Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
We have all watched the 2016 Presidential Campaigns kick-off. One thing that is always at the forefront of the Republican side is the theme of fear. They want you to be very afraid. They want you to believe that the fear they are conjuring up is real.
Fear is the basis of their whole campaign. You are to be afraid of ISIS. You are to be afraid of Latinos. You are to be afraid of African-Americans. You are to be afraid of Gays. You are to be afraid of Muslims. You are to be afraid of your neighbor.
You may ask yourself, why are we supposed to be afraid? The simple answer is so you can vote for them, because they are positioning themselves as our “saviors” in the fight against these wicked groups.
In reality, they want you to be afraid because they have nothing else to offer. They have no policies that will create jobs for our unemployed. They have no answers to the mass killings taking place nearly every day. They have no policy that does anything to improve your life.
Without any policies, they have nothing to offer. So, they offer fear. But, that fear isn’t just because they have nothing else to offer. They are playing a very dangerous game. They want you to be afraid, because America is changing, and they are afraid they will lose their control.
America is becoming less white. It is becoming less Christian, for that matter it is becoming less religious. It is becoming more open to women, gays, and minorities. That means that Christian White Men will not be in power, almost exclusively, for very long.
That is the real reason behind this fear. By playing Americans against each other, they can scare you enough to vote for their party. Thus, maintaining the status-quo for a little longer.
You can find the evidence everywhere. The voting suppression laws being passed in several Republican states. The “Religious Liberty” cry to stop same-sex marriage. The anti-women agenda that would eliminate birth control and abortion and equal pay for equal work. The deportation plans and the fence along the Mexican border. Notice they aren’t asking for one along the predominately white Canadian border.
The problem with all of this fear-mongering is that it won’t stop. It will become even more inclusive. It already is. Though Republicans claim they support Israel, they are very quick with anti-Jewish jokes, anti-Catholic jokes, anti-Muslim jokes.
This fear has been sold to us for years. It really came into vogue when Barak Obama was first elected President. The conservative movement used that election to prove that white Christians were under attack.
It has led to slogans like “Make America Great Again”. Unfortunately, they don’t mean ALL Americans. The fear has gained ground over the years. That is the only explanation for white Americans voting for a party that has all but eliminated the middle-class.
Fear can make you vote against your own economic interests. Fear can make you vote against your own conscience. Fear can make you vote against what you know is right.
I am very sick of the Republican phrase of “real Americans”. Their definition of what constitutes “real American” is really un-American. But, that is what fear is all about. In order for fear to work, you must make people panic. You must make people be afraid of their own shadow.
Once you have achieved that, you can get them to swallow just about anything, even if it hurts them. This isn’t the first time fear has been used gain votes. It won’t be the last time either.
By using fear, no one is safe. As I have written before, fear is forever busy and no one is safe from it. Fear is also what leads to the loss of freedoms. With fear, you can suggest that we give up freedoms in the name of security. After a while, we will see the rise of fascism. Meaning we will have neither freedom nor security.
We need politicians who are not afraid to call out their opponents for fear-mongering. We, as a voting public, need to call them out and demand what their policies to improve our lives really are.
The world is a dangerous place to live. It has always been a dangerous place to live. That is why we cannot allow politicians of any kind to use fear to garner our votes.
When we become prosperous as a people, danger goes down. When people don’t have to worry about feeding their family, danger goes down. We need politicians who understand those simple facts, and come up with plans to implement them.
Are we going to allow this election to be based on fear or policies? The answer to that question will determine our future and our democracy. If fear wins out the only winners will be the “shirts” as they keep marching along.
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