alt. fear

(Forgive me in advance if I make any generalizations)
I was thinking about this the other day. It seems like the people in this country who are in the "straightand narrow, career-and-materialism groove," as Naomi Klein put it, the moderates and conservatives, those who don't go out of their way to step outside the mainstream as much as liberals/"radicals," especially those in the "middle of the country," are those who most fear terrorism, another terrorist attack, or bad things that could happen to this country and its post-Cold War stability. Likewise, it seems like a lot of the liberals/progressives/those who make a conscious effort to remove themselves idealistically, psychologically and physically from the mainstream as much as they can are the ones who have become sort of numb and cynical to the recent rise of pop-fear (which includes everything from the colored terror levels, to the universal dinner-time terrorism conversations, to the vast sea of "god bless the usa," and "we will never forget" number stickers).
So I guess my question is, has terrorism as an idea become more of a cultural/social ploy (intentional or not by the establishment) than an actual threat to the empire? Also, do you personally believe a major attack is imminent? Do you think more change will come from within than from outside?

A long dark night of The American Soul.

because it's all they got.

no one wants any terrorism at all, but honestly, if they blew up a restaurant or a shop in a mall once a month, would if really bring our country to a halt?

hardly. we'd go on, just as london did, just as anyone who's ever been attacked. maybe we'd order online and takeout a bit more, and we'd certainly be grieving and angry and want revenge and peace, but for the most part, we'd continue, just as we're doing now.

but look, the bushies have used one single attack, without any credible indication that they can do anything like it more than once every 8 years, as an excuse to replace 225 years of democracy with 40 years of war.

and it is as you call it "a cultural/social ploy".....It's a spin of grand proportions...bordering on Brainwashing IMO....and it's unforgivable!!

is a problem. The current fear results in supporting the administration's "war on terrorism" which becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of more terrorism since the policy in reality is war for hegemony which produces terrorism.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

:toast:

hundreds , if not thousands are killed yearly and always have been , although it often masquerades as "homicide" even though the killings are perpetraded by groups who are functioning as a result of political policy. Gangs funded by drugs brought into this country with complicity of the entire spectrum of authority are butr one example.

Oklahome City is another flavor.

Now, we are whipped into a frenzy of fear that exists to control us via emotions as common and longstanding as Homo Sapiens.

The Roman Senate had the Visigoths, our Senate has the Jihadists.

(j'aime eliot)

Fear is a major distraction, but Homeland Security isn't doing much to win the war on the flu pandemic. It is stockpiling anti-virals that won't work
on H5N1 pandemic flu

http://www.recombinomics.com/H5N1_anti_virals.html

and the flu pandemic could kill 1 Billion

http://www.recombinomics.com/pandemic_potential.html

I heard that one of the reasons this is such a real threat is that the avian virus type is transmitted through animals, in this case birds(live chickens?)-- and there is a problem with smuggling through borders/inadequate safeguards at customs on transporting animals, such as farm chickens

Kerry won people who said they were "very worried" about terrorism by 12 points...

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html