May 31, 2003
Yesterday, I went to watch "Bowling for Columbine" with Wenn. It was a well, movie presented in a documentary form; a documentary that investigated the high incidence of high school shootings in America. It was inspired by the Columbine High School shootings in April 1999, in which 2 adolescent students took the lives of 12 students and 1 teacher before ending their own.
It explored on the culture of fear in the States. There, ammunition is their reaction to fear, their defense against fear, their tool of self-salvation. It talked about how fear is propagated in the everyday media coverage, how the media generates a collective phobia. The media, often a discourse of great political agenda.
Culture of fear, media propagation. Not unique to the States. Everywhere, almost, fear consumes us; we consume fear, rather willingly. Back home, Singapore, fear of SARS, fear of the declining economy, fear of the bleak global economic outlook, fear of unemployment, fear of not having something to fear. Interesting. Pessimism needs no reason; optimism is often a hard choice, sometimes easier to not make the choice.
We may not have high school shootings, thank God. What, then, is our tool against fear?
Indifference? Paranoia? Policies transparency? Preoccupation with worries? Complaints? Staying tuned to the media (that keeps reminding you of the thousand and one reasons to have fear as a daily companion)? The government?
I don't know. Perhaps, culture of fear is not restricted to the States. It's, *gulp* been globalized...
Posted by 杏 cy （Jancy） at 12:44