wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

If you want something much more empirical and substantial, check out this free book from Professor Altemeyer from the Univerity of Manitoba:
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

What I found most interesting was, in listening to Stout describe how we feel, was that it reminded me of someone I know who had a bad childhood and how that person responds to the world now, based on those early experiences. Terror comes in many forms.

Never read this book, the interview makes a good point, but they are concepts that have already been covered in complex and deeper detail by: Wilhelm Reich, Naom Chomsky, Eric Fromm.

Re: #12
Never mind, it was Goering and I found it here.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=235519

Can anyone point me to a source for the quote of Goebbels that Brian read from Stout's book? I'm having no luck finding it via Google.

TIA.

Thanks - really interesting guest and topic. I know exactly where I was on both September 10 and September 11, 2001 - fearful, anxious, and in much pain as I lay flat on my back recovering from being hit by a car that August.

In the NY Times today check out the article in "The Arts" section: "Towers Fell, and Attitudes Were Rebuilt" - neatly dovetails with the segment.

I just caught the end of the segment, but want to comment on the importance of leadership in overcoming fear.

While the discussion seemed to call for each of us to give personal fear, the role of leadership is overarching.

People couldn't will the hopelessness of the Depression away. It took a popular leader to give people the hope that a better day would come.

I believe our society is suffering the effects of weak leadership right now, and that the poor quality of our leadership is the root of our ills.

The only rational response to any theat is to gauge the potential conseqences against the cost of responding to the threat. This must be compared to the opportunity cost. This cost must include, and/or be bounded by our values as a society. But the key point I'd like to make is that the final step is to look at the opportunity cost that comes with any action we take. And with terrorism the cost of defending against all possible terrorism is so high, and the opportunity cost so great that it simply isn't rational to spend huge amounts of money to protect ourselves. Spend the money fighting disease or making cars safer -- you'll save a lot more lives.

What about the influence of constant connection to technologies (TV, computers, cell phones, etc.) which do not allow for empathy. Empathy is an important factor in helping to lessen our levels of stress and anxiety which trigger fear and paranoia. We need physical contact with one another beyond virtual contact.

There's an interesting children's book about this topic of fear and changing the perceptions of paranoia: I Don't Want To Blow You Up!

http://www.blowyouup.com

Her comment that other countries -- the UK, Israel -- have coped with terrorism better than the US is a good one. Until 9/11 we lived in a bubble -- that some how the rest of the world didn't touch us. Then suddenly the we found quite the opposite, that the world will come to us whether we like it or not. For all our super power status, we are truly the big babies of the world. I say to people for goodness sake, grow up!

Fear sells

Remember earlier this week when Brian was fear mongering with Amadinmajab?

The media including Brian treat him like Hilter, though he isn't a dictator nor the sole leader of that country. It's all a drumbeat to war.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1910146

Alex Jones and many extreme leftist have been saying this for years(before the tragic events yada yada)...NOW its mainstream (if indeed this show is)...does anyone not believe that fear is whats used to shape people (us) nice lead up with the master fear monger going Giuliani giving a speech last night in NJ.

I remember September 10, 2001! Want to here a rundown of it? Let me know and I'll post it. I must warn you it was not very eventful.

This is what they do at Harvard?????? How do they make up this stuff?