Thomas Sowell: The polio fallacy

Town Hall ^ | Jun 16, 2005 | Thomas Sowell

[The Raven]

The disappearance of an American teenager in Aruba has been more than a tragedy for her and for her family. It is the latest of many tragedies to strike trusting people who have long been sheltered from dangers and who have acted as if there were no dangers.

Not only individuals but whole nations have lost their sense of danger after having been protected from those dangers.

After the devastating disease of polio was finally conquered by vaccines, back in the 1960s, the number of people afflicted declined almost to the vanishing point. Some people then began to see no need to take the vaccine, since apparently no one was getting polio any more, so who was there to catch it from?

The result was a needless resurgence of crippling and death from this terrible disease.

The kind of thinking involved in the polio fallacy has appeared in many other contexts. When some public disorder gets underway and a massive arrival of police on the scene brings everything under control immediately, many in the media and in politics deplore such "over-reaction" on the part of the police to a minor disturbance.

It never occurs to such people that it was precisely the arrival of huge numbers of cops on the scene that brought the disturbance to a screeching halt without having to use force.

During the Cold War, Communist expansionism around the world somehow never struck Western Europe, which was protected by the American nuclear umbrella -- and which often accused the United States of unnecessary militarism. American military power was like the polio vaccine that was considered unnecessary.

The latest version of the polio fallacy is the demonizing of the Patriot Act. Some people are yelling louder than ever that they have been silenced, that we have had our freedom destroyed, all as a result of the Patriot Act.

Let us go back to square one, to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which were the reason for passage of the Patriot Act.

Do you remember how long every major public event -- the World Series, Christmas celebrations, the Super Bowl -- was a time of fear of a new terrorist attack? Do you remember all the advice to stock up on medicines or food, so that we could ride out any new terrorist onslaught?

Do you remember all the places that terrorists were expected to strike? The different colors of national alerts being announced regularly?

Now, after years have passed without any of these feared disasters actually happening, the eroding of a sense of danger has led many to repeat the polio fallacy and act as if the dangers from which we have been protected did not exist -- and that the enhanced protection is therefore unnecessary.

The many crackdowns on domestic terrorists under the Patriot Act, as well as the ability to intercept and disrupt their communications under the powers of that Act, receive little or no credit for the fact that there has been no repetition of anything like 9/11.

The man principally responsible for law enforcement crackdowns on terrorists in the United States during this dangerous period -- Attorney General John Ashcroft -- not only received no gratitude for our safety, the complacency to which that safety led allowed many to indulge themselves in the luxury of vilifying Ashcroft at every turn.

Like the police who arrive in large numbers to quell disturbances and are then accused of "over-reacting," the Patriot Act has been depicted as an over-reaction to terrorist activity. Indeed, the very word "terrorist" has been banned in much of the politically correct media.

The Patriot Act is no closer to perfection than anything else human. It has costs, as every benefit has had costs, hard as it is for many among the intelligentsia to accept anything less than "win-win" situations.

"I have a real problem with fascism," as one lady in a trendy California bookstore said fiercely, when discussing the Patriot Act.

She was aghast when I replied, "I hadn't noticed any fascism."

Have you?

[Aquinasfan]

During the Cold War, Communist expansionism around the world somehow never struck Western Europe, which was protected by the American nuclear umbrella -- and which often accused the United States of unnecessary militarism. American military power was like the polio vaccine that was considered unnecessary.

Great analogy.

[Aquinasfan]

The series of questions is designed to eliminate potential excuses, not provoke a confession.

I suspected as much. But it might clue-in a few people as well.

[aculeus]

Bump.

[Adder]

"Most lighters have always been prohibitted"

Since when? I have never had one taken or told it was prohibited.
The shoe thing is just dumb. So WHAT if there is metal in the shank of your shoe. IF it sets off the detector, check it then.
You are defending having old people and OBVIOUSLY innocent people submit to this ridiculous screening as a show that "We are doing something to keep you safe."
Its a farce and its just stupid.
I don't plan on flying until this crap is stopped.

[MortMan]

Why is this idiot surprised?

Why the gratuitous insult? If you can't make your point without denigrating your opponent, you can't make your point.

You are very correct about the "perception" of safety being the goal of the current screening guidelines, rather than real safety. First, TSA should choose searchees carefully, based on suspect descriptions (profiling) and individual activity (nervousness, etc.). Second, they need to go back to first and make sure they have it right.

Third, they need to get serious about knowing who has work-access to restricted areas (way too many illegal aliens have been found out on the tarmac).

I'll get off my soapbox now. (Sorry for the rant)

[steve-b]

I hadn't noticed any fascism.

It must be nice to live in an alternate time continuum where April 14 is followed immediately by April 16.

[clee1]

Shout that from the mountain top, FRiend.

Too many people are too willing to accept the asinine dictates of elected and appointed "officials", most no smarter than they are.

America was founded on the premise that people want to be as independent as possible. Modern American is all too willing to sacrifice its freedoms.

