Alright, we can call this the part 2 to my original, "What Are You Afraid Of?" As you (hopefully) remember, I was discussing how a constant exposure to fear effects our lives and actions to one another, and ways to better put that fear energy to use. In this, I will like to talk about where a lot of the fear in this country is created. Very simply, the news media perpetuates fear in it's viewers/listeners in order to prevent us from being united and recognizing the hypocrisy and crookedness of our government.
On any given day, you can turn on any national news media source and see something along the lines of, " SUICIDE BOMBING!" "ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT BACTERIA KILLING HOSPITAL PATIENTS!" "THIS ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO TAKE OUR RIGHTS AWAY" "NO! THE OTHER GUYS ARE TRYING TO TAKE YOUR RIGHTS AWAY!" "FISCAL CLIFF!" "SEQUESTERING!" "78% OF RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES PICK THEIR NOSE BEFORE THEY MAKE YOUR HAMBURGER!" "ANGRY WIFE CUTS OFF HUSBAND'S PENIS!"..... you get it.
This is definitely an idea that I've been working with for about a week now, and wanted to express, but I knew that I'd need to do a bit of research before I could tackle. In my quest for further knowledge, I came across this gem. I have no clue who this person is since my Google search turned up with nothing, but I think she hit the nail on the head with this:
"The current state of the news media is partially to blame for the public's general lack of information vital for responsible citizenship in a democracy. The news media has become an aspect of show business, offering merely infotainment. It has evolved into an entity that tends to function as a public relations agency for wealthy and powerful multinational corporations, members of Congress, the current Presidential Administration including the administrations that preceded it. The news media is being utilized as a political tool of suppression and propaganda by those in power, and propaganda is psychological in nature. Full of half-truths and utter misinformation, it's an arrogant and very commercial strategy that is implemented because it appeals to emotions, fear being the main one relentless talks of national security, personal and community safety, can trigger childhood insecurities and indoctrinate views of authority."
Teresa Stover
Admittedly, that was a slightly more political view that I typically have, but I think that the basic idea is definitely present. These, "news sources," have more to gain when they can keep you watching in suspense. An unfortunate side effect of this constant exposure to the media telling you how, essentially, everyone else is capable of harming you is that it keeps us in fear of each other. You could have never gotten carjacked in your life, but you still lock your doors in a, "bad neighborhood." Why is that? It's not that your reacting from experience, but that you heard (possibly many years ago) that a person got mugged or raped or carjacked or even verbally abused in this area and you're going to make sure it doesn't happen to you. Have you ever heard of a place, outside of a penitentiary, where 100% of the residence were criminals?...... Me neither. That being said, we have to admit that actions such as locking your car while you're driving through a supposedly bad area or shoving your thumb in your beer bottle at a party can only mean one thing; you do not trust someone there not to cause you harm.
This lack of trust in our fellow man translates very broadly and can permeate the way we live our entire lives. How often do you hear about the small, good things people do for one another? You rarely see a news report about the man who helps take care of his elderly neighbor or the group of people who set up soup kitchens to feed the homeless in the park. A stranger pulling over on the side of the highway to help someone change a flat tire isn't going to make the 6 o-clock broadcast, and neither will the woman who gives a couple of teens a lift home (without molesting or kidnapping them, mind you). I'm going to tell you something now that make take you aback, but follow me with this;
For the most part, nothing of significance is going to happen to you! More than likely, you're not going to get shot, stabbed, beaten, or blown up. You will be born, go to school, graduate, probably fall in love, get your heart broken, have kids, buy a house, struggle to pay bills sometimes, laugh, smile, cry, and die. That's all. It's the way you fill that time that dictates the true significance of your existence. If you're going to live your life in fear of everyone around you, what's the point?
It's at this time, I usually like to offer a solution, and this one sounds simple, but could possibly be a bit difficult. Turn off the TV. Read a book, paint a picture, write a poem, and please PLEASE try to begin to see the beauty in people because, I assure you, it is there! This whole Right Wing vs. Left Wing, Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, Christian vs. Atheist shit is for the birds! It is time to disconnect ourselves from the source of our contention and begin to live in unity. WE are the ones who can change this world, not some political power. STOP GIVING THEM PERMISSION TO SCARE YOU AND TELL YOU HOW TO THINK AND LIVE! There are more of us than there are them, and majority rules baby. Be the change you want to see, because if we continue to let the people who have all of the money be the driving force of our actions, we are so far beyond screwed that we are almost beyond redemption. So, today, or the next time you get a chance, smile at a stranger, shake their hand and have a conversation. Put your best foot forward because you may just be helping that person realize, as well, that the world is, in fact, a beautiful place and fear is for the feared.
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