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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neeka who wrote (31991)	2/27/2004 7:59:35 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793600

I fear bathtubs much less than terrorists. -g- Well, you're entitled to do that. We all have our beliefs and we tend to adhere to them even when they are contradicted by objective measures. Human nature to do that. It's also human nature to poorly assess risks. Once you've been forced to learn the subject, you realize just how off your instincts have been and recognize the same shortfall in everybody else's. I was an accidental learner, happenstance of the job. So don't mind me. Risk assessment has become one of my hobby horses since I discovered the error of my own ways. Sort of like a reformed smoker, I get on it every now and again. Usually it's about product safety or the environment. The last time was when we were talking about whether to throw away the lasagna or not. <ggg> I don't see any evidence at all that we live in a world of fearmongers that go around fearmongering......who are these individuals? This all gets back to your original post. This round of discussion started with the post about Dick Morris's suggestion that people were no longer as scared--enough so that it bode ill for reelection unless their fear level was re-elevated. My original post reacted to the notion of fearmongering for campaign purposes. It's common practice for candidates to scare people to get support. With the Dems it's traditionally been SS and jobs. With the Reps it's been the communists and their successors and unisex bathrooms. As long as people fall for it, politicians will use it. Perceptions of fearmongering are to considerable extent in the eye of the beholder. After all, if you see danger, then going on about it doesn't seem like fearmongering, simply telling it like it is. If you see little danger, then the warnings look either misguided or deliberately fearmongering. Fearmongering is nasty business, IMO. It's deceitful and destructive. Fear as a tool should be the sole province of demagogs and despots.