"There's a problem? Let the government fix it."

[madmusic]

The point is that the present climate was created by an epidemic of anxiety that predates, by many years, the rise of international terrorism. Our chronic anxiety has simply become more acute in response to 9/11 and the bombings in Bali, Madrid and London.

The terrorist threat actually gives some focus to our underlying sense of insecurity.

Whether our anxieties are vague or specific, our instinctive response is the same: we look for ways of regaining a sense of control over our lives and we seek the security of black-and-white certainty. The quest for "answers" leads some of us to embrace religious fundamentalism, some to put their faith in free-market economics, some to hope for a magic pill that will help them forget what the question was.

This desperate desire to get things under control also drives our gung-ho attitude towards regulation and legislation. Mandatory sentencing! Tougher censorship! More stringent rules and regulations to control the behaviour of politicians, manufacturers, advertisers, company directors (to say nothing of potential terrorists)! Anti-vilification laws! Anti-smoking laws! Dog-walking laws!

The temptation for politicians to respond to this mood must be almost irresistible. More laws? No problem. How tough would you like us to get? "Law and order" has become a mesmeric mantra.

Oh, wait, that's Australia: http://www.theage.com.au/news/hugh-mackay/seeking-security-in-turbulent-times/2005/09/30/1127804654646.html

[porphyrian]

1. It's a good article, and still applies to us. - n/t