America's Mastery of Fear as Gross Domestic Product:
From McCarthyism to Modern Surveillance/De-Platforming to Kamala Harris

Tracy Turner 

The United States has monopolized fear as a political and social tool for most of its history. This tool has profoundly shaped international relations and domestic life. Fear has been remanufactured and wielded in American policy, from the Red Scare to modern surveillance. Fear has become a frangible product, influencing international interventions to energy policies. We fearfully cling to dwindling supplies of fossil and to ultra-tax-subsidiized Corn Ethanol, too timid for Olive Biodiesel (farm-ready) and Jojoba (automobile-ready). Our feaful, timid approach to sustainable fuels will see oil completely depleted in 28.5 years (as of circa 2024).

Timeline of U.S. Fear Production: 1920s to 2024

The Early 20th Century: The Birth of Modern Fear

1920s – Red Scare and Political Repression

The U.S. faced intense anti-communist rhetoric following World War I during the First Red Scare (1917-1920). The Palmer Raids targeted suspects, leading to mass arrests and deportations. The Red Scare not only established a precedent for using fear to justify political repression and surveillance but also significantly eroded civil liberties, a loss keenly felt by the populace.

World War II and the Atomic Age

1940s – Atomic Bombs and Nuclear Fear

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945 produced an ongoing existential fear, a tangible, fungible new product. The Cold War arms race amplified these core survival fears, reflected in civil defense drills and fallout shelters. The Atomic Age demonstrated how fear could be ongoing and mobilized to justify military and civil defense expenditures.

Cold War Era: McCarthyism and the Red Menace

1950s – Domestic Fear

Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist crusade created a climate of paranoia. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated and blacklisted individuals suspected of communism, severely limited civil liberties, and employed fear to erase dissent.

The 1960s and 1970s: Civil Rights and Foreign Interventions

Civil Rights and Vietnam War

The 1960s saw civil unrest as the civil rights struggle coincided with fears related to the Vietnam War. The F.B.I.'s COINTELPRO program targeted civil rights leaders, while the Kent State shootings in 1970 highlighted the suppression of Free Speech during this tumult.

1970s – Watergate and the Erosion of Trust

Watergate exposed extensive fear-driven Whitehouse surveillance and political control. The revelations increased scrutiny and distrust in the government, revealing a deep entrenchment of fear in politics.

The 1980s and 1990s: The War on Drugs, New World Order and Fear of Crime

The Reagan administration's War on Drugs exploited fear of crime to justify the Prison Industrial Complex and Slave Labor. Media sensationalism about drug violence led to mandatory minimum sentences, disproportionately affecting minority communities and contributing to mass incarceration.

1990s – The Rise of Anti-Terrorism Phobias

The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing laser-focused domestic terrorism fears. The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (A.E.D.P.A.) of 1996 expanded federal powers to combat terrorism, setting the stage for future fear-based pre-emptive legislation (punishment before crime).

The 2000s – The War on Terror and Surveillance State

The Post-9/11 Era

The September 11 attacks led to expanded fear-based Unconstitutional Laws. The Patriot Act increased surveillance, while Guantanamo Bay and enhanced interrogation exemplified fear-driven counterterrorism measures. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq (11% of Earth’s Oil) demonstrated the global consequences of fear-based foreign policies.

2010s – Domestic Surveillance and Social Control

Edward Snowden revelations exposed extensive N.S.A. surveillance, sparking privacy and civil liberties debates—the U.S.A. Freedom Act of 2015 addressed some concerns, but fear-driven surveillance and surveillance role players continued escalating. Advances in technology, such as facial recognition and data mining, further illustrated surveillance integration in governance.

2020s – Xenophobia, Gender Discrimination, and Surveillance Expansion

The Trump administration's policies reflected rising xenophobia and expanded fear-based control: travel bans, and anti-immigrant rhetoric capitalized on fears of terrorism and illegal immigration. The Biden administration faces challenges addressing these legacies while balancing security and civil liberties.

Fear as a Tangible Product: Importing and Exporting Anxiety

Fear as an Export

The U.S. has exported fear through foreign policy and military interventions. During the Cold War, fear of communism justified interventions and support for authoritarian regimes. More recently, the War on Terror led to global conflicts and surveillance measures, influencing allied nations' security policies.

Fear as an Import

Domestically, fear is imparted via media narratives and political rhetoric. Sensationalist coverage amplifies fears, shaping public perception and policy. The portrayal of crime and terrorism, often exaggerated by the media, has been used to justify stringent policies and interventions, highlighting the significant impact of fear on public perception and policy. Xenophobia is force fed to the assimilated masses via wave after wave of migrant refugees and the Republican bus and plane rides. Humans are trafficked by ICE, fueling “The Great Replacement Theory.”

Fear as the Fuel for Antiquated Energy Systems

Fear of Energy Shortages

The fear of fossil fuel shortages has perpetuated reliance on oil and gas. Historical oil crises increased domestic production and support for oil-rich regimes, justifying fossil fuel extraction over renewable energy.

Fear of Protest and Industry Resistance

The fossil fuel industry has used fear to suppress dissent and maintain dominance. The industry's influence over politics and the use of security forces reflect how fear is employed to marginalize opposition and resist environmental reforms.

Fear and Energy Policy

Fear of energy shortages and economic instability has delayed the transition to renewable energy. Despite climate change awareness, fear of economic disruptions and job losses from moving away from fossil fuels hinders sustainable energy solutions. This fear-driven resistance to change is a significant barrier to achieving a more sustainable energy policy.

