One of the paradoxes of our time is that the War on Terror has served mainly to reinforce a collective belief that maintaining the right amount of fear and suspicion will earn one safety. Fear is promoted by the government as a kind of policy. Fear is accepted, even among the best-educated people in this country, even among the professors with whom I work, as a kind of intelligence. And inspiring fear in others is often seen as neighborly and kindly, instead of being regarded as what my cousin recognized it for - a violence. .Eula Biss
About This Quote
The statement "Fear is promoted by the government as a kind of policy" means that the government creates fear to keep people in line. The government can also promote fear because everyone has a natural tendency to be fearful, and the government will exploit that fear to get people to do what they want.
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