America the Paranoid

I have noticed. I also noticed that it was rubbing off on my children. They were becoming afraid of the silliest things. What did I do? I didn't bother to switch when the digital conversion happened. We no longer watch television unless it's a movie that I have bought or rented. Really, what's the point? Media makes everything worse. They amp up the fear to get ratings and people want to stay locked in their' homes. My kids are playing outside a whole lot more and - to my surprise - reading actual books! Remember those? Cutting out TV was the best thing I have done for my family in quite a while. I should have done it sooner.

You nailed it. It is almost as if we are a nation suffering from Asperger's syndrome. I find you cannot listen to just one source. You must hear all sides and dig for the facts. So many people, including news media (or should I say especially irresponible news media in lots of cases) try to promote their own agenda. I take everything with a grain of salt. I try to find out who are getting their pockets lined to say what and then I may get at the truth. The ones who scream the loudest are usually paid the most to stir the pot. The sad thing is they don't care whom they hurt. They have no conscious and proudly spread rumors and inuendos. After all, nobody will check. Their fans will follow them anywhere. The paranoia I see is a buildup of ignorance because some people will not do the research and get the facts for themselves. They are like sheep. If a poltician or media person that they like says something, they take it for gospel without question. All that person has to do is continue along the same narrow-minded path they have walked for the past 50 years. I don' isolate myself. I avidly follow the news. I try to learn everything I can about the world around me. I do, however, try to insulate myself with the facts. By hearing all sides, hopefully, I may be able to reach an intelligent conclusion. Maybe I can influence friends and family and stop the paranoia in my immediate circle. Also, maybe I can make a difference on election day.

It is ridiculous. Things that can actually make society better and help out human beings is the very thing that everyone is afraid of. I do not get that. Why are people so afraid of change? What is wrong with change? People want to live the way they are living now? Why? Wouldn't we be more productive if we had healthy people? Wouldn't we have more technology if we had people who could create it? Wouldn't we be happy if we had solutions to all of life's problems? I am not paranoid! I am hopeful! I want health care. I want hydrogen powered cars. I want technology that can improve human life. I want an open-minded society that is willing to take on any problem and find a solution for it. I want a cure for Asthma. I want a cure for Diabetes (I have lost my brother to Diabetes and I refuse to lose anyone else to Diabetes). I want a cure for Cancer (I have lost my father to this disease and I am about to lose my step-father to it as well). I want a future that my children will not be afraid to live in. I want to quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."

I work with the adult mentally disabled, and I do not know who is more paranoid, the clients or the people who are responsible for them. I keep paranoia at bay by emerging myself in my online activity. If I was being really good, I would say that I also pray a lot, but I do not pray enough. I would say that singing in the church choir helps me, and that is true. [bI believe that you escape paranoia by refusing to listen to or spread rumors.[/b]

yea this country is becoming a little lame with the paranoia

Someone has been watching michael moore's movies , hehehe . No to be honest i admit i'm not from america but what i see about it is just scary. Its true what you say that everybody in america is scared and doesn't dare to go out of their houses or trust anybody , because danger is around every corner . I personally blame bush and now that obama has power he needs to take that fear away and he wants to help the USA but it fears him instead of trying to understand what he is doing . But thats only my point and perspective as a European , i hope you don't mind . Also if oyu haven't seen michael moore's movies yet , you should . They are fantastic

Your right that there is a lot of fearful ppl out there. Some of it I don't blame them, after the bombings and planes crashing into buildings, it tends to do that. With soem stuff like bar codes representing the devil, well some ppl will believe just about anything. As for me personally, I believe in researching things and taking precautions. I don't go hiking in war zones, I don't go flying around the world for something to do and I don't get vaccines for no reason. As for others, I can't control what they do or don't believe...I just try not to be exposed to them. [b]!!Happy Turkey Day!! ~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~ **STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]

Since you focused on the aspect of government in this that it what I will base my response on. "Paranoia: Paranoia is an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions. Paranoid individuals constantly suspect the motives of those around them, and believe that certain individuals, or people in general, are "out to get them." I don't think the base of the concern is either unfounded or exagerated. Yes, there is a lot of hype and fear mongering being done, and some pretty out there theories. But the main line force of the oposition is largely based on genuine concerns. Lets take the issue reguarding Van Jones. The oposition to him and the out rage surrounding his apointment, is very soundly justified, there was no fear mongering smear campaign, all one had to do was listen to the man and see what he has been involved in over the years. This was an unbelievably iresponsable and inapropriate choice to fill this position. Or lets take the out rage over the Patriot act some years back. Read the patriot act, all of it. It was atrocious and repulsive to anything our nation was founded on. Can one blame people for their outrage? Finaly, understand this. Both the two big parties that have a strangelhold on our political process and government use fear, it's a politicians greatest weapon. And more importantly, step back and look at the larger picture. If one listens to the media and our elected officials, one is led to believe the two parties are total oposites....left/right....conservative/liberal...red/blue....etc. However, in the larger picture, they are virtualy identical in their larger goal, function and ends. When you step back and look at government in a larger contrast scale....authoritarian/libertarian.....both parties fall more to the authoritarian side of the scale, and neither of them too far from each other on it. This isn't conspiricy, or paranoia, unfounded OR exagerated. It is all based on genuine demonstarable fact, with out any extrapolation. So while we're busy in our little red squares and little blue squares, each pointing fingers at each other and squabbling about things of little signifigance in government...as the media and politicians have almost seemingly programmed us to do (I say programming figuratively), they are busy furthering their own monopoly on power, control of our money, filling their own wallets, and all through the very government they keep making bigger and more powerful. As to paranoia in every day life? Can't say I have really noticed an increase in it.

My clue to the American paranoia, beside the political arena here, is I cross the border between Texas and Mexico a lot and they are constantly ramping up the process, lucky my passport is good for 2 more years! But the funny thing is I've never had my truck inspected by the Feds? But the Mexicans have checked me out a few times! Go Figure! tdemex