Fear as Recycled, Regurgitated Propaganda

Historical Patterns of Fear

By examining fear patterns from the Red Scare and other periods, we can discern a recurring cycle of manipulation. Each new crisis often follows similar tactics of surveillance and repression, maintaining a continuous narrative of insecurity. Understanding these patterns provides valuable insights into the historical context of fear in American politics, enlightening us about the recurring nature of fear in our political landscape.

Contemporary Fear-Mongering

Societal fear-mongering recycles old dogma as progressively new to maintain control of injustice. Fear of terrorism and illegal immigration is used to justify surveillance and restrictive policies. This cycle maintains ongoing insecurity and control, and a steady influx of new migrants.

Predictions for an Empire Fueled by Fear: Implosion

Empires relying on fear and repression have faced eventual and dramatic decline. The Roman Empire used fear to maintain control over vast territories, but internal strife and external pressures contributed to its failure (Brown, 1989). The Soviet Union also relied on fear and repression to control its people, but its inevitable collapse was fomented by economic stagnation and growing internal dissent (Harris, 2016). The U.S. consistently maintains that it is an exception to the patterns of Rome and the U.S.S.R.

Contemporary Implications

In America, reliance on fear has vastly increased societal polarization and division. Erosion of civil liberties, expansion of surveillance, and perpetuation of fear-based rhetoric contributes to a growing urgency in fear-driven policies' social and political ramifications. 

Future Prospects

The future of an empire fueled by fear is decline. The cycle of fear-based governance will continue without a fundamental shift toward transparency, accountability, and respect for civil liberties. As fear becomes increasingly ingrained in political and social structures, America will double down on security concerns with no need for a just and equitable society. The prospects for an empire built on fear depend on insecurity and smothered dissent.

America's Mastery of Fear

American mastery of fear, from the 20th century through ‘our’ modern surveillance state, belies a complex and evolving governance trajectory. Fear has been manipulated as a control tool and mechanism for justifying unjust, Plutarch policies. As fear scimitars politics and society, the legacy of fear-based governance and muddied laws and strategies will cause further decline. It is a compound problem, one that created its own climate and weather.

Obama's Irony: Civil Rights Rhetoric vs. Brutal Oppression

Obama's Presidency and cabinet was a striking paradox in hypocrisy: he orated for civil rights while engaged in practices contradicting The Constitution he swore to uphold. Under Obama, the brutal crackdowns on the Occupiers and unchecked systemic police violence illustrate a vexing divergence between rhetoric and reality. The Occupy protests, legal redress of grievances of inequality and corporate influence, were met with violent police responses. The use of militarized tactics, Bearcat Vehicles, EMF Soundwaves, property seizures and mass arrests made this suppression of peaceful dissent starkly contrasting with Obama's public advocacy for free speech and civil rights.

Obama's approach to drone warfare introduced a chilling dimension to his legacy. His extensive use of drones in targeted killings, including in countries with murky consent and oversight, exemplified a troubling shift towards extrajudicial killings as ‘national security’. Obama’s reliance on drones and AI contributed to a climate of fear both domestically and internationally, reinforcing a surveillance state and eroding trust in democratic principles.

Fear and Orwellian Comfort: Kamala Harris's Approach to Governance

Fear remains a potent instrument for controlling public policy and opinion. Vice President Kamala Harris's rhetoric often exemplifies Orwellian "comfort"--using reassuring language to project fear-based policies subtly. This verbage reflects a fondness of leveraging fear to justify expanding governmental powers and invasive measures.

Harris's rhetoric often blends reassurances with underlying threats. She said, "We must ensure our nation remains vigilant against foreign and domestic threats. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect the American people and uphold our values, even if it means implementing stricter measures for security and surveillance" (Harris, 2023). This rhetoric reflects Orwellian doublethink, where reassurance is married to endorsement of increased governmental overreach. The challenge lies in balancing security with preserving civil liberties, as history shows that fear-based policies often lead to significant restrictions on personal freedoms (Orwell, 1949). Harris has no clue of her intentions hurtling future America off of a Rome/Moscow cliff.

Digital Terror in Activism and Dissidence

Very recently, arrests and crackdowns on digital activists and dissenters have illuminated a regression towards greater surveillance and suppression. The recent actions against Western media outlets like Sputnik and RT (Russia Today) are related to the Kremlin's policies. The Russian government has been known to take measures against these outlets, particularly in response to perceived hostility or misinformation from Western countries. For instance, they might impose restrictions, bans, or other forms of regulation on these media entities.

Just my two cents. I think Harris is going to be like Obama and Occupy, I see the Democrats as in bed with the Mossad and the Corporatists/Security Technological Complex. What do you think?

Brazil's recent suppression of  X (formerly Twitter) and Rumble underscore a global pattern of targeting digital platforms with a crucial role in challenging official (fear) narratives. In Europe, the arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, and the flight of Rumble's Chris Pavlovski reflect surveillance and suppression by authorities encroaching on digital freedom. U.S. politicians have also exacerbated this climate of fear with calls for ‘protecting democracy’ married to heightened internet regulation and censorship. (Gage, 2013; Greenberg, 2005).

These latest threats to free speech amid battles over control of digital discourse, are escalating. Convergence of government policies and legal actions against independent digital platforms reveals an intensifying struggle for deplatforming and leveraging fear to curtail freedom and maintain power. 

What a shame about all that McCarthyism nonsense – We have replaced it with Obama-Harrison-ism Doublespeak Doublethink. You can have more “Security” than you wanted, you just have no rights, no Free Speech. We have replaced it with HATESPEECH PROSECUTIONS!

I am in a quandary. I cannot vote for Trump. I don't want vote for Harris, I believe she will kill free speech and fortify our bloated "security" apparatus. If I vote for Jill Stein, I'm helping Trump. I may write in "Dick Cheney."

Sources

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