Cheap Seats 2023 By Rich Trzupek

Our Fear Addiction - 03/01

By Rich Trzupek
  Has there been a time in American history when opinions and decisions have been more influenced by fear than they are today? Not worry. Not prudence. Not discretion. But heart-pounding, gut wrenching terror of the unknown. It’s hard to believe, but maybe there was a time when Americans were so terrified on a daily basis, I just can’t imagine when.
  The ruling elites, many a big-business, many a non-governmental organization and the vast majority of the mainstream media have clued into this phenomenon. Fear is a tool, more properly a weapon that these groups and many others have learned to wield with a deft expertise that would make Zorro jealous. America is awash with citizens living in fear and, far worse, leaders who let the perception of fear dictate their actions.
  Some of these fears are superficial, stupid and self-serving. These are the fears that involve how one is perceived by the rest of society, both at home and abroad. It’s the fear of being labeled a racist should you adhere to King’s doctrine of color-blindness. (And yes, that is now a thing – look it up.) It’s the fear of being labeled transphobic should you opine that a child born with a uterus ought to be called female. We now have even the fear of being successful, because a significant segment of our society believes that the only routes to temporal success require that members of the “privileged” class to trod upon the natural rights and exploit the efforts of the “less privileged” class.
  Fear within my world is even more powerful a weapon, and that power is growing by the day. As noted last week, many Republicans have joined their Democrat colleagues in the ever-increasing effort to push fear-based messaging first, foremost and always. Many of these badly flawed narratives involving the childishly simple minded interpretations of the nature of chemicals and risks associated with chemical exposure.
  Let’s engage in an exercise we can enjoy together. Bring up your favorite search engine and try out the following queries: “manganese pollution,” “lead toxicity” and “poly-aromatic hydrocarbons cancer risk.” You’ll find some dry, technically-accurate but boring as hell to read discussions involving those keywords published by government agencies and academics, but there’s not much from those sources that is especially interesting, or even understandable, to the non-scientist.
  Having done that and presumably scared the snot out of yourself about these chemicals, now lets have you do a bit of additional research. Do you or a loved one take a multi-vitamin on a regular basis? Take a look at the ingredient list. Chances are you’ll find manganese listed among the minerals included.
  This may give you pause. There are plenty of stories out there that describe manganese as a dangerous neuro-toxin. There are plenty of community leaders, political types and environmental activists wringing their hands about the fate of the poor, innocent children exposed to this poison. So what the heck is it doing in your vitamins?
  The answer is that manganese is an important and necessary micro-nutrient. Your body doesn’t need a lot of it, but it needs some of it. Chemicals are neither inherently toxic or non-toxic. The dose makes the poison, so it’s the amount one is exposed to and the route of exposure that ultimately matter. Good luck finding any member of the modern intelligentsia who understands, much less can explain, that simple fact.
  Most everyone is aware of the dangers associated with ingesting lead. Less well known is that virtually every kitchen in the United States contains bowls and utensils that contain lead. For lead is a minor, but measurable, component of stainless steel and whose kitchen doesn’t have a stainless item in it?
  Is the amount of lead contained in stainless steel or how it is held within the lattice structure of the metal present any concerns about lead exposure? Not really, but don’t expect the fear-mongers to figure that out, even if they cared to do so.
  And poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)? There’s plenty of literature talking about how these potentially toxic and/or carcinogenic compounds can be formed during the combustion of coal, oil or natural gas. True, so far as that goes, but in very tiny amounts that will expose the average citizen to concentrations so low they are hardly of concern.
  On the other hand, the smoke from your campfire, the cloud coming from your charcoal grill and any smoked food you consume will contain much more PAH compounds than anything a power plant will expose one to. That doesn’t keep me from enjoying smoked and barbecue foods, but then I’m not a hypocrite.
  We’re well beyond fixing the culture of fear that has now worn out America’s body politic and destroyed national common sense. I fear there is little we can do to address the trend, so me might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.
Email richtrzupek@gmail.com