THE HUMAN TOLL OF FEARMONGERING

It is frustrating for anyone who attempts to discuss salient newsworthy topics when pertinent statistical details of issues uppermost in people's minds are constantly evolving. No sooner had the horrible massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, hit the news cycle, or similar, although less "spectacular," incidents already began to turn up. During Memorial Day weekend alone, during 14 distinct episodes, between 5 AM Friday and early Tuesday, gun violence killed another 156 and injured 412. Where in most countries any of these acts of violence would have merited prime news coverage, we no longer seemed interested and buried the information towards the back of major publications. We are caught up in a perpetual cycle of Groundhog Day episodes. We quickly lose interest, even when attention is needed. While effective responses to gun related crimes and gun control are complicated, what is becoming increasingly obvious is that, at its core, the violent outgrowth of what historian Richard Hofstadter called our "gun culture," is being fueled by manipulated fearmongering, intentionally and unnecessarily attempting to make people afraid of something. On the one hand we are confronted by a proliferation of indiscriminate types of fire arms in civilian hands, fed by fear of losing "constitutional rights," spearheaded by a very active gun lobby. On the other hand we are exposed to aggressive marketing of what has been referred to as the "Great Replacement Theory," identified by multiple shooters in publicized "manifestos" as justification for their killing sprees. This conspiracy theory caters to the fear that white, Anglo-Saxon, Christian dominance is gradually and deliberately being replaced by non-Christian people of color - a conviction firmly embedded in white supremacist and xenophobic ideologies. The role these organizations play in effectively insuring accessibility of fire arms is somewhat unique. Typically, lobbying organizations serve as checks on industry groups. In the U.S. they are actually aligned with gun manufacturers. With war chests filled with hundreds of millions of dollars, they have successfully managed to counter any attempts at limiting gun ownership. Their position has been that any infringement on individual "rights" would ultimately lead to repeal of the Second Amendment and forfeiture of all guns. Political Action Committees associated with gun rights groups have consistently managed to secure support from legislators for their point of view - some of whom have received tens of millions of dollars in campaign donations- insuring that gun control legislation proposals introduced in the House and Senate are destined to fail. These include bans on assault weapons, expanded background checks, and even prohibition of fire arms sales to people on federal terrorism watch lists. Consequently, this relentless, effective, targeted fearmongering has resulted in our country's unique position of having more civilian owned fire arms in circulation than we have people. With less than 5% of the world's population, we own 46% of the world's civilian owned guns. Statistical consequences are eye opening. According to the "Brady Campaign," every day 321 people are shot in our country - 111 are shot and killed and an additional 95 are shot intentionally but survive. It should not come as a surprise that when any kid turning 18 can purchase an AR15 three years before being allowed to buy a beer, we are asking for trouble. Opponents of gun control legislation tend to suggest that we should concentrate on mental illness, not on guns. But do we really propose that the U.S. contains more criminally insane people than other countries? The difference between our social environment and that of other, safer, countries is accessibility to guns, especially assault weapons. While the fear of losing constitutional rights is being manipulated to support the unabated proliferation of fire arms in this country, a growing number of motivated assailants use the perceived threat to white America losing its dominance in society as justification for their homicidal rage. The theoretical foundation for this belief stems from a hypothesis promoted by Renaud Camus, a French novelist, who invented the "Great Replacement," a far-right conspiracy theory which claims that a"global elite" is colluding against the white population of Europe to replace them with non-European peoples. American pundits have readily adapted and adopted Camus' teachings for their own use when preaching from their domestic platforms. Fear sells! The premise of this proposition, while not new, was readily internalized by white supremacist groups across the globe, justifying assaults that ranged from the Mosque attacks in Christchurch in New Zealand, which killed 51, to exclamations uttered by torch bearing "Unite the Right" demonstrators terrorizing Charlottesville in 2017, shouting "Jews will not replace us." Domestic targets for these groups are becoming openly obvious. We have experienced mass attacks on African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Muslims, and immigrants in general. Target groups are being demonized. Politicians are no different. President Trump called Mexicans "criminals and rapists," and intimated that African immigrants came from "shit-hole countries." Studies show that one in three Americans now believe that immigrants are being brought into the country for political gain. The message is clear: fearmongering pays off for promoters and perpetrators. However, it comes at a horrible cost for its target audience. Former Lewis and Clark College president Barry Glassner, in his book "The Culture of Fear," suggests that there is a lot of power and money available to individuals and organizations who can perpetuate these fears. If money and power are the objective, truth and consequences no longer seem to matter. Theo Wierdsma