Fear of Death gave George Bush presidency

[_TJ_]

A vote for immortality

Oliver James
Saturday March 26, 2005
The Guardian

It was fear of death wot won it for George Bush in last year's presidential election, if a series of psychological experiments are to be believed. Whether the same could be true for Tony Blair in May is less sure.

The four experiments were conducted before the presidential election and originally designed to test terror management theory (TMT), rather than as political analysis. TMT posits that human awareness of mortality makes it our core terror; we use culture in general, and leaders in particular, to create a protective shield against fears arising from the inevitability of this demise.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1445962,00.html

[Demeter]

1. Fear of a Deficit of Death, Maybe

People were getting fat and happy, living longer and enjoying it more, and paying lots more taxes. We just couldn't let that continue! If we don't meet our quota on suffering and pain, we'e doomed as a nation to prosperity, peace and plenty! What kind of a country would THAT be, I ask you?

[blogbear]

2. Its Not The First Time a World Leader Has Resorted to Using..

the 'fear factor' to seize power, remain in power, or show their true nature of unbridled aggression..

[Jamastiene]

3. Of course,

they use the psychology of terror all the time to get their way. I'm not the least bit surprised. As usual.

[OneBlueSky]

4. freepers are terrified of death . . . particularly . . .

their own . . . that fear is their motivation in the Schiavo case . . . and yet another indication of their hypocrisy, since the Bible teaches that dying is something of a reunion with our true Father . . . (so long as we've repented, you understand) . . . there's even a well-known prayer to Him . . .

you'd think true believers would, if not welcome it, at least not be terrified of death and accept it as just one more of life's transitions . . . much like puberty (though perhaps a bit more severe) . . . yet terrified they are, and they're acting irrationally out of fear . . . fear of death, both others' and their own . . . they seem to think that if they can save Mrs. Schiavo, they can somehow save themselves . . .

sorry, folks . . . don't work that way . . .

[ixion]

5. the Institution of Religion was created out of fear of death

and when couple with the Institution of Politics creates a dangerous monster whose signature has been at the foundation of the fall of every 'great' civilization since Mesopotamia.