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Fear Mongering in Politics

Definition

Fear mongering consists of the use of hyperbolic accusations and generalizations to incite fear about certain situations or groups of people. The tactic is often used by politicians to persuade their target audience to succumb to their beliefs, typically regarding controversial situations. Fear mongering is mostly used in conjunction with political elections or situations, and the effects it has on certain communities can be especially harmful. Fear mongering has been used throughout history and is still used today by politicians to convince audiences of certain points that may not even be accurate. Fear mongering is also common within many cultures and has been used consistently by politicians throughout different time periods in history.

Famous Uses of Fear Mongering

Pontius Pilate and Jesus

It can be said that Jesus Christ was one of the first victims of fear mongering, as he was demonized by members of the Jewish council. Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, was responsible for tax collection, the management of projects, and additionally held the power to instruct criminal executions. When Pilate was approached by members of the Jewish council—which included chief priests and elders—about the claim that Jesus was the “king of the Jews,” Pilate was forced to question Jesus, as this was considered an act of treason within the Roman Empire. The Jewish council used fear mongering to persuade Pilate that Jesus —who apparently claimed to be the “king of the Jews”—could possibly affect the political climate in Judea, thus posing a threat to the Jewish council and Pilate himself. According to John 11:45-48, “If we let Him alone like this…the Romans will and take away both our place and nation.” They became intimidated by Jesus and the excitement that surrounded him. Therefore, Pilate announced to the people that he would have Jesus beaten three times, and then release him, but the people insisted that more be done. To maintain the peace in the city, Pilate abided by what the people said and ordered that Jesus be crucified.

Nazi Regime

Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, which expedited the growth and success of the Nazi party. Under Hitler, fear mongering was exploited and even institutionalized. Hitler’s trusted colleague, Joseph Goebbels, was appointed to the head of the Reich Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment. Goebbels was responsible for censoring and controlling film, radio, theater, and the press. Goebbels insured that journalists and editors were clear on an array of specific guidelines when writing news articles, and that they understood the ways in which they were supposed to report the news. It was pertinent that they did not speak out against the Nazi regime— a death wish in itself— or report about anything other than reasons justifying the treatment of the Jews and why they were a threat to the Aryan society. Journalists who went against Goebbels wishes would be imprisoned or sent to concentration camps. Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda often consisted of fear mongering. This appealed to the German’s fears of Jews and immigrants. Fear was spread through the use of posters, which claimed that people of the Jewish faith “fed off the host nation, poisoned its culture, seized its economy, and enslaved its workers and farmers.” For example, in those days, one could see posters warning of the diseases that Jews living in ghettos carried to keep others out. This, essentially, helped in keeping these horrific environments under wraps. Because of poor and inhumane living conditions, this propaganda became true. Diseases such as typhus affected many people living in ghettos, and because of this, the Nazis were justified after causing these “manmade epidemics.” After invading the Soviet Union in 1941, the Nazis emphasized to both Germans at home and soldiers abroad, “themes linking Soviet communism to European Jewry.” The Nazis continued to stress the fact that if the Soviet Union were to defeat them, there would be events short of an apocalypse. In reality, the Nazis would have lost their power and the world would not have ended; but the ideas they spread about the possibility of catastrophes in the wake of a Soviet victory was enough to scare the Germans into acquiescence and support.

The Red Scare

The Cold War, which involved both the United States of America and the Soviet Union, was a “series of largely political and economic clashes” which allowed politicians to incite fear within the American people through the use of fear mongering. The war began shortly after World War II, largely because of the growing tensions and suspicions the United States held against the Soviet Union. This was understandable, as multiple acts of espionage were committed by American citizens, who were motivated by the Soviet Union during World War II. Hysteria ensued as the Soviet Union began testing nuclear bombs and suspicions continued to grow that American government officials and celebrities were Soviet spies. President Truman enacted Executive Order 9835, which “mandated that all federal employees be analyzed to determine whether they were sufficiently loyal to the government.” As communism continued to advance, Americans became increasingly alarmed that democratic America would soon become communist. Besides Executive Order 9835, a sign of how serious the government was taking the threat of communism, there were significant decreases in the amount of leftist factions, and those who voiced their support of communism—a democratic right— “could be restricted because their actions presented a clear and present danger to the government.” All of these factors contributed to the fear instilled in the American people. Politicians like senator Joseph McCarthy became extremely involved in the war against communism. He used fear as a tactic to scare Americans into believing that communism would take over the country, and became suspicious of those who disagreed with his staunch, conservative views. McCarthy even went as far as getting people fired or ruining their reputation if they did not have the same political outlook as he did. This further silenced the public, as they were fearful that they could lose their livelihood for speaking out. Senator McCarthy became so infamous for his involvement with the Red Scare, that the term “McCarthyism” was coined after his name. McCarthyism is defined as “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communist activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant evidence.”