[Samwise]

I remember a talk show on which Little Richard appeared. They were discussing security and profiling. The white celebrities were bemoaning racial profiling and the indignity of actually searching a Muslim. Of all the folks on the show, Little Richard was the one who made sense. He said that he had to fly airplanes all the time and being hassled was inconvenient. However, not nearly as inconvenient as being blown up. Security could search him anytime they wanted as long as they looked under that other boy's turban. He cracked me up. He waved his hand in the air and removed an invisible turban. He screeched, "Look under that turban!" The other celebs shut up. They couldn't argue with a black legend.

[meema]

bttt

[Samwise]

Well, British Airways took her and her bags into a little room so they could see exactly what those servants might have packed...

Actually, that would be a good way to plant something. Pack it in the employer's bag and let them smuggle it, blow up with it, or whatever.

[William Terrell]

How, specifically, does the notion that a statute with destructive potential, used without abuse in a beneficial administration but can be abused by a inimical administration, relate to the polio fallacy?

[tnlibertarian]

you have no clue what fascism is.

Kindly define it for us, then.

[dpa5923]

I am not defending anything of the sort, but if you also believe this is fascism, you too are delusional. This is an inconvenience but hardly fascism.

[dpa5923]

Fascism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is part of the
Fascism series.

Varieties of Fascism

Nazism
Rexism
Falangism
Clerical fascism
Austrofascism
Crypto-fascism

---

Fascist political parties and movements

Arrow Cross Party
Blueshirts
Brazilian Integralism
British Fascisti
British Fascists
British Union of Fascists
Faisceau
Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS
Imperial Fascist League
Iron Guard
Nasjonal Samling
National Fascisti
National Socialist League
Silver Legion of America
Ustase

---

Fascism in history

Fascio
March on Rome
Italian Social Republic

---

Relevant Lists

List of fascists

---

Related Subjects

Fascist symbolism
Roman salute
Blackshirts
Corporatism
Syndicalism
Black Brigades
Actual Idealism
Fascist unification rhetoric
Conservative Revolutionary movement
National Bolshevism
International Third Position
Neo-Fascism
Christian Identity
Neofascism and religion

Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Fascism was typified by absolute state control over all aspects of life. The term has also been used to describe governments such as National Socialism and the rule of Francisco Franco in Spain, and as a hyperbolic political epithet.

Fascism, unlike some other contemporary movements, did not grow out of a theoretical basis. Early fascists demonstrated a willingness to do whatever was necessary to achieve their ends, and easily shifted from left-wing to right-wing positions as suited their purposes. This inconsistency makes it difficult to strictly categorize fascism on the traditional political spectrum, and the definitional debates and arguments by academics over the nature of fascism fill entire bookshelves.

Modern colloquial usage of the word has extended the definition of the terms fascism and neofascism to refer to any totalitarian worldview regardless of its political ideology, although some scholars frown on this.

The word "fascism" comes from fascio (plural: fasci), which may mean "bundle", as in a political or militant group or a nation, but also from the fasces (rods bundled around an axe), which were an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of magistrates. The Italian 'Fascisti' were also known as Black Shirts for their style of uniform incorporating a black shirt (See Also: political colour).

It is important to make the distinction between Italian (capital F) is the structural parent of generic fascism (small "f"). Italian Fascism is considered a model for other forms of fascism, not in ideology, but simply in structure and tactics used by the other movements (this however is arguable ).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

[dpa5923]

The shoe thing is just dumb. So WHAT if there is metal in the shank of your shoe. IF it sets off the detector, check it then.

Did you even read my posts?

[Mr Rogers]

I travel a lot - most airports require you to either take off your shoes or go thru a full search. I've tried wearing rubber flip-flops - no luck - either take them off or go thru a full search.

Frankly, since I'm a US military officer who almost always is traveling on orders with a government purchased ticket, I THINK I'm fairly low risk...

[dpa5923]

I travel a lot as well, both business and pleasure. I am a 1stSgt in the Marine Corps and when on orders, am excused from the 2nd screening. It’s the law; you might want to check it out.

I am also a geographical bachelor so I travel from Philadelphia to Houston almost monthly and have been doing so for almost 2 years. I have been told numerous times by screeners, when I ask if I have to take my shoes off, that I do not have to, but if the alarm goes off I will have to be screened a second time. I was wearing boat shoes that set off the alarm and was subjected to a 2nd screening. I now take off my boat shoes, but I was given the option numerous times.

I am not defending the screening process and personally believe we should profile people to streamline the process, but this process, no matter how inconvenient and inaccurate is not fascism.

[Mr Rogers]

It isn't facism, but excusal from screening is a matter of airline policy - and the ones I typically am required to use do not excuse.

I've been told once that not taking my shoes off would only require additional screening if an alarm went off (it didn't). Every other time I haven't taken my shoes off, there was no alarm - but the full screening followed.

Not facism, but not smart.

[Adder]

Oh yeah?

Try refusing to be "inconvenienced". Nothing delusional about it.

[tnlibertarian]

Fascism was typified by absolute state control over all aspects of life.

Thanks for the information. While the above sentence tends to sum up fascism, it still doesn't strictly define it. I have always believed that fascism was defined as 'State control over privately-owned business'. Using that definition, the TSA seems pretty fascist to me. They control who and what can board a privatley owned airplane. While the airlines may have given up and said "Look, you handle security," that was forced by the demands of the State.