The American people might just be getting terrorism fatigue after more than a decade of efforts by their politicians and media to keep them in a heightened state of anxiety. How long can anyone do that and stay sane? What price has already been exacted of them by those who have manipulated them since September, 2001?
A majority of Americans say occasional acts of terrorism are "part of life", and many doubt the government can do much more to prevent them, a new poll finds.
About three-quarters of Americans said they agree that "occasional acts of terrorism in the US will be part of life in the future", according to the Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press.
The share of Americans who see terrorist acts as "part of life" has stayed high since soon after the September 11, 2001, attacks. But the figure had declined a bit in recent years, with people younger than 30 notably less likely to expect terrorist acts. In the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombings, younger people have joined their elders in saying that some terrorist actions can be expected.
The shift among the young has pushed the overall percentage of those who feel that way back to its previous high point.
Although most Americans expect terrorist acts will happen, a small minority say they are "very worried" about the prospect.
This is bad news for would-be terrorists and just as bad for the political classes and media barons who have accommodated the terrorists by inculcating fear among their own people.
Well, if they can reclaim the "home of the brave" maybe they can start working to recover the "land of the free."
2 comments:
And Bill S7 seeks to achieve the same mindset here, Mound.
No question of that, Owen. For a guy like Harper, a practitioner of wedge politics, fear is the fuel of his success. Fear, properly inculcated, energizes his supporters and saps the will of his opponents. See also: Germany, 1930s.
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