endless war

George Orwell understood that oppressive governments need wars to keep their populace under control. Wars focus the mind like nothing else. And wars also bring the specter of fear, another great means of crowd control. Fear has been applied with great success in America lately. Ever since 9/11 brought real fear into the hearts and minds of East Coast residents -the effect on the West coast was much less pronounced- our government has done whatever it can to make sure these feelings are kept alive. So effective and enticing is the fear mongering that presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton grabbed it from the Republican playbook and used it in her now famous 3 am ad.

The same 3 am ad that alarm companies use on a regular basis to convince home owners to plunk down hard earned cash, and subscribe to never-ending, but hopelessly unproductive monitoring services. Never mind that most burglaries happen during the day time. People are afraid of the dark, and nowhere more so it seems than in America. That must be one reason why everyone feels so compelled to leave their lights on all the time.

Recent studies have shown that fear works. It works even when our conscious mind dismisses it. Or when we make fun of it. It works because it is of primary importance in survival. Humans are a fairly weak species. Nearly every other species is faster and stronger than we are. A small chimp can easily outdo the most buffed up, steroid pumped body builder. And not by some tiny amount. Chimps routinely generate four to five times as much force as Mr. Universe. And they do it without breaking a sweat. As many drunken college students find out even birds like ducks, geese, or swans can be serious adversaries. A deer can kill an adult human in a heart beat. And so many dogs have been killing people lately that we are all aware of the pitbull factor. Yes, we have reason to be fearful out there.

Unfortunately, the only defense against fear-inducing advertising is to limit your exposure. I know that you will say, it doesn't affect me, I can see through it, I ignore it. I think it is funny. But brain studies show what Madison Avenue knows to be true. It does affect you and very powerfully so. The White House knows too. In these times of economic uncertainty, high gas prices, and a dying American dream, nothing better than to engage in a bit of war dance to keep that brain occupied and focused.

First there was Al Qaeda, then Afghanistan and finally Iraq. Unfortunately, none of these turned out the way we wanted them too. We let Al Quada get away and then the "battle" turned into an endless search for a tall man with a beard wearing a robe. There are plenty of fearful images out there, but a soft-spoken, tall and skinny bearded fellow is not one of them. Even if we know he is very dangerous. This type of rational thinking does nothing to the fear centers in our brain. Neither do beat up, grimy looking fellows like the "9/11 mastermind." They are less scary than good-looking Ted Bundy. What we need here is some good direct and subconscious stimuli. Like the 3 am ad.

Ditto for Afghanistan. It turned out to be a dusty, backward, stone-age patch that nobody cares about. No photo-ops here either. Iraq was fine as long as we had Saddam and some feigned resistance, but once we got rid of him, and nothing changed what more is there to do? The place turned into an endless rioting quagmire. The images on TV look like LA after the Rodney King trial, except a bit more bloody. Poor neighborhoods with burned out cars and foreign looking natives. How is the mighty American military ever going to score here? Not even the machine gun fire can dispel the image of inner city. Neither can John McCain walking around in a bullet proof vest in a place that looks every bit like South Central LA. Shopping?

Desperate for images, we tried Syria and North Korea. North Korea had the "bomb," except it proved to be a dud. It is a poor country and we all know it. Poor countries are the last thing on earth for us to fear. Nothing here either I am afraid. Furthermore, Kim Jung Il is too aloof to be scary to us. He looks so passe, like the Soviet Union in the last century.

Syria also eluded us. Assad is too much of a cold fish to arouse much enthusiasm and Damascus looks too much like the friendly souk where you buy peppers and henna. But Iran is a godsend. Ahmenidjad is a natural enemy. He taunts us, he laughs at us. He displays all the attributes Madison avenue needs to make a successful enemy. And he is endorsed by the Israelis who are also looking for serious distractions. Our friend Olmert too is quite desperate for diversions.

Unfortunately the Europeans are yawning. They can't be roused. Their stance on Iraq proved correct and now they are smug. And that is why our beloved President is out there rallying the troops. Forget about the mortgage crisis, the sluggish economy, the high gas prices. Let's get our European friends to help us out a bit here. We need to unite against a common enemy. We need a coalition of the willing. The willing to pay that is. Because we are bit cash strapped at the moment. So if you have the cash, we have the fear. Let the games begin.