As the images of the trailer to the film ‘London has fallen’, with bridges and iconic buildings being blown up assault the senses not only from movie theatres but also from screens in shopping centres it is difficult not to suspect that this is a campaign to instil fear in the people of London.
As issues of defence such as the review of Trident approach decision time, refugees threaten to overpower European borders and security v human rights is being weighed up by voters, what best to sway public opinion than injecting fear into the public, good old unmitigated paranoia?
Fear of the foreign, the different, the minority has been used by just about any authoritarian demagogue to manipulate public opinion. Anybody who feels unable to understand how Hitler and his monstrous regime could possibly happen only needs to look at the process going on at present with the US elections. The similarities between Trump and Hitler are uncanny. Now the Ku Klux Klan have given him their support and Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France’s far-right Front National, has also endorsed him.
So who are irrationally scared enough to deny so thoroughly the lessons from history?
According to Chomsky a factor is a drop in the life expectancy of a sector of the American population.
In a Huffington Post interview Chomsky maintained that poorly educated, middle-aged American white males are particularly affected, multiple recent studies suggest. While Americans from other age, racial and ethnic groups are living longer lives than ever before, this particularly segment of the population is dying faster.
A study on the issue found that the rising death rate for this group is not due to the ailments that commonly kill so many Americans, like diabetes and heart disease, but rather by an epidemic of suicides, liver disease caused by alcohol abuse, and overdoses of heroin and prescription opioids.
“No war, no catastrophe,” Chomsky says, has caused the spiking mortality rate for this population. “Just the impact of policies over a generation that have left them, it seems, angry, without hope, frustrated, causing self-destructive behavior.”
Other have studied the psychology of the Trump voters and found the common trait to be authoritarianism.
From a humanist point of view we could say that disoriented fearful people lacking in internal reference choose to follow the strongest leaders capable of simplifying complex issues into ‘a black and white’ view that finds a target to blame and scapegoat to ‘explain’ their situation and offer an easy and vengefully cathartic way out.
As fear is one of the worst enemies of compassion there seems to be a worldwide campaign of fear in order to try to prevent the green shoots of a new sensibility represented by the antiausterity and humanising leaders and grassroots movements springing up just about everywhere. In a way, whether elected or not, the Jeremy Corbyns, the Bernie Saunders and the Veroufakis have already done part of the work. They have given a voice to this grassroots new sensibility, this humanist current who refuse to bow down to fear, who find their internal reference In the work with others for a society based on solidarity and compassion.
Yesterday they were marching against Trident, demonstrating to welcome refugees, on March 9th they’ll be in the picket lines supporting junior doctors against the destruction and privatisation of the Health Service and always campaigning against wars as well as the consequences of burning fossil fuels on Climate Change and their terrible effects on the health of the population.
Those who understand the tactics of fear as a weapon of manipulation by the powerful cannot be made to feel fear, no matter how many images of blowing up buildings or threatening foreigners are flashed in front of their eyes. One example comes to mind, Aung Sam Suu Kyi who managed to overcome her fear to lead a nonviolent movement against tyranny, and her wise words: ‘If you are feeling helpless, help someone.’
