'They want us to live in fear': the risks of trivializing a survival mechanism

Fear is a powerful human emotion, and as such, it has been misused by politicians of different ideologies.

The 72-hour backpack and the new version of “I want to get home alone and drunk”
Defending Europe against the Russian threat is a matter of lives, not ideologies

The political use of fear

This political use often appeals to real dangers. One of the examples I've cited here many times is the case of the "fear vote" on the left, which has been used for many years by some parties that then implement the same policies as the left in many respects. On the other side of the political spectrum is the fear of fascism, systematically used to label as "fascist" all those who do not subscribe to the dogmas of the left.

Fear has also been used to make people accept things that would otherwise be unthinkable. It's not hard to find examples of this in today's world. Without going any further, climate catastrophism has been used for decades to justify policies that seriously harm our economy, for example, in the automotive sector. We also have the case of a fear of insecurity, which is entirely reasonable given the crime rates in certain countries, but sometimes leads to justifying attitudes that are radically unfair, such as prejudging people based on their race or nationality.

The political banalization of fear

However, when discussing this issue, we must keep in mind that the political use of fear is as dangerous and irresponsible as its trivialization. We must keep in mind, and I say this because some seem to forget this, that fear is a survival mechanism. Being afraid of dangerous situations is a normal and even necessary emotional response in a human being. It is problematic to be gripped by fear, but so is lacking this survival mechanism, and this applies both individually and collectively. In fact, humanity has already paid a high price for ignoring dangerous situations.

The trivialization of the 2020 pandemic and its effects

We have a very recent example of this: the 2020 pandemic. As I pointed out on this blog, in February 2020, the Spanish left associated fear of COVID with "fascism" and the "far right", stating the following: "Fear is the most contagious virus, the one to which we are most vulnerable. It is lethal for democracy."

Left-wing media criticized the "alarmism" over the pandemic, claiming that "most cases are mild." Likewise, a journalist who warned about the danger of the pandemic before others was the target of much criticism, since his program aired on March 1 and on March 8 there were feminist demonstrations that the left did not want to call off, which was one of the reasons why Pedro Sánchez's government did not take measures in advance. A delay that cost almost 75,000 deaths in Spain in 2020.

The Banalization of the Threat of Russian Imperialism

Paradoxically, this banalization of fear is now coming from across the political spectrum. In an international scenario marked by Russia's aggressive policy, which has been committing all kinds of atrocities against the Ukrainian people for three years and has directed threats against several European countries, and given the shift in US foreign policy, with an administration that displays clear contempt for Europe, European countries are finding it necessary to rearm out of sheer prudence, as it would be far worse to have invested more in defense and ultimately not be invaded (in fact, a good defense investment usually has a deterrent effect on potential aggressors) than to have an attack occur and the country be unprepared to confront it.

Obviously, we must be cautious and vigilant about how increased defense spending is used, as we in Europe already have experience with the misuse of spending on masks by some governments (for example, Spain's) during the pandemic, but that does not mean that rearmament is not necessary. It is, as is raising awareness among the population about the need to take precautions in the face of a possible war situation, which may never come, but if it does, we should be prepared. An example is the 72-hour backpack issue I discussed here yesterday.

Just as happened during the pandemic, some people are now launching the slogan that there is no reason to fear Russian aggression (citizens of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, Russia's neighbors, disagree and have been preparing for this situation for some time). They also tell us that the "real" threats are different, as if a military power destroying a European country weren't a real threat, especially considering that that same power (Russia) is using mass immigration as a weapon in a hybrid war against Europe.

This trivialization of fear is summed up in the slogan "they want us to live in fear", which has been repeated frequently lately on social media, in the media, and among some politicians. There is an obvious objection to this slogan: fear is necessary for our survival, as it helps us react prudently to dangers. So, if someone tells you that you should live without fear of anything, what they are conveying is an irresponsible idea that consists of ignoring dangers and acting as if they don't exist, with the risks that this entails at the individual and collective levels.

We must not ignore the dangers nor allow ourselves to be dominated by fear

Finally, in any civilized country, it is equally important not to be manipulated by those who exploit fear politically and by those who trivialize it. Obviously, determining where one situation or another exists is not always easy, and therefore it is necessary to maintain a critical eye toward the messages we receive.

In the face of abuse in one direction or another, we must keep in mind that the best way to control fear is reason. We must not allow ourselves to be dominated by fear (which is what some people do when they ask us to give in to Putin for fear of his threats), nor should we simply ignore the dangers, as paradoxically some of those who told us we should give in to Putin in case he declares a third world war now claim, and now tell us that we should not rearm, that Russia is not a danger, and that they are deceiving us into believing that it is.

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Photo: Alexandra Gorn.