This essay deals with a culture of fear in the West, which provides a perfect breeding ground for the fear of terrorism.
Terrorism is a global phenomenon and omnipresent in Western societies, such as the European Union or the United States. The goal of terrorism is to produce a climate of fear and to disrupt the social cohesion. Since the attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, terrorism has been attracting more and more attention within Western society and their mass media. It gave rise to a universal awareness of vulnerability of the West (Beck, 2009, p. 14). After Islamic terrorist attacks on Germany and France in 2015 (Charlie Hebdo attack, Bataclan attack, Berlin attack), 44% of the people surveyed stated that terrorism was the greatest threat within the European Union, according to Eurobarometer 87 in the following spring (Eurobarometer, 2017). In the United States, the public concern about Islamic terrorism was even higher, half of the US population were worried about themselves or a family member becoming the victim of terrorism after the attacks (OWD, 2019). These surveys illustrate that terrorism is perceived by the Western public as a major threat to social life.
In this essay I will argue that we have established a culture of fear in the West, which provides a perfect breeding ground for the fear of terrorism. Terrorism in fact is dangerous, but my point is that the danger is massively exaggerated, and we fear the wrong things. I will deal with the culture of fear and how it influences the perception of risk in terms of terrorism. Furthermore, I argue that media and terror maintain a symbiotic relationship that benefits from each other and this leads to a reinforced distortion of perception in the public. The excessive coverage of terrorism in the mass media is disproportionate to the numbers of death and leads to a staged threat. To put it in the words of Ulrich Beck: “Whether it be the mass media broadcasting the images of bloodstained victims across the world, or American President Bush declaring war on terrorism, or NATO declaring a case of legitimate defence after 9/11: only when such reactions follow the deed does every terrorist’s dream of a meteoric rise from obscure petty criminality to the ‘number one enemy’, the ‘global danger’ – in short, to ‘terrorist world stardom’ – become a reality.” (Beck, 2009).
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Fear of Terrorism in Western Societies
- Terrorism: A Global Threat
- The Culture of Fear and its Influence
- Risk Perception and Terrorism
- The Role of Media in Shaping Fear
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay examines the culture of fear surrounding terrorism in Western societies and argues that the perceived threat is significantly exaggerated. The essay aims to analyze the factors that contribute to this exaggerated fear, including the influence of media, the perception of risk, and the role of cultural scripts in shaping individual anxieties.
- The impact of a culture of fear on the perception of terrorism
- The symbiotic relationship between media and terrorism
- The distinction between actual risk and the anticipation of terrorism
- The role of cultural scripts and social construction in shaping fear
- The influence of mass media on public perception and the cultivation of fear
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Fear of Terrorism in Western Societies: This section introduces the phenomenon of terrorism and its impact on Western societies. It examines statistics and public perception, highlighting the growing concern about terrorism as a major threat.
- The Culture of Fear and its Influence: This section explores the concept of a "culture of fear" and its role in shaping anxieties and perceptions of risk. It examines how fear is socially constructed and maintained through cultural scripts and societal norms.
- Risk Perception and Terrorism: This section analyzes the relationship between risk and fear in the context of terrorism. It argues that the anticipation of a catastrophe is often more significant than the actual threat, contributing to an overestimation of the danger posed by terrorism.
- The Role of Media in Shaping Fear: This section delves into the role of mass media in amplifying fear and shaping public perceptions of terrorism. It discusses how media's focus on fear and anxiety contributes to a distorted view of the threat and fuels public anxieties.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay focuses on the themes of terrorism, fear, risk perception, media influence, and cultural scripts. It explores the relationship between these concepts and how they contribute to the establishment of a culture of fear surrounding terrorism in Western societies. Key terms include: culture of fear, risk society, terrorism, media, social construction, risk perception, and symbolic relationship.
- Citation du texte
- Anonym (Auteur), 2021, Fear of Terrorism in Western Societies. An Essay, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/992193
