The Culture of Fear
by Barry Glassner · first published 1999
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Examines how media coverage of crime, drugs, and other dangers diverges from the actual statistical risks people face. Recommended for anyone interested in media, risk perception, and social attitudes.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In this eye-opening examination of a pathology that has swept the country, sociologist Barry Glassner reveals why Americans are burdened with overblown fears. He exposes the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our anxieties: politicians who win elections by heightening concerns about crime and drug use even as both are declining; advocacy groups that raise money by exaggerating the prevalence of particular diseases; TV newsmagazines that monger a new scare every week to garner ratings. Barry Glassner's book diagnoses a predominant pathology of our age and
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A book that I loved in HS on a similar topic, just more focused on the social aspect of it is "The Culture of Fear" by Barry Glassner. Recommended also. http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/d...
on “Tell HN: Risk, Dan Gardner” ↗…long time and clearly described. It is just that the warnings went unheeded and the problem has become extreme. Rather than watch the news (or go to a news website) read these excellent books: - The Culture of Fear by Barry Glassner - Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman Rather than get distracted by news trivia, learn something from these books that have stood the test of time.
on “Why We Should Watch Less News” ↗There is a good book I read about this years ago (pre-9/11) called The Culture of Fear by Barry Glassner. It went in depth into the different things that people are afraid of and how they are covered in the media vs what you are actually likely to die from. Definitely made me think a…
on “Does the news reflect what we die from?” ↗Decades old and still completely relevant, "Culture of Fear": https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/... Also, in my experience older people just get more paranoid. I have seen it happen with family members who are otherwise pretty sharp.…
on “WTF Nextdoor? Over 130 clicks to disable email and push notifications?” ↗I read a book a while back, and it is even more relavaent today. The Culture of Fear - Barry Glassner https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Minorities-Mic...
on “Clear backpacks, monitored emails: U.S. students under constant surveillance” ↗as a followup to that (excellent) book, here's Barry Glassner - A Culture of Fear. The Better Angels of Our Nature talks about how violence has always been declining. A Culture of Fear talks about how the rate of that decline has been increasing since the 90s but people actually perceive…
on “America’s incarceration rate is in decline” ↗