The Culture of Fear
Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things: Crime, Drugs, Minorities, Teen Moms, Killer Kids, Mutant Micr
By Barry Glassner
(Basic Books, Paperback, 9780465003365, 360pp.)
Publication Date: January 2010
Categories: Emotions, Sociology - General
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In the age of 9/11, the Iraq War, financial collapse, and Amber Alerts, our society is defined by fear. So it’s not surprising that three out of four Americans say they feel more fearful today then they did twenty years ago. But are we living in exceptionally dangerous times? In The Culture of Fear, sociologist Barry Glassner demonstrates that it is our perception of danger that has increased, not the actual level of risk. Glassner exposes the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our fears, including advocacy groups that raise money by exaggerating the prevalence of particular diseases and politicians who win elections by heightening concerns about crime, drug use, and terrorism. In this new edition of a classic book—more relevant now than when it was first published—Glassner exposes the price we pay for social panic.
Barry Glassner is professor of sociology at the University of Southern California. He is the author of seven books and countless articles that have appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world. His academic research has appeared in the most prestigious journals in sociology and psychiatry. He lives in Los Angeles.
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