Oy...my mom with the falling for scare tactics...

[vi5]

My mom is in her mid 50's and is a moderate but left leaning semi liberal dem. She doesn't like Bush at all. She liked Clinton and thought the impeachment thing was ridiculous. She loved F911. Although devoutly catholic she's pro-choice, pro gay rights and thinks church and state should be separate. She's semi-politically aware in that she reads every word of a few different newspapers and watches a lot of news. So she knows what is going on in the worldmaybe more than the average person who doesn't read or bother with news. However, she doesn't read beyond enough to get past the spin and weaseling that has taken over the news since Bushco.

Today me, my family and both my parents were walking and one of us made mention of the security guard where we were. And she says to us in an almost secretive tone "Oh yes. They have very specific information now as to what is going to happen. The terrorists are going to try something before the election". I tell her that they have ZERO specific information and that the FBI and CIA had no idea what Ridge was talking about when he made that announcement. And besides, how do we know what the terrorists would want to accomplish by doing this since nobody knows how americans would react. She said all they wanted to do was disrupt the process. I asked her if she learned nothing about the power of fear mongering from seeing F911. She said she had, but that this was different and that she didn't want to talk about it because it was too upsetting.

It was just bizarre. But it bothers me because if someone who I know is a semi aware democrat, and who dislikes Bush on every possible count falls prey to the fear factor and scare tactics, then there must be plenty others like her out there.

[Mr_Spock]

1. "All we have to fear, is fear itself"

Set the way-back machine to the year xxxx. :eyes:

[nini]

2. She's in her 50s? Is she menopausal?

that will make anyone insane. :evilgrin:


keep working on her and make her realize she's falling into their trap. Sounds like she's aware enough to be able to get through it. Good luck

[efhmc]

11. Nice stereotyping. That is a myth and a VERY sexist statement. I've

been there (menopause)along with about a 100 personal friends and not one of us went even slightly bonkers (Well, no more so than was normal for some of us already). Most of us were so elated to be at the next stage of our lives that we felt freer than we had in years.

[nini]

12. uh..... I wasn't completely serious

bad joke.. sorry to offend.


However, there are challenges in menopause and if you and your 100 friends didn't have ANY memory loss, added anxiety or just feeling out of sorts.. then good for you. That's not the case for myself and those I know who are going through it now however.

Are we ready to commit murder? no... but we do notice the hormonal swings and the symptoms that go along with it - oh you betcha

[efhmc]

13. Sorry but I had no problems except a wonderful release from a life

ruled by hormones. Others not so lucky but still not crazed. (Many were crazed before and menopause seemed to help calm them down.) I guess we are all different. Peace to you.

[thistle]

3. My whole family gets very scared too. It's hard not to get scared, when

they are working so hard to scare you.

[classof56]

7. Welcome to DU, thistle!

I'm not falling for their tactics. My question is: If they've got credible evidence that something awful is about to happen--why the heck don't they take steps to stop it? Clinton did!

Maybe I'm being too simplistic. Or maybe I just can't get over being...

A Tired Old Cynic

[realisticphish]

4. That's what scares me

a lot of people consider themselves well-informed from watching the news everyday and reading the paper. In another time, that would have been enough. But now, there is simply too much corporate interest in the media to trust any one or even 4 or 5 sources. To be truly informed, one must surround themselves with as many different news sources as possible. The point of this is, these people think they understand what is going on, and consider everything else lunacy, since obviously it would have been on the news if otherwise. Those are the kinds of people that * is pushing to snatch away, and the media is gladly following along


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[luaneryder]

5. Faux strikes again?

She sounds like a reasonable woman and it's not like she's into her dotage yet. Sadly, you are most likely correct about there being more like her. Constant fear and suspicion is no way to go through life.

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. If I really believed that they have

very specific information as to what is going to happen...:eyes: I'd be pissed knowing the Idiot is down on his pig farm digging for bugs and that the repukes in Congress are more worried about disrupting the Dem convention then they are about thwarting an impending terra attack. But that's just me. Thanks George for making otherwise sane rational people scared silly! :mad:

[yardwork]

8. Still, it sounds like your mom is not letting the fear stop her conviction

She plans to vote for Kerry, right?

She can't help the way she feels. Being scared is a normal reaction to stress, and we're all feeling a lot of stress.

I used to pooh-pooh all the conspiracy theories, but I've become quite a tin foil hatter lately!

If you think it has gone too far, suggest that she see a psychiatrist.

[vi5]

14. Oh my no...it's not any kind of psychosis....

It's normal (unfortunately) average, every day falling for propaganda.

Trust me, when this discussion was going on, we were in a casino. She flies fairly frequently on planes, and attends large sporting events and such. She doesn't let this fear dictate her life at all. She just buys into the hype.

[iamjoy]

9. Are You Jewish?

Whether religious or not, we Jews tend to be a tad paranoid.

[sandnsea]

10. They've been attacking for years

They attacked the Cole and killed US soldiers just days before the 2000 election. Clinton didn't let that interfere. Why is Bush trying to make a terrorist attack an interference now? The only one who is politicizing terrorism is George W. Bush and maybe your mom ought to think about that.