don’t fix the problem - create fear
I found this to be a good article on the fear mentality that is being created in the western world at the moment. In Australia, you don’t have to watch the news or read the newspapers for long to see a politician making some statement that is designed to highlight fear. When we had pay TV I used to enjoy watching Fox news for the entertainment of spotting their techniques. I would have to say that Fox news is much more overt in creating fear than the Australian media – but, we are catching up.
The article has this line which I think hits the nail on the head:
‘Modern politicians are so focused on public perceptions, and the need to use the media to manage those perceptions, that they have become more concerned to be seen responding to the public’s media-incited worries than to fix the problem.’
Read the whole article here
November 16th, 2005 at 6:23 pm
good post…
November 17th, 2005 at 1:23 am
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using fear as a tool of public policy. I believe that it is the role of all reponsible statesmen to scare the electorate repeatedly, lest the voters become too complacent and decadent for their own good.
The main positives of Prime Minister Howard have not been in public policy (he has been thoroughly extravagant and irresponsible on issues such as taxation and welfare spending), but in driving the electorate into a semi-permanent state of hysteria and conjuring up a series of strategic bogeymen (unions, terrorists, gays) to frighten people into voting against the ALP and their socialist allies.
November 17th, 2005 at 1:47 pm
Have you seen outfoxed? Like Moore and Spurlock’s films\docos, it is as biased as the bias they expose but interesting nonetheless. Especially picks up on the Fox News mottos “We Report, You Decide” and “Fair and Balanced”!!
November 17th, 2005 at 1:57 pm
I havent seen outfoxed yet.. I must rent the dvd
November 18th, 2005 at 7:56 am
The one I loved recently was when that cruise ship was attacked off Somalia by pirates. Alexander Downer first public statement on the matter was (to paraphrase) “We haven’t ruled out that it was an attack by terrorists”
This is classic government technique. There was no suggestion that it was a terrorist attack but he has successfully implanted that idea in peoples minds and he can later deny that he ever said it was a terrorist attack.
Skillful work Alex.
November 18th, 2005 at 11:00 am
Or this one:
We have some legislation we want to get through and all of the sudden it is the right time to make some sensational busts on suspected “terror cells”…phew! I am sure glad that the government’s doing what they’re doing