'Be afraid,' warns U.S. government

By Sean McGlynn

Since the U.S. government issued a public warning of a terrorist threat and upgraded to a Code Orange, which signifies a high-risk level of attack, the media has produced its typical barrage of stories on "how to prepare" or "how to protect your children."

The result is that the public is perhaps a little more prepared but no less fearful. In fact, it seems that the media has managed to do nothing more than scare some people into a frenzy. The question is: what type of effects does this fear produce and are they dangerous?

The documentary "Bowling for Columbine" examines the effects of media news content on the public. Michael Moore, who is the film's director and narrator, suggests that the reason the U.S. has such a high number of gun-related deaths, relative to numerous other developed countries, is somewhat attributable to the news content of the media. According to Moore, the media invokes fear, by inundating the public with stories and headlines of murder, rape, robbery and violence. He also blames the government for scaring the public by issuing warnings of a possible terrorist threat.

In regard to terrorism, I cannot help but feel that the media also exacerbates the public's feelings of powerlessness. Most recently, for example, Attorney General John Ashcroft said "authorities were specifically concerned about al Qaeda's interest in conducting biological, chemical or radiological attacks on U.S. targets." Newspaper headlines like the Atlanta Journal Constitution read, "Code Orange raises anxiety/ Atlantans stock up as if their lives depended on it." Likewise, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune ran a headline which read, "On guard and braced for attack".

The Washington Post also conducted a survey that found that 40 percent of the D.C. area's people were somewhat concerned about a possible attack. It also stated that some people had bought extra ammunition and firearms, but it did not give any numbers, specifying how many or what percentage of people had done so.

I also asked my father how he has responded to the threat warnings. "I have not altered my life in any way," he said. "After living in the capital during Sept. 11 and the anthrax scare, I realized it is out of my control; so the only thing to do is trust in the government."

Over the course of the past few years, I have become increasingly critical of various U.S. government operations, especially under the Bush administration; however, in regard to terrorism and national safety, I'm afraid my father is correct - all we can do is trust that the government will protect.

This, of course, does not mean that we must consent to all of the methods by which the government protects the country. But it does mean that, for the most part, we are powerless to protect ourselves from a terrorist attack and we must, therefore, rely on the government. To be sure, it is scary to think of the degree to which we are powerless. However, in order to address this fear, we must prevent ourselves from being overwhelmed by the media's excessive focus on the stories and issues that scare us most.

If we succumb to this fear and begin arming ourselves, which clearly makes us no safer from a terrorist attack, then we are more likely to meet destruction at our own hands than that of a terrorist.