We're all afraid of something. But what is it that Americans, collectively, are afraid of (or told to be afraid of)? This book looks at how fear is perpetuated in the United States and offers a compelling argument for why our fears are vital to our survival. The Merchants of Fear takes a unique approach in developing the fundamental argument that despite our nation's emphasis on freedom, Americans often see their freedoms reduced as a reaction to fear. The expressed intention of this book is to examine how fear is used by government officials, big business, and corporate organizations to mold public policy and drive profits for the media. Christopher Catherwood and Joseph DiVanna argue that the use of fear to influence social and economic change is not new. In fact, there is a long history of its use in the United States over the past two hundred years to help effect a particular outcome--so much so that scaremongering is now commonplace and part of our collective psyche. For example, watch Fox News, and if the yelling doesn't get to you, the alarming nature of its messages and news stories are enough to send anyone running for cover. Fear--in all its forms (past and present)--is examined through historical documents to the events and decisions that are affecting Americans today. Corporations, large and small, have successfully used fear to hoodwink consumers into purchasing any number of products, from personal safety items to terrorist insurance. Be afraid. Be very afraid! This is an important new work that every American should read, no matter his or her party affiliation, religion, or age. Timely and relevant in this post-9/11 world, it leaves us with a question that all Americans must ask themselves: "Are we any safer now, or are we simply more aware of being afraid?"

The U.S. scientific community has long led the world in research on such areas as public health, environmental science, and issues affecting quality of life. These scientists have produced landmark studies on the dangers of DDT, tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. But at the same time, a small yet potent subset of this community leads the world in vehement denial of these dangers. Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. Remarkably, the same individuals surface repeatedly-some of the same figures who have claimed that the science of global warming is "not settled" denied the truth of studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole. "Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These "experts" supplied it. Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, historians of science, roll back the rug on this dark corner of the American scientific community, showing how ideology and corporate interests, aided by a too-compliant media, have skewed public understanding of some of the most pressing issues of our era.

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