The Use of Fear Against Rival States

[Exarch]

All states and all politicians in history have always demonised a different country/culture as the source of troubles in the state; especially in democracies where politicians cant admit mistakes lest they get booted out of a high paying job-so the usual tactic is to find a good scapegoat that one's society and media has groomed one into fearing.

the romans did it with carthage, "Hannibal's a-comin' to getcha' they'd say to get their kids to behave; and in modern times, the media always does it with xyz rival country (depending on which country you're from) and i mean, what's the point?

i cant stand all this fearmongering BS; if the media and government keep harping on about xyz being a threat ad nauseum over and over and over again, then why not in' destroy them, the way the Romans destroyed Carthage??

[Jingles]

Because if they destroyed them, then they'd have no excuse any more.

For further information, see: here.

[Exarch]

Because if they destroyed them, then they'd have no excuse any more.

See: The Cold War.

that's what i'm calling them out on; this BS about needing to keep the population in fear or to divert attention away from domestic politics by concentrating all that energy and righteous hyperbole on a foreign enemy-for domestic politics

[Raglan]

i think it shall be interesting to see if this continues over the coming century. The sheer amount of information available to most people will help to stop such things, after all if the gov is continuosly telling you that x is aweful and wants to kill you, but you can clearly see via the internet that x is actually completly oblivious to the existance of your country....

[Exarch]

i think it shall be interesting to see if this continues over the coming century. The sheer amount of information available to most people will help to stop such things, after all if the gov is continuosly telling you that x is aweful and wants to kill you, but you can clearly see via the internet that x is actually completly oblivious to the existance of your country....

unfortunately IMHO, ppl already form their prejudices from their upbringing; their parents, media and the government such that people already have preconceived biases and preconceptions of other cultures and peoples.

For example, before i went to China i went with the preconception based on what i'd been brought up with, and informed about by my environment, that China was a downtrodden, socially repressed, 1984 style police state where you had to watch how you behaved or else get taken away by the cops.
The reality was the exact opposite-and i learned a helluva lot about the differences between the picture the media at home paints for you-and the very reality before your eyes.

but then, there are ppl who need that fear; people who need to project all their anger and fear at this entity which they perceive as malevolent and a threat in order to feel safer and more secure about their own relatively 'safe' home.and even more disturbing is that they do this in spite of evidence to the contrary-based on prejudices.

[Phier]

All states and all politicians in history have always demonised a different country/culture as the source of troubles in the state; especially in democracies where politicians cant admit mistakes lest they get booted out of a high paying job-so the usual tactic is to find a good scapegoat that one's society and media has groomed one into fearing.

the romans did it with carthage, "Hannibal's a-comin' to getcha' they'd say to get their kids to behave; and in modern times, the media always does it with xyz rival country (depending on which country you're from) and i mean, what's the point?

i cant stand all this fearmongering BS; if the media and government keep harping on about xyz being a threat ad nauseum over and over and over again, then why not in' destroy them, the way the Romans destroyed Carthage??

Carthago delenda est

How about some real world current examples to go with the rant, Carthage is a bit outdated.

[Exarch]

Carthago delenda est

How about some real world current examples to go with the rant, Carthage is a bit outdated.

ok, well given the amount of russophobia the media and USG encourage and propagate; why not solve this complex by destroying russia?
seems like a simple mathematic equation; destroy threat->problem solved, live happily ever after

[hellheaven1987]

ok, well given the amount of russophobia the media and USG encourage and propagate; why not solve this complex by destroying russia?
seems like a simple mathematic equation; destroy threat->problem solved, live happily ever after

It is too costly to arrest all Russians in whole world, send them to concentration camps, shoot them one by one, then find spots to bury the bodies.

