Fear Driven Generation
I'm sitting with an uncle at a family reunion last month and it became clear to me that his right wing politics is fear based. Everything that he talked about was fear based. What if Obama encourages the terrorists... we must stand behind Israel. I of course noted the USS Liberty and said that we have more to fear from Israel than we do Hamas. What if health care doesn't work? People are dying for profit now... the fear scenario of people dying is happening. I put up a link on Facebook that suggests it's time to shrink the military because we have bases in 63 counties and the cost is burdensome. The objections that I got were based on us not having bases in Europe between WWI and WWII. More fear that doesn't speak to me.
In terms of religion, most of us don't allow fear to drive us to be believers. If fear was a motivating factor, we'd all be deeply religious. But we laugh off the threats of Hell. "Yes.. the molecules of my soul are going to burn? How might that feel with no actual molecules or a nervous system to connect them?" The world has been walking away from religion for many years. The US is joining and we are beginning to run from it. The politics of fear isn't working for the Republicans either. For the last 30 years fear has been the rally cry. Now it seems like less and less people care to hear the fear and want to find solutions. We hear no solutions coming from the right, only about the death and destruction of our ways. Can Mitch McConnell hear the crickets yet?
Is this a generational thing? I'm mid-30's and so my parents are on the tail end of the fear of nuclear war crowd. As a kid there were many fears... strangers, razors in Apples at Halloween, fear of not wearing a hat because the nasty bacteria apparently only got the kids without a hat on, Santa watching, Jesus Watching, Russians, etc. Turns out it was all garbage and instead of the lies being able to continue in pockets if nothing else, the lies can be quickly checked out with the access of the internet. Those chain emails get debunked on my list long before most have even read it. No more garbage in, no more garbage out.
Our age ranges here run from 13 to 80+. Does anyone else feel the same? The world is changing in large part because we have subconsciously figured out the game of fear of everything? What have your experiences been and how do those experience agree and differ? Is it the ability to share ideas quickly that is crushing the fear perpetrators?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey on -
Well, now I really hop you enjoy it. I'd hate to think I wasted your time :/
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Permalink Reply by Gaytor on -
When I was thinking age based, it's due to the propaganda we grew up with. In my age group too. It seems like there was a break for us (mid 30s), and now the next generation is growing up and losing religion. They seem less moved by threats as if they've spent a life with empty threats and the info that they have went to verify has all been shenanigans ie Saddam has Weapons of Mass Destruction.
I partially wonder if it's because most of us over 30 knew corporal punishment. The threats did have consequences. It's an over-simplification, but I'm just thinking out keyboard.
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Permalink Reply by Gaytor on
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Our PE teacher used to carry a paddle in his back pocket at the ready. My 6th grade teachers (3 of them in the small school) were all men and they were like the Goon Squad. If anyone acted up in the Middle School all three would be brought in in intimidating fashion.
My Dad spanked me once... earned. My Mom was intimidating and did what she said she was going to do. There was no counting to three in our house.
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Permalink Reply by Gaytor on
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Up until around 87, 88... the enforcement of that law didn't exist in my school. It ended before I graduated though in 92.
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Permalink Reply by Misty: Baytheist Living! on -
I was a hellion. My family quite liberally applied physical punishment.
One of the things it taught me was that physical pain is pretty fucking fleeting, but spectacular revenge stays with ya for a long, long time!
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