Politics of fear

{{languagenav}}
{{cquote|Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with.|||Niccolò Machiavelli, ''The Prince''<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1232 ''The Prince''] by Niccolò Machiavelli, translated by W. K. Marriott.</ref>}}
{{Cquote|People react to fear, not love. They don't teach that in Sunday school, but it's true.|30px|30px|[[Richard M. Nixon]]}}
The term '''politics of fear''' denotes when leaders (or candidates for leadership) use fear as a driving or motivating factor for the people, to get them to vote a particular way, allow excesses in spending, or accept policies they might otherwise abhor. The concept relies on the fact that presenting people with an alleged threat to their well-being will elicit a powerful emotional response that can override reason and prevent a critical assessment of these policies. The 
[[Dick Cheney|Cheney]]
 [[George W. Bush]] administration used this tactic after the events of [[9/11|September 11, 2001]] to <S>illegally invade</S> liberate [[Iraq War|Iraq]], erode [[civil liberties]], and avoid [[Congress]]ional oversight. This has been continued by the [[Obama]] administration, and doesn't seem likely to end any time soon. It is, however, not really a modern phenomenon — access to modern [[media]] simply makes it much easier to fear-monger.

==As a campaign tool==
In political contests in the [[United States]] since 9/11, one or more of the candidates for election to the office in question will speak at length on the threat posed to the US by [[terrorism]], particularly by [[Muslim]] [[fundamentalist]]s, and their alleged state sponsors, so-called "rogue states". The Bush administration labeled [[Iraq]], [[Iran]] and [[North Korea]], amongst others, as rogue states, and suggested they formed an "[[axis of evil]]" against the US. Politicians speaking about such threats (or alleged threats) hoped that it would make voters view them as "[[chickenhawk|tough]]" or "[[Mission accomplished|capable]]" and more likely to vote for them. This theme was extensively used in Bush's [[2004 U.S. presidential election|2004 reelection campaign]], epitomized by the infamous <i>Wolves</i> [[ad]].<ref>Bush-Cheney 2004: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU4t9O_yFsY "Wolves"]</ref> The same approach was parodied in an episode of Family Guy in which Lois Griffin, a mayoral candidate, answered questions posed to her by repeatedly saying the phrase "''9/11''", although the questions were in no way related to the 9/11 attacks.<ref>Family Guy: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOh-rpvjYg "Undecided Voters"]</ref> <ref>Although she was clearly parodying [[Rudy Giuliani]] in the episode, not Bush.</ref>

==To support increased "security" measures==
Similar [[Loaded language|rhetorical tools]] are often employed to encourage legislators or citizens to support [[law]]s that will restrict their [[freedom]] in the name of [[Big Brother|security]]. In the US and many of its [[NATO]] allies, government surveillance programs have been drastically expanded following the 9/11 attacks, raising concerns about infringements on civil liberties.

==In support of dictatorship==
[[Dictator]]s in developing nations often maintain control by inciting irrational anger in their citizens against some kind of threat (often non-existent) posed by a more powerful country (often the US) or internal opponents. [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] famously incited fear of [[Jews]], [[communists]], and other "outsiders" to attain unchecked power, persecute domestic opponents and "unite" the [[German]] people into backing the worst [[Holocaust|atrocities]] in human history.

==Culture war==
{{cquote|All you have to do to secure a [[Republican]] vote is show lots of pictures of [[gay]] people kissing or black kids with their pants pulled down or [[Mexican]] babies at an emergency room. Then you push forward some dingbat like [[Michele Bachmann]] or [[Sarah Palin]] to reassure everyone that the Republican Party knows who the ''[[WASP|real]]'' Americans are. Call it the "[[Karl Rove|Rove]] 1-2."|||[[Matt Taibbi]]<ref>Taibbi, [http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-is-now-officially-the-party-of-dumb-white-people-20150904 "The GOP is Now Officially the Party of Dumb White People"], ''Rolling Stone.''</ref>}}

The politics of fear is a common tool used in the [[culture war]]s. Examples include: 
*[[Gay rights]]: "gays will harm your [[children]]", and "gays who raise children are [[Homosexual recruitment|more likely to raise gays]], and this is clearly bad for children".  The very loaded term "[[Conservative correctness|defense]]" of marriage is at the core of the politics of fear.  You need only defend against that which attacks you.  "Gays who are allowed to marry will destroy the value of your marriage: ''Defend Marriage!''"<ref>National Organization for Marriage: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp76ly2_NoI "Gathering Storm"]</ref>

*Less powerful, but tried nevertheless, is the use of the term "[[Nazi]]" to instill fear of [[feminists]]: "[[feminazis]]", for instance.  Empowered women will take away your jobs even though they are unqualified because of some silly "equality in hiring" laws.

*Mexicans, or "[[Illegal immigration|illegals]]", are out to "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=768h3Tz4Qik take your jobs]", and "destroy all you know of your land", "force you to speak Spanish", or (increasingly common) "[[White extinction scenario|outbreed all the whites]]".  These examples, while not as powerful a fear tactic, still rely on loaded language to associate fearful things with whatever the target is.  Similarly, [[African American]]s use [[affirmative action]] to take your jobs — and even get their ideas into politics, [[Dog-whistle politics|de-fanging the police]].  Oh noes!

==See also==
*[[FUD|Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt]]
*[[Fear-mongering]]
*[[Fox News]]
*[[George Bush]]
*[[Stephen Harper]]
*[[Donald Trump]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[category:propaganda]][[category:media hysteria]]
[[Category:Political strategery]]
[[Category:Political terms]]

Categories: propaganda, media hysteria, Political strategery, Political terms