The whole aim of practical politics," wrote H.L. Mencken in 1920, "is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
Posted on 12/07/2007 6:54:01 AM PST by randog
I can’t remember exactly what I wrote that was so evil. So much to choose from.
Was it that I refused to be freaked by this latest panic attack that global warming was blasting in and . . . Oh, my God, WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.news.com.au ...
As well as power lines...
Remember the fear that the world’s computers would crash the second the clocks ticked over to the year 2000? Planes would fall from the sky thanks to this Y2K bug, which the world spent an estimated $300 billion “fixing”. But what happened at midnight? Tick, tick, tick . . . er, tick.
On the whole, Iraqis aren't really hung up about the Jews at all.
Saddam sure hated 'em though.
Compare to an excerpt from "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton:
Has it ever occurred to you how astonishing the culture of Western society really is? Industrialized nations provide their citizens with unprecedented safety, health, and comfort. Average life spans increased fifty percent in the last century. Yet modern people live in abject fear. They are afraid of strangers, of disease, of crime, of the environment. They are afraid of the homes they live in, the food they eat, the technology that surrounds them. They are in a particular panic over things they can't even see — germs, chemicals additives, pollutants. They are timid, nervous, fretful, and depressed. And even more amazingly, they are convinced that the environment of the entire planet is being destroyed around them. Remarkable!
...[T]he military-industrial complex is no longer the primary driver of society. In reality, for the last fifteen years we have been under the control of an entirely new complex, far more powerful and far more pervasive. I call it the politico-legal-media complex. The PLM. And it is dedicated to promoting fear in the population — under the guise of promoting safety.
... Politicians need fears to control the population. Lawyers need dangers to litigate, and make money. The media need scare stories to capture an audience. Together, these three estates are so compelling that they can go about their business even if the scare is totally groundless.
Intriguing.
I remember getting a shot for the flu epidemic of the 50’s, and my arm hurt for a week! I think they called it the “Asian Flu” back then.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE $3 BILLION?
The whole aim of practical politics," wrote H.L. Mencken in 1920, "is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
It was funny.
There.
I fixed it for you.
Exploding mp3 players would be good; also exploding cell phones and exploding 2000 gigawatt car stereos...
Just saying.
Last year, when I asked an Iraqi employee "how are you?" one morning, he replied "I am fine. Nothing to worry about. Iraqis don't die of natural causes." He threw out his hands and said BOOM! followed by an imitation of shooting a machine gun.
Gallows humor rules. ;-)
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Sorry I didn't see this sooner.
LOL!
;^)
Thanks! I’ve been trying to remember that book for days!
I like this guy!
You mean these ignorant, neurotic do-gooders lie?
"We have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we may have. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest."
Stephen Schneider (leading advocate of the global warming theory)
(in interview for Discover magazine, Oct 1989)
To make the obvious parallel here, I am totally glad that the way your cousin's parents dealt with it was not to deny the use of the dye to everyone else in the country.
That would be an awesome example of natural selection at work...
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