Will America choose FEAR over HOPE ?

[kentuck]

America is working itself into a lather of fear over all the terrorists reports and threats of the past week. No doubt, Congress will be in the FEAR camp. It's sad to see our great country in the throes of timidity and fear.

George W Bush seems to be relishing the idea of scaring the hell out of everybody. He sees fear as a political issue, it seems. FEAR is what our foreign policy is to be based on for the next generation unless Democrats show some backbone and give a good pep talk to the American people.

Kerry and Edwards have been promoting their HOPE agenda over fear but, in the end, they may simply go along with the crowd unless someone persuades them otherwise. They need to see the danger and the futility in the FEAR agenda and they need to address it.

[salinen]

1. Fear works in Religion

why not politics?

[proud patriot]

2. NO Way !

Hope wins IMHO

[Kierkegaard]

3. The only thing most of us are afraid of

is 4 more years. Terrorists couldn't hope to do as much damage as * has done. They'll probably try to recruit him once he's booted out of Washington.

[VOX]

4. Unfortunately, it is easier to be fearful than it is to be hopeful...

Fear is somehow perceived or experienced as a more concrete emotion, while hope is more abstract.

The RW media certainly plays on this, and pushes the fear button as often as possible.

I would hope that the public might learn to see beyond their fear and chose hope -- but that means effort, and not everyone is ready commit to that.

One can hope, though, that hope is seen as the way.

[ranosgol]

5. Most Americans are ignorant.

The Unites States has the most ill informed, electorate in the industrialized world. I am not saying that the American people are stupid, I call it ignorance and apathy. Most people get their news from TV and many have no clue about world affairs, most Americans would have a hard time picking Dick Cheney out of a lineup. It is sad but true, the GOP uses this ignorance to win.

[Green Lantern]

6. Fear

By using fear they gain two definite advantages.

First, they shift the debate from an intellectual basis with actual fact, citations etc etc to one of emotional processing, where the gut reaction over-rides the intellect.

and Second, the fear process often leads the fearful to search for the "strongman". Notice how many of Bushwas ads refer to him as a strong leader? They are trying to tell us he will take care of us and tuck us in every night. Don't need no stinking Constitution, eh? Just a strong leader like the resident thief.

Hope is the more ephemeral emotion, and "weaker" than fear, in the short term. But hope is a positive response that gets us looking for solutions, not strong men. (or, recalling the Brit experience with Maggie T-a strong woman.)

Hope allows us to unite in ways that fear does not. Hope builds trust and respect and tolerance. Fear will eventually consume the
fearful.