And now, in the aftermath of 9/11 and the
subsequent establishment of Homeland Security, previously rigid
supporters of civil rights quietly tolerate the piecemeal
deconstruction of the U.S. Constitution under the pretext of
protection, and to their own peril, disregard increasingly strident
warnings and signs of a growing and imminent police state. Clearly,
Mainstream America has surrendered to the subjugation of a
power-crazed, despotic administration whose control continues to expand
exponentially with each passing rumor of imminent peril .
Why,when
confronted with a black-and-white record of autocratic offenses, are so
many sensible Americans ignoring and even endorsing the current
administration as it openly paves a tyrannical road to hell? Are we so
deluded by rhetoric and weapons-grade propaganda, that we are no longer
able to distinguish truth from fiction, thereby allowing, if not
abetting our own enslavement ?
Inarguably, a collective set of
circumstances exist to explain the acquiescence of the American People.
What follows is the first in a series of explorations by which this
writer will attempt to identify possible core factors contributing to
the scourge of apathy in American society today.
Fear, the Nemesis of Rationality
One
cannot analyze the dynamics of a post 9/11 society without examining
one of its principal characteristics: fear, anxiety, dread,
apprehension… in a word, Terror. To those who benefit from its
proliferation, fear is a currency, a commodity, and a powerful
marketing tool. If one is aware of the devices by which leaders have
garnered power and support for any given war or agenda historically,
one can easily discern the same machinations at work today. A key
ingredient to any successful war rally or acquisition of power is the
exploitation of fear through the manipulation of perception.
On
September 11, 2001, corporate media and the government elite launched
an aggressive political and media campaign upon and against the
American people. With Madison-Avenue expertise, purveyors of fear
heightened our perception of imminent threat by inundating the airwaves
with continual, repetitive, easily-learned sound-bytes, words brimming
with emotionally-charged meaning, "…Bin Laden, Taliban, Axis of Evil,
Saddam Hussein, Terror-Threat, Terrorist…" with just enough intensity
to successfully persuade the American people to procure security at any
cost.
Comprehensive and firmly-entrenched fear is the means by
which the current administration manages to sell the "War of Terror"
and, allowed to flourish, has solidified mechanized cooperation from
the masses as our leaders appeal to the most basic of all human needs--
security.
The groundwork has been laid. Today, newly
identified "threats" are announced with almost predictable regularity.
Now firmly embedded in the collective unconscious of America, fear is
employed to rationalize unprecedented dictatorial powers in the White
House, to justify the erosion of privacy and the stripping of human
rights once sacredly guarded by the Constitution. Yet, what should one
expect from an administration whose platform is built upon a substratum
of fear, except for fear itself?
Fear attempts to silence
dissenters. As the Truth Movement gains momentum and amasses
credibility, the fear profiteers have begun heralding yet another
"threat" to National Security - inquiring minds. This is both good news
and bad news. We are no longer ignorable. Fearing exposure, the Czars
of Propaganda know that "Truthers" must be branded and discredited if
government corruption and corporate fraud is to flourish unabated. This
said, prepare for an intensified Smear-and-Fear Campaign. Any group or
individual who vocally questions the official story of 9/11 or who
exercises the right to demand Government accountability will be labeled
"Anti-American and Anti-Patriotic".
A well-documented strategy
of propagandists throughout modern history, dissolving credibility
through character assassination is a calculated tactic utilized to
persuade the uninformed public to turn a deaf ear, to, in effect,
remain uninformed. It remains to be seen if this line of attack will
succeed, and success is dependent upon each individual proponent of
freedom. As with the human longing for security, the natural desire for
affiliation and acceptance works in favor of the war-mongering,
power-hungry elite, for they know only the bravest of the brave will
dare risk ostracism for a noble cause.
Fear begets fear and
dulls rationality. Under fear's influence, the autonomic nervous system
shifts into fight-or-flight mode. Perhaps this either-or response
clarifies the bipartisanship of laboring freedom fighters and the
willingly deceived. The former empower themselves with knowledge. The
latter, so fearful of annihilating reassuring illusions, continue to
defend the crimes of their pseudo-conservative leaders, and in so
doing, stave off the anxieties which would surely accompany
enlightenment. So desperate to believe in an imaginary benevolent Big
Brother, We the People unknowingly and sometimes willingly turn a deaf
ear to the truth, choosing instead to believe a lie. We lull ourselves
into complacency or forced submission. We allow fear to breed a culture
of silent ignorance and unthinking loyalty by which dictatorial regimes
are allowed to flourish.
We would do well to remember, a fear-struck population is easily led.
Global Research, April 21, 2007
[The
CRG grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles
on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not
modified. The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For
publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms
including commercial internet sites, contact: crgeditor@yahoo.com]
www.globalresearch.ca
contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such
material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in
an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and
social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for
research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted
material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission
from the copyright owner.
For media inquiries: crgeditor@yahoo.com
© Copyright Donna J. Thorne, Global Research, 2007
The url address of this article is:
In this era of perpetual warfare, escalating domestic tyranny, government- sanctioned torture, and a Nazi-like pursuit of Middle-East domination, one would expect, at the very least, an audible outcry from the People who proclaim resolute devotion to the ideals of liberty and justice for all. 