Present-day Use

2016 Presidential Election: Trump

       President-elect, Donald Trump, has made a variety of exaggerated comments, which were meant to incite fear. Throughout the 2016 United States presidential election, Trump commented on various communities and situations. Trump, who built his campaign on the fact that politicians should not have to be politically correct, used fear tactics to convince his audience of certain points. For example, Trump used fear mongering to appeal to his conservative audience by condemning Mexican immigrants, claiming, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” He also denounced the influx of ten thousand Syrian refugees that Barack Obama had allowed asylum in the United States. Trump went as far as saying that all Muslims should be required to have “a special form of identification that noted their religion” and that mosques would be under surveillance. Furthermore, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a photo of a bowl of skittles with the caption, “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you three would kill you, would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.”  This photo generalized the Syrian refugee community as one that is supposedly full of terrorists, or harmful people who hate America. Once again, the Trump campaign’s use of hateful propaganda was especially harmful to Arab and Muslim communities. 

This type of rhetoric increased hate crimes against Muslims by six percent from 2014 to 2015. Arab Christians, like Lebanese Christian Khalid Jabara, are at risk, too. Khalid Jabara was murdered by his neighbor in Tulsa, Oklahoma just for being Arab. His neighbor, Stanley Vernon Majors, had harassed the Jabara family for years, and even ran Khalid’s mother, Haifa, over with his car. Although Donald Trump is not directly telling his audience to attack Arabs and Muslims, the rhetoric and propaganda his campaign has circulated amongst his audience has justified their anti-Arab and anti-Muslim fears, attitudes, and actions.

2016 Presidential Election: Clinton

      Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, has also used fear mongering to her advantage, in appeal to her Democratic audience. After her opponent, Republican Donald Trump, made friendly comments about controversial Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Clinton made sure to highlight this in her campaign. Clinton claimed that Russia is a national security to the United States of America and that if Donald Trump were to win the election, the United States would be at a great risk due to Trump’s friendship with Putin. 

In the past, Clinton’s views on Putin and Russia were completely different. When Russian spies were discovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be living in the United States, the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton simply sent them back to Moscow without interrogation. Apparently officials from the Clinton administration “inexplicably boasted to the media about how great a relationship they had with Russia.” The presidential campaign triggered Clinton to change her views regarding Russia and Vladimir Putin, especially when it was discovered that Trump was friendly with him. By condemning Putin, Clinton is therefore condemning Russia and Donald Trump, which makes her seem like she takes national security more seriously than her opponent. Clinton’s approach to this situation has frightened some Americans into believing that Donald Trump would “sell out the United states to Russians,” which boosted Clinton’s campaign.

Psychology

      The reason why the tactic of fear mongering is so successful, especially in political campaigns or situations, is because humans do not take the time to think things through. The human brain processes information so that thoughts and ideas are more emotion based rather than based on logic. This plays into the fact that the brain’s first and foremost function is to aid in survival. Therefore, when someone hears Donald Trump rallying against Muslims, or Hillary Clinton condemning Putin, their brain uses a “number of mental shortcuts”— based on things he or she has processed subconsciously— to make judgments regarding how dangerous they feel the subjects of such comments are.  Fear mongering often involves repetition of statements with the same underlying message. This repetition makes things more emotionally relevant to those who constantly hear them, therefore giving the subject more emotional weight.   Another issue Americans in particular face is the fear of not being in control. After the 2008 economic recession, many Americans still feel as if their country is falling behind. Because of this, they feel threatened, and therefore have turned to political groups. They buy into their beliefs because they want to be a part of something, to have people to relate to.