Manufacturing High Anxiety

[norml]

Manufacturing High Anxiety
Written by Greg Guma
Monday, 17 October 2005



"Are you and your family at risk?" Almost anyone who watches television has heard that teaser during the news. The answer is often no, but the question itself has the power to set off a panic reaction that leads people to rush out for the latest cure or recommended precaution.

Several years ago, Dr. Marc Siegel, a practicing internist in New York and frequent guest on TV news programs, began to notice what he calls "free-floating communicated fear" was causing his patients to personalize risks that were actually quite remote. In his new book, False Alarm: The truth about the epidemic of fear, he has assembled a convincing case that, misdirected by political opportunists and irresponsible media, we too often worry about the wrong things, and that fear itself poses a greater risk than any "bug du jour."

Part of the problem lies in our brains, specifically the amygdala — the central station for processing emotions like fear, hate, love, and bravery. Once it detects a threatening situation, it pours out stress hormones. But if the stress persists too long, it can malfunction, overwhelm the hippocampus (the center of our "thinking" brain), and be difficult to turn off.

Most animals tend to react only to real, direct threats. In humans, however, chronic fear can be triggered by words and symbols — the perception of danger that may stem from hype, fragmented information, uncertainty, or misunderstanding


snip


http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/631/1/

[MountainLaurel]

1. Interesting stuff.

Will have to add it to my reading list.

[niyad]

2. he is saying what I have known all along--glad to see that this is getting

some decent attention, at last. he is a very well-spoken, intelligent man.

[ixion]

3. Watch "The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen" and you'll see the

message.

** SPOILER **




At the end of the movie, they open the gates, and there is no one out there. The war they were fighting and dying for was all in their mind.


So it goes with our wars against abstractions, in a sense. While there are truly bad people out there, have the Global WoT is not the way to pursue the issue. The way to pursue the issue is as a CRIMINAL, not MILITARY matter. This is the primary difference between BushCo and every president (except Ray-Gun and Nixon) before him.

[bemildred]

4. Another good reason not to watch any TV. nt