In this article written by Barry Glassner, he demonstrates the various ways that people invent fears. Glassner says that "fear is constructed through efforts to protect against it." Throughout the article, he explains the different ways that people and society exaggerate fears to provide new means of media for journalists. As a whole, these new exaggerations and developments have molded the way society views fear. Glassner also quoted President Roosevelt's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" and continues to state that "fear is certainly one thing we have to fear, and it often occupies a more pivotal position than sociologists commonly acknowledge." Glassner explains how this is relative through examples such as therapists who witness
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I thought that the section where Glassner gives the example of the pregnant ten-year-old. The media reporters dismissed the fact the observations provided by those who knew the girl, and made their own story out of the occurring problem. As stated by Glassner "the social problem at issue here was not 'babies having babies', as pundits put it, but the plight of a mother and her teenage daughter who, like many families before them, fled their homeland for what they hoped would be a better life in the U.S. only to experience new troubles" This story is a great example of how the mass media will take a story and twist the truth and invent new fears. I personally believe that the author's argument and research couldn’t have been strengthened much further since he gave incredible details and accounts that proved various ways that fear can be constructed, although giving examples on how social media affects the way teenagers act may have been a strong addition to his account. I favored the part of this article when Glassner said "For tellers and hearers alike, alarming stories about invented or exaggerated dangers and social trends can keep fears of bona fide troubles at bay. When midirection works, both the conjurer and the audience have participated in the deception". This article shows that certain factors, such as the way you are raised, treated...etc, can have a large impact on the the social world surrounding you. I strongly believe that the information provided by Barry Glassner has been and will be useful outside the realm of social science in more ways than
I thought that the section where Glassner gives the example of the pregnant ten-year-old. The media reporters dismissed the fact the observations provided by those who knew the girl, and made their own story out of the occurring problem. As stated by Glassner "the social problem at issue here was not 'babies having babies', as pundits put it, but the plight of a mother and her teenage daughter who, like many families before them, fled their homeland for what they hoped would be a better life in the U.S. only to experience new troubles" This story is a great example of how the mass media will take a story and twist the truth and invent new fears. I personally believe that the author's argument and research couldn’t have been strengthened much further since he gave incredible details and accounts that proved various ways that fear can be constructed, although giving examples on how social media affects the way teenagers act may have been a strong addition to his account. I favored the part of this article when Glassner said "For tellers and hearers alike, alarming stories about invented or exaggerated dangers and social trends can keep fears of bona fide troubles at bay. When midirection works, both the conjurer and the audience have participated in the deception". This article shows that certain factors, such as the way you are raised, treated...etc, can have a large impact on the the social world surrounding you. I strongly believe that the information provided by Barry Glassner has been and will be useful outside the realm of social science in more ways than