a gun, but by someone who used a gun as the instrument for his criminal act. This little boy was not only killed by a teenager who was trying to attack another teenager but also by the media whose main goal is to use the Second Amendment to the best of their ability.
Phobias have been in existence for many years. As humans we fear things that are life threatening and unnatural. Someone who has an irrational fear of something is considered a phobia, which is an extreme illogical fear or dislike of something. Fear is a very common emotion which distinguishes from phobia regarding the severe distress someone with a phobia goes through. Fear is a rationalized and instinctive emotion that comes in response to a threatening situation. The reaction caused by fear can be managed. Phobias can hinder someone’s life. People who struggle with phobias constantly avoid the object of fear, and will do anything required not to see it. It’s hard to directly to clearly figure out the cause regarding
Fear. A simple four-lettered word that describes a powerful emotion that takes over and changes us in an instant. When I was younger, I remember that the consequences of being disciplined frightened me so much that I would do anything in my power to stay out of trouble; as I heard my parents yell out my name while I was conscious that did something wrong, I would lie about the events so my parents would be as merciful as possible. Certainly, this situation has occurred to numerous children across the world. Furthermore, the fear inflicted over me as a child led me to abandon my moral judgement in order to escape harsh punishment. However, what happens when human beings use this fear is used as a way to control others? Throughout history, “fear
In addition, the Cold War is what brought this fear. Elaine Tyler May says that it has become an obsession to gain security. She says that because of fear, movements, such as feminism and black equality, prevented these individuals from being fully accepted into society as equals. I believe that fear has only distracted America from these movements of becoming fully successful. The article also refers to America being less of a democracy by citizens refusing to have faith in their government and refusing to trust one another. Reputedly, fear is what shaped America the way it is
For example, many people refuse to book a flight on September eleventh. The media injects fear and superstition into its audience, causing people to be on high alert for acts of violence in the future. Various news mediums spreads dreadfulness much more than it spreads positivity. Violence always seems to overshadow the positive. Charles Dickens uses the imagery of blood, wine, and the color red through both violent and non-violent scenes from everyday life in France and England to represent the ominous Revolution and the danger it brings with it.
Fear is a human emotion everyone dislikes. Fear is in every person with no exception. It can be difficult problem to solve. We can overcome our fears by challenging ourselves by analyzing fear and developing a growth mindset.
Death is a difficult subject for many people. The topic alone can cause a lot of anxiety because of all the things we don’t know. Most of us fear death for many reasons. Whether it’s your final day, or a final moment with a loved one, it’s a painfully scary process because of its uncertainty.