Post by meshend38 on Nov 16, 2011 22:28:12 GMT -5
Stemming from the Puritan era, fearful thinking is now unavoidable for most Americans. Beginning the movement, second generation Puritan Jonathan Edwards experimented with the delicate folds of emotion. He lived for the survival of the Puritan faith and did what he could for its preservation. Having written to scare ex-Puritans back into his religion, his article entitled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God unknowingly foreshadowed the extremity of present day fear-dominated culture where simply turning on the morning news bombards viewers with a daily subscription of societal mayhem. Paranoia in turn sets in and daily events begin to parallel the broadcasted warnings.
Similarly to Edwards, modern media utilizes emotional unease in order to bring the American public to a common standpoint. For example, concerns over personal health and longevity allow for the success of preventative medicines, such as sunscreens and various other supplements. A typical advertisement relays the harms one brings upon oneself without the use of the product. Words such as “deadly”, “unprotected”, “damaging”, “cancer”, and “risk”, bring people to a state of shock and vulnerability. Thus, further manipulating them into believing in the necessity of the item. Beginning with the general yet fearful statement that, “skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States,” (SunWise Program) viewers are instantly hooked and are probably thinking of their potentially dangerous exposures. The response from such general statement alone is usually enough to initiate a feeling of great panic, thereby resulting in a direct response to the purchase and usage of the available product.
However, if not already convinced, statistics also play a large role in continuing the snowballing fear factor. The use of numbers make the story all the more relatable and thus leads the audience to believe that they will be next if precautions are not met. Common ads are brief and in such short time, hearing or reading that “one American dies of skin cancer every hour” and “one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime” (SunWise Program) panic arises. Fear that the dangers are unavoidable, viewers are motivated to take better care of themselves and use the advertised product. In other words, as the “danger is everywhere” outlook arises, it creates a sense of urgency and a “cannot live without it” conception. The American public becomes fixated on having the best and most helpful precautionary medicines on market. Suddenly, the country is enveloped into a shift in ideology and a movement towards protection.
The success of manipulation by fear and the dependence on its generated emotion would not have been achieved were it not for Jonathan Edwards in the 1700s. Edwards’s work embodied many similar tactics still present in today’s society. He realized the significant influence fear had on the decisions made by the ex-Puritans. Just as nobody of the 1700s wanted to “hang by a slender thread” surrounded by “the flames of divine wrath” (SITHOAAG) those of the twenty-first century have no desire to shorten their lives either. Both the modern media and the media of the 1700s embody this idea that intentional fear can bring about monumental change within society.
Word Count: 529
Works Cited: www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvandhealth.html
Similarly to Edwards, modern media utilizes emotional unease in order to bring the American public to a common standpoint. For example, concerns over personal health and longevity allow for the success of preventative medicines, such as sunscreens and various other supplements. A typical advertisement relays the harms one brings upon oneself without the use of the product. Words such as “deadly”, “unprotected”, “damaging”, “cancer”, and “risk”, bring people to a state of shock and vulnerability. Thus, further manipulating them into believing in the necessity of the item. Beginning with the general yet fearful statement that, “skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States,” (SunWise Program) viewers are instantly hooked and are probably thinking of their potentially dangerous exposures. The response from such general statement alone is usually enough to initiate a feeling of great panic, thereby resulting in a direct response to the purchase and usage of the available product.
However, if not already convinced, statistics also play a large role in continuing the snowballing fear factor. The use of numbers make the story all the more relatable and thus leads the audience to believe that they will be next if precautions are not met. Common ads are brief and in such short time, hearing or reading that “one American dies of skin cancer every hour” and “one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime” (SunWise Program) panic arises. Fear that the dangers are unavoidable, viewers are motivated to take better care of themselves and use the advertised product. In other words, as the “danger is everywhere” outlook arises, it creates a sense of urgency and a “cannot live without it” conception. The American public becomes fixated on having the best and most helpful precautionary medicines on market. Suddenly, the country is enveloped into a shift in ideology and a movement towards protection.
The success of manipulation by fear and the dependence on its generated emotion would not have been achieved were it not for Jonathan Edwards in the 1700s. Edwards’s work embodied many similar tactics still present in today’s society. He realized the significant influence fear had on the decisions made by the ex-Puritans. Just as nobody of the 1700s wanted to “hang by a slender thread” surrounded by “the flames of divine wrath” (SITHOAAG) those of the twenty-first century have no desire to shorten their lives either. Both the modern media and the media of the 1700s embody this idea that intentional fear can bring about monumental change within society.
Word Count: 529
Works Cited: www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvandhealth.html