[Exarch]

It is too costly to arrest all Russians in whole world, send them to concentration camps, shoot them one by one, then find spots to bury the bodies.

well if one were to do a 21st century style destruction of carthage; i'd say take country xyz after invasion, force the population to speak the language of the invaders-there's no faster way to ensure the destruction of a rival culture than by exterminating the language-that's what medieval england did with wales;

before anyone starts accusing me of encouraging death, destruction, and the icecapades; let's remind ourselves that we're being theoretical here

[Phier]

ok, well given the amount of russophobia the media and USG encourage and propagate; why not solve this complex by destroying russia?
seems like a simple mathematic equation; destroy threat->problem solved, live happily ever after

Can't speak for European media but the US media hasn't been exactly Russophobic.

[Dr. Croccer]

Soviet power is a myth. A great show. There are no spare parts, nothing's working. It's nothing but painted rust.

...But you....

...You need to keep the Russian myth alive to maintain your miltary-industrial complex. Your system depends on Russia being perceived as a mortal threat.

...It's not a threat. It was never a threat, wil never be a threat. It is... a rotten... bloated... cow.

[Jingles]

Soviet power is a myth. A great show. There are no spare parts, nothing's working. It's nothing but painted rust.

...But you....

...You need to keep the Russian myth alive to maintain your miltary-industrial complex. Your system depends on Russia being perceived as a mortal threat.

...It's not a threat. It was never a threat, wil never be a threat. It is... a rotten... bloated... cow.

+rep. Love that film.

[Plan C]

@ Exarch - it'sd the oldest trick in the book, I can't believe you're actually expressing your outrage about it; I resigned myself to living amongst sheep long ago. It's a perfect match - governments are in place to give people a sense of protection from threats and people will always find something to be afraid of, simple (meow meow anyone? Shame on you, Alan Johnson!).

But global flow of information makes this particular aspect of governments' responsibility gradually redundant. Why do you think so many governments censor internet (I'm looking at you, Rudd)?
The kids of today are infinitely more clued up about the world than my parents ever were, for better or worse; some UK teens can even find Austria on the map these days. The more we know, the less we fear is a general rule.

[Exarch]

nice quote
source pls?

[Dr. Croccer]

nice quote
source pls?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Shepherd_(film)

[Vermelho_Steele]

Why not use love, drugs and mind-engineering as a form of mind control? (Brave New World ref')

But then, wasn't it Machiavelli who said it is better to be feared than loved?

@Skielve: Austria! Next we'll teach them that Latin America is a continent and not a country!

[torongill]

Why not use love, drugs and mind-engineering as a form of mind control? (Brave New World ref')

But then, wasn't it Machiavelli who said it is better to be feared than loved?

@Skielve: Austria! Next we'll teach them that Latin America is a continent and not a country!

Latin America is neither a continent, nor a country.

[Exarch]

Why not use love, drugs and mind-engineering as a form of mind control? (Brave New World ref')

But then, wasn't it Machiavelli who said it is better to be feared than loved?

@Skielve: Austria! Next we'll teach them that Latin America is a continent and not a country!

i'm quite cynical enough to believe that most western countries alreayd manage their population via contemporary usage of 'love, drugs and mind-engineering' only now it's 'arbitrary and perpetual wars, a so called 'free media' (which is anything but), and subtle biases in schooling meant to enhance nationalism.
for eg in american history individuals such as washingotn, jefferson, lincoln are enshrined in demi-god status; when i read about them, they appear larger than life to historians. it's no different in any other country, yet such perspectives engenders a perception that this country is blessed by gods and demigods and in relation, all other countries are by comparison.

[Vermelho_Steele]

@torongil: Technicaly speaking it is, there are the North and South American continents.

@Exarch: Umm, are you saying Brave New World is already here? or that the West is like everyone else, in which case it's true, but has little to do with what I said. I honestly have little idea of your context.

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

Well, in the US the generic enemy is the Muslim of all nations...if we don't keep funneling our taxes in to defense, Iraq, Iran, and what was that other I country..oh yeah..ITALY!! will come get us!