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Greatest fears?
Apr. 13th, 2010 04:04 pmI watched "American Experience" on PBS last night - an intriguing recap of "The Polio Crusade" in the 1950's. You can watch it online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/polio/
They stated that the two greatest fears of the American public at that time were atomic bombs and polio. Huh...not things that I worry about. Polio was over in developed countries by the time I came along. I vaguely remember the "bomb drills" and all that "who's going drop a bomb first" stuff from the Cold War, but that was long ago. And there was that little blip in say, September 2001, when terrorism felt too close, as I was sitting in my office in a waterfront tower overlooking Logan Airport, but that seems to have passed as well with the end of the Bush era.
A quick google didn't bring forth much about what Americans are currently afraid of. The only survey I found listed "National Security, ID fraud and financial security." I am certain it depends a lot of how you word the survey from "Which of these 10 things scare you the most?" to "What are you afraid of?" And they aren't talking personal fears, like "spiders" or "heights" but more um...societal stuff. There was an interesting link to a book about media distortion and how Americans are afraid of the "wrong things." http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/dp/0465014909
It is very hard for me to say what I fear. Not because I know what it is and can't say, but because nothing occurs to me. I am not a worrier...mostly if I can't do much about it, I try to let it go. Not sure if this will keep me safer or less so.
So what are the major issues you think "the American Public" are afraid of these days?
They stated that the two greatest fears of the American public at that time were atomic bombs and polio. Huh...not things that I worry about. Polio was over in developed countries by the time I came along. I vaguely remember the "bomb drills" and all that "who's going drop a bomb first" stuff from the Cold War, but that was long ago. And there was that little blip in say, September 2001, when terrorism felt too close, as I was sitting in my office in a waterfront tower overlooking Logan Airport, but that seems to have passed as well with the end of the Bush era.
A quick google didn't bring forth much about what Americans are currently afraid of. The only survey I found listed "National Security, ID fraud and financial security." I am certain it depends a lot of how you word the survey from "Which of these 10 things scare you the most?" to "What are you afraid of?" And they aren't talking personal fears, like "spiders" or "heights" but more um...societal stuff. There was an interesting link to a book about media distortion and how Americans are afraid of the "wrong things." http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/dp/0465014909
It is very hard for me to say what I fear. Not because I know what it is and can't say, but because nothing occurs to me. I am not a worrier...mostly if I can't do much about it, I try to let it go. Not sure if this will keep me safer or less so.
So what are the major issues you think "the American Public" are afraid of these days?
