The culture of fear : why Americans are afraid of the wrong things / Barry Glassner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Glassner, Barry.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social perception--United States.

Social perception.

Social problems--United States.

Social problems.

Fear.

Anxiety.

United States.

Anxiety--United States.

Fear--United States.

United States--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xxxvi, 322 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

Tenth anniversary edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, 2009.

Summary:

In the age of 9/11, the War on Terror, financial collapse, and around-the-clock coverage of child abductions, our society is defined by fear. Glassner shows that it is our perception of danger that has increased, not the actual level of risk, and he exposes the price we pay for social panic.

Contents:

Dubious dangers on roadways and campuses: how fears are sold

Crime in the news: tall tales and overstated statistics

Youth at risk: faulty diagnoses and callous cures

Monster moms: on the art of misdirection

Black men: how to perpetuate prejudice without really trying

"Smack is back": when presidents and the press collude, the scares never stop

Metaphoric illnesses: how not to criticize the establishment

Plane wrecks: small danger, big scare

Final thoughts: the Martians aren't coming

New fears for a new century: and some old ones updated.

Notes:

"Updated for our post 9/11 world"--Cover.

Includes reader discussion guide.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-297) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Glassner, Barry. Culture of fear.

ISBN:

9780465003365

0465003362

OCLC:

440116122