What Are You Afraid Of?

What are you afraid of? It is a logical question given the times we live in today. One of my favorite Batman villains is the Scarecrow. His real name is Dr. Jonathan Crane. He is a psychiatrist who was picked on as a child because of his appearance. He became the Scarecrow to strike fear in the hearts of those who persecuted him and the world in general. He has no super powers. He usually uses some type of gas or other toxin to make people afraid. Given today’s climate of fear, you would think he is real.

There is a healthy type of fear. We are told to fear God and keep his commandments. Those in the military have fear when they go into a potential life threatening situation (I am talking fear, not cowardice. There is a difference.). There is that fear people have when diagnosed with a terminal condition. There are certain rational fears of the unknown.

My mom grew up at the height of the Cold War. Her greatest fear was she would not live to be an adult. She would never marry nor have children. She had been so taken in by the political and media propaganda that she had an actual fear of nuclear annihilation. Eventually, as she grew up, her fear subsided and she did marry and have my brother and me.

Fear is a by-product off ignorance. Today, there is plenty of both to go around. If we do not know or understand something, the immediate reaction is to fear it. If you see a vicious dog snarling and barking at you, you may be afraid because you do not know if it will attack. If it is behind a fence, you are not as afraid since the dog cannot attack you through the fence.

I have watched this culture of fear and paranoia percolate through our society through the last few years. I do not know where it began, but it seems worse today.

After September 11, people were afraid to search and detain people of Middle Eastern descent. They were afraid it would be considered racial profiling and people would think badly of them. So, to allay that guilt, they strip search little old ladies and confiscate their apple sauce and water. I do not have a problem with profiling in certain situations. Imagine there is some 80 year old woman in line that bought a round trip ticket to Florida. Next to her is a 25 year old, bearded man in robes, named Mohammed Al-Whatever, carrying an overnight bag and a Koran, who purchased a one way ticket with cash. Guess who I want searched? It is not Aunt Martha going to see the grandkids. When little old ladies start blowing up and hijacking airplanes, then I want her searched as well. Meanwhile, a middle-aged black man in a suit, carrying a briefcase, flying to Boston on a ticket paid for by his company credit card is not much of a threat. Do you think Israel is shy about profiling in its airports? Think, again.

Most of the fear exhibited today is irrational. When President Obama was elected, people were terrified to criticize him because he was from mixed race and mixed cultural background. That is silly. I criticized him because I do not like his politics or his choice of inner circle members. I don’t care what color he is or where he was born. Same thing is going on in Arizona. They pass a bill upholding federal law where the federal government will not enforce that law. It is immediately called racist. The people breaking the law are from Mexico, Central, and South America. Therefore, they are the ones in violation. It is not a matter of race. It is a matter of right and wrong. It is a matter of obeying the law and breaking it. If this was Montana and the people coming across were Canadian, the law would still be the same. Illegal aliens are illegal no matter where they are from; Mexico, Asia, Europe, Central America, South America, etc. The issue is the law, not the nature of the person breaking it. Besides, most people opposed to the law have not read it. Therefore, ignorance is leading to fear.

The latest is the fear in cyberspace. Everyone is fear mongering about social networking sites like My Space, Facebook, and Linked In. There are even commercials offering services to scrub your name from the internet. People who are unemployed are terrified some potential employer will find something on one of these sites as reason not to hire them. I recently saw something suggesting your taste in music may be keeping you from getting a job. I think that is fear mongering at its highest levels.

If you are that paranoid about what is out there about you, stay off the internet. I googled myself to see what was there. There was my Facebook page. There was my Linked In page. There were a couple of newspaper articles I was quoted in. That was about it. It has even been suggested these essays I write could poison the well and prevent me from getting a job.

Here is how I see it. I do not post anything I would not want the entire world to see. That goes for pictures, opinions, beliefs, etc. If a company does not want to hire me because I am a Mason or I like Lynyrd Skynyrd or Marvin Gaye or I am conservative, that is okay with me. I would probably not want to work there in the first place. I am not ashamed or afraid of who I am. I am not perfect. But, I do not flaunt my flaws on my Facebook page. I do not have a criminal record. I do not engage in questionable behavior. My friends are my friends. I have no malice toward any particular racial, religious or lifestyle group. I like to think I am firm in my beliefs. I consider myself reasonably honest and forthcoming. If any of those qualities prevents me from getting a job, so be it.

What I am saying is there are real fears and irrational ones. Common sense can dictate the difference. Fear is the greatest weapon known to man. That is why terrorism is so effective. People are afraid they may be the next victim. Politicians are fearful of speaking their minds because they want to make everyone happy and not offend anyone. In the end, they offend everyone with their double speak and insecure posturing. Everyday people are afraid to speak their minds because of how they will be perceived by their friends, bosses, rivals, etc.

I guess losing my career and home in California took my fear away. Maybe that is why I am unemployed. I do not have enough sense to be some trembling, spineless jellyfish who only does what they are told and not question it. A person who does not discern right from wrong because they are afraid of what others will think. I may not be successful, but at least I am not a slave to my fears. I do not tell my kids to stand up to bullies while I shirk from some overbearing boss or co-worker. I do not teach my children to express their thoughts and feelings while I hide mine for fear of being politically incorrect. My way may not be the path to fame and fortune, but, at least, I do not lie to myself about it.