Relax! Stop terrorizing yourself! The Difference between Reality and B.S.

by Howard Melamed

10/09/2001 2nd Draft

Some people that I know have just cancelled a planned trip to Italy. Others, refuse to fly. A good friend refuses to even go on a cruise ship.  Their mother called to tell them not to go. She said that it is too dangerous.  She has been brainwashing them with the idea that ever since September 11  living in America is not safe. She, and people like her are propagating that lie. They are in fact, terrorizing America.

The Media knows we are not Rocket Scientists

CNN and the rest of the media are contributing to terrorizing us. Just take the Anthrax scare in Boca Raton as an example. At first CNN reported that the FBI is investigating a possible terrorist attack involving Anthrax. They said that the airplane training that some of terrorists received was only a few miles away.  They got experts on the Television to indicate just how dangerous this is and how this biological weapon could have been used. All of this, and none of it are relevant to our lives, but the News Media hits the right nerve to make us all panic. It turns out that this incident could be unrelated to anything involving the WTC . Now the news media has reporters stationed at every hospital around the country looking for some signs. One hypochondriac checked himself in to a Virginia hospital and the Media once again reported a possible case of Anthrax somewhere else in the country. The News Media says that this is what we want to hear because we tune into  their stations. Where else are we to get any information? What happened to responsible reporting getting the facts straight before broadcasting? It gave way to fast reporting that terrorizes us all.  They are selling television commercials though along the way. The problem is that most people have a hard time distinguishing between what is a real threat and what is not. The one thing that the TV people know is that we are not ‘Rocket Scientists’. Feed us bunk, and we eat it up instantly. The media people know how to increase their revenues regardless of whether or not it is a disservice to the public.

Go Fly somewhere

Is it safe to  fly? I think it is. I believe that the current situation with the level of safety now at the airports and the Air Marshals in the air, make it safer to fly today then ever before.  Before the disaster we were all naive in thinking that our sky’s were safe and that a terrorist couldn’t do anything as a result of the security . In fact we weren’t  safe, just stupid in think so. Now we are safe, and  stupid about thinking that we are not.

Overseas travel? Americans were always a target for terrorists, so nothing has changed. The same level of risks exists.  If you travel with a flag on your back, you are making yourself an easy target. Similarly, if you go to the bad areas of Miami with a lot of jewelry and cash hanging out of your pocket, you will have a hard time surviving also. Europe is as safe as it has always been. Unless of course if you are a terrorist, and got the largest nation in the world mad at you.
Go on a Cruise

The Reason I lost the Belly Flop Contest on the Cruise Ship

Why in heavens name would you even think about not cruising? You are not going on a US aircraft carrier out to the conflict. Cruising the Caribbean is about the safest thing you can do short of staying at home and doing nothing.  I went on a cruise for the weekend 2 weeks ago. I felt safe and comfortable and had not a worry in the world sailing on the ocean between Miami and Nassau. Of course it might have been the 4 margaritas that I was drