How Fear Drives American Politics Summary

In the controversial essay, which was first published in the November 1964 issue of Harper’s Magazine, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” Richard Hofstadter argues how the prevalence of paranoia in American politics has dominated the country. Hofstadter asserts American politics have been governed by paranoia since the creation of the United States, and it has manifested itself into the minds of both average and intellectuals Americans. He contends that paranoia has played a pivotal role in American politics by fostering fear in citizens regarding issues such as gender, ethnicity, race, and religion—and proclaims the reason fear is heightened in citizens has more to do with the style in which panic is spread than any other factor. Furthermore, the author claims the sole issue dictating American politics is not simply paranoia, but rather a problem internationally caused, primarily, through misconceptions and false imaginations. Hofstadter also explores the affiliation paranoia has to power, to corruption, and to the government. Additionally, he examines the reasoning behind many skeptics and paranoids in the country today and describes the techniques with which they spread panic and hysteria, through methods such as books, speeches, and media. “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” by Richard Hofstadter, demonstrates the critical role paranoia plays in dictating American politics through the utilization of academic diction, anecdotal evidence, logical appeals, an explanatory tone, and chronological organization.

The Politics of Fear: How It Manipulates Us to Tribalism by Arash Javanbakht illustrates how humanity can be disgraceful, unsettling, and disappointing. The author uses Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to convey their argument. Discussing the relevant facts and statistics to convey his message. Starting with showing an intimate picture of Barack Obama and Joe Biden paying respect at a memorial site where 49 people were killed because of their sexual orientation. Javanbakht states that these tragedies happened because of race, sexuality, and beliefs.

An article by Nicholas Kristof titled, “Americas History of Fear” which mentions how America is not indifferent, but does not know how to deal with newcomers or immigrants. Fear and intolerance has been seen throughout America’s history. An event of this kind would be what recently happened in the Los Angeles L.A.X. airport; it was reported that a man began shooting and killed innocent people. Many people saw this person which includes his race and are now fearful. This even contributes to the reason why it is so relevant today. There has not been much change; therefor, today there are many minorities facing intolerance or indifference socially. Also, the ambivalence that many people show nowadays is similar to what most people did in the past and there are historical facts that document the struggles that have happened to many minorities like injustice.

Sam Robert in the article “A decade of fear” argues that Mccarthyism turned Americans against each other. Robert supports his claim by illustrating fear, describing betrayal, and comparing it to other US internal conflicts. The author's purpose is to point out a vulnerable point in American history in order to demonstrate how Americans fell prey to Mccarthy’s propaganda. The author writes in a direct and cynical tone for an educated audience. I Strongly agree with Rogers. Mccarthyism caused Americans to turn on each other because it sparked and strengthened the fear of there being communist spies in the government. As well as inciting Americans to hunt and expose communists or anyone they thought to be communist and plunging Americans into a mass hysteria.

In which school the shooting incident happened today? Should I help my child put on a bulletproof vest? Everyday miserable news are reported whenever we turn on TV. The news glue us to the TV screen and give us a sense of uneasiness. We feel living the extremely dangerous era.

Politicians have used fear during a time full of a sense of disorder in order to gain popularity. The reaction to fear is universal and everyone is susceptible to it, forcing them to seek refuge/comfort. Political candidates then take advantage and paint themselves as a form of refuge. This makes fear a favorable strategy for politicians to gain popularity votes. Fear has the power to persuade voters more than any other strategies as seen in modern day politics and in 1964.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” What is fear? Fear can be a noun or a verb. In the noun form, it is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. In the verb form, it is to be afraid of someone or something that is dangerous, painful, or threatening. If one person looks into fear, then that person becomes feared. But imagine a whole society or community looking into fear. The fear not only gets larger as it spreads, but it also gets more fearful than it already is. The power of fear can be displayed in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and in Ronald Oakley’s “The Great Fear”. As fear moves on from one mind to the next, it leaves the

Fear remain relevant in modern politics because there is still fear in power, deaths, and God. For example there was a recent attack on Paris,

Fear makes us the instruments of power. When we are afraid, we obey. When we are afraid, we will do anything to feel safer. With this, it is no surprise that politicians use fear as a political strategy for their own purposes. Barack Obama once stated “We have been operating under a politics of fear: fear of terrorists, fear of immigrants, fear of people of different religious beliefs, fears of gays that they might get married and that somehow that would affect us," (Source 2). Fear has been used in politics to manipulate the people’s views and ideas. The government is meant to protect its citizens, so naturally if that government were to scare citizens and offer a solution to that fear, they would be more likely to supports its efforts. This fear is used to sway votes, so that the government can act without question and to control nations. For example the current President of the United States Donald Trump, delivered a speech on immigration that depicted outsiders as a frightening threat (Source 2). This persuade the public to be afraid of immigrants, thus swaying votes and winning people over fear of

Maria Savaiano English 2 Honors Date: 1/10/16 Has the idea of “freedom from fear” changed over time? Everyday the world endures and takes on new challenges. Everything is constantly changing around our Nation whether it’s economically, socially, gender related, or historically. In President Roosevelt’s speech, he reminds the people of our Nation that he will make sure our astonishing nation will remain in peace. As for President Obama, he mentions multiple points on belief of this great nation and will stand united in advancing the many developments that will help people and other nations out of destitution.

Fear is the tawdry darling of American culture, beloved and manufactured by the powerful and consumed tirelessly by the weak, sewing seeds of perfectly misdirected hate as perfectly as the tide’s ebb and flow. What ultimately becomes fear is an amalgam of other qualities—dissatisfaction, hopelessness, helplessness, et al—emotions without focus, desperately grasping at straws. Enter our false prophet, bearing great, long straws: can’t you see, you haven’t done this to yourself—try salvation! And suddenly, “Average Joe”, a recently unemployed factory worker worrying about how he will provide for his family, has become “Average Joe”, a mindless vestige of an agenda that his misrepresented itself even to its members, suddenly overflowing with opinions on morality, Muslims, and the constitution, a document he’s almost certainly never read. Simply, it is easier for people to blame and vilify others than to accept their shortcomings—any one can win this race, I just need to tie Jose’s shoelaces together so I have a better chance. Fear bears rotten fruit, but vendors have convinced the buyers that it’s not the fruit that’s rotten, but the farmhands. While the scapegoat is frequently detached—Irish-American immigrants in the mid-1800s, Jews in Nazi Germany, the Kurds in Iraq, one of the most curiously and continuously vilified groups in our country’s history is entirely American.

thousands of floors of office space or four large aircrafts, but rather was the creation

There are many conflicts in which the US has been involved that showcase how fear has made an impact on our nation as a whole. War on terror is one of the biggest examples of using conflict to inflict fear on someone. The headlines following the 9/11 threat caused our nation to panic with fear. Propaganda during WWII was also used as a fear tactic to clearly demonstrate the enemy. The civil rights movement contained many acts of violence in order to prove a point. Along with this violence was fear tactics made to show what African Americans suffered in order to become an equal part of society. Statues and other pieces of art were made to help us remember as well as fear defiance. The holocaust, during WWII was a complete devastation for the Jews. Anne Frank’s

Fear is an emotion brought on by danger, evil, or pain. Sometimes the threat is real and sometimes it can be imagined. A person who is walking through a dark alley in the middle of the night may experience fear because they do not know whether or not it is safe to continue on. The fear of the unknown is also expressed in 1984, The Lottery, and Harrison Bergeron. The government in 1984 uses fear to control the masses. They set strict rules but leave a level of life completely unknown. The Party uses the people’s easygoing, trusting personalities to their advantages. In Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, the government holds an annual meeting where names are drawn and someone is toned to death. Not knowing through the whole process who will be

Culture of Fear, by Frank Furedi, is a book that looks at how widespread fear impacts Western cultures like the United States and Great Britain. Frank Furedi believed that society tends to panic too much, as we actually enjoy "an unprecedented level of safety." I admit that Frank Furedi's novel is based upon a novel concept, and an interesting one at that. However, Frank Furedi comes off to me as little more than a fear monger and an intellectual elitist. His book, to me, seems redundant more often than not. But sometimes part of college is learning about points of view that you may not agree with, so I tried to maintain that perspective when I read the book.