OOPS! Sorry, I didn't intentionally miswrite your name, RangerDick. (Somehow it seemed more respectful the other way...)

I think that fear is natural. I think fear can be rational. I think that fear can keep us safe. *But only under certian circumstances.* I do think that many nations, including the US, use fear in their propoganda. Why? Well that's simple. People can be dumb and aren't reliable a lot of the time. You have a public that can be dumb and that isn't totally reliale, you have a goverment that is run by those people. So what do they do? They try to control the people. First off, it is for honorable reasons. They try to educate people, but let some exaggerations slip and such. The big problems come when self interest meets this propoganda. This always happens. Eventually a group of individuals who can control most of the propoganda takes permenant residence.

America does have things to be afraid of. But the threat from terror is technically negligable compared to more pressing matters. Imagine that we spend 1/100th on heart disease that we spent on the war. I know it might not equate in your mind, but just think. Imagine we invest 200billion in cancer research. I think this money, not to mention the lives of soldiers, can be better spent. Whether we helped in Iraq or not only time will tell, but for now it *seems* more of an effort from the oil industry to control.

Because the government says "OH SHIT WATCH OUT FOR THE... oh wait, nevermind. It's just a middle easterner that we are accusing of being a terrorist. BUT HE STILL MIGHT KILL ALL OF US! SOUND THE MAGENTA ALERT!"

politics and fear go hand in hand
 

In the USA you have a unique way of perceicing the world. To us in other countries we see you as a little odd. Your politics are very contolling yet you do not see it. How many American people got to see the Micheal Moore film "farenheit 911" and how many think that the USA is the greatest nation on earth. The fact is the US governments along with many other nations have controlled various military factions around the world since the end of WW2. The only possible reason is to have control. One final question to ask yourself, How old is the state of Isreal and what colour are the citizens.
I am a white British citizen who is sick and tired of the fear created by governments and in particular the American politics along with our own British way of jumping into bed each time America wants a snuggle. For christ's sake wake up and see the world thruogh your own eyes and not how Bush wants you to see it.

It all comes down to the fact that we're all twitchy monkeys. Seriously. Look at a squirrel: they're always looking around for danger and jumpy at the slightest sound. The same goes for bird, fish, insects.., really any animal. This is th instict of survival. Unfortunately Humans have forgotten the fact that we ARE ANIMALS TOO. We have all of these same insticts inside of us, and they are very much in every day use, conscious or unconscious.

Just because yor paronoid doesnt mean there not after you!

I won't say that we are an afraid people, but the human mind does have some sort of a "worry box" which always needs something in it. We here in america don't have to worry about the essentials like food, water, and shelter; therefore our brains move further and further, looking for more interesting fears to occupy ourselves with. The fact that we worry about a six and a half foot tall saudi on kidney dialysis (sp?) hiding in afghanistan (or wherever) goes to show that we don't have a lot of things to worry about.

Well basically.. people are afraid of the unknown.

it is in our nature to be afraid of things. It's what keeps us alive

Because most Americans don't travel and really believe that everyone else wants to be here and they are angry and jealous and hate us because they can't. Ignorance spawns fear. I have travelled to over 25 countries in the last 3 years, and I have never met anyone that didn't like America or Americans, they just don't like the current leaders of it.

The only terrorists that actually scare me are Bush and his cronies.

I think because people don't fully understand the odds of something happening.

For example, local news always reports on murders, rapes, and kidnappings. Well, in a city of MILLIONS, yeah, the chances of you hearing about it will be quite high.

What are the actual odds that it will happen to YOU? Quite low. To SOMEONE in the city? Pretty high.

What are the chances YOU will get into a car accident on your way home? Pretty low (well, for the most part, anyway), but what are the chances that SOMEONE will get into one today? Very high.

If you're fed this type of stuff day in and day out, it's only natural to become paranoid and fearful of your surroundings.

Raises glass to mkultra
:thumbsup:

I wouldn't say americans are scared more then anyother part of the world.I mean how many times are we going hear about global warming.Sure it might be true ,but what the heck we going do about it if we can't get off oil.

I would have to say that it had a lot to do in part of Bush's campaign. Think about it. Every third word out of his mouth was 9/11, terrorism, or the patriot act. He never talked about the issues that affect us all. It was all "you better vote for me or we'll get hit again!" Even Cheney blatantly came out and said it within the last month of the campaign. It's been proven time and time again that scare tactics work in this country.

Feed somebody the same drivel long enough and they'll begin to believe it. Look at the stats of people who STILL believe that Iraq has WMD's even though the CIA came out and said two weeks ago that there aren't any.

This isn't an America only thing.

I've been to Europe, cops walk around the airports with sub machine guns.
America is now just taking steps to protect itself from terrorists