Feathers and Fear

Blue Gal doesn't get it. Are we supposed to believe Dubya when he says avian bird flu is not an immediate threat, when we can plainly see that a highly resistant strain has infected the Giambattista Valli Runway Show above? That poor girl is pale, emaciated, and covered in feathers. What more evidence do we need?

But seriously, folks. Dubya is scared [of his current poll numbers], and wants us all to be scared too [so we will turn to him in trouble? ha.] Speaking of the politics of fear, Blue Gal sends a hat tip to The Sunday New York Times, for pointing out an article by Frank Furedi on spiked-online.com. Spiked-online is a good read in and of itself, btw, specially if you want the British lefty slant and like yer PM on a plate. Here's a snippet of Frank:

The term 'politics of fear' contains the implication that politicians self-consciously manipulate people's anxieties in order to realise their objectives. There is little doubt that they do regard fear as an important resource for gaining a hearing for their message. Scare tactics can sometimes work to undermine opponents and to gain the acquiescence of the electorate. However, the politics of fear is not simply about the manipulation of public opinion. The political class is itself anxious and disorientated. In the present circumstances, even professional political operators who are in the business of promoting fear are themselves habitually overwhelmed by it.

The politics of fear is a manipulative project that aims to immobilise public dissent. But it is also the mantra with which a disconnected elite responds in the circumstances of its isolation.

So next time you hear our President talk about flu, just remember what [t]his fear is all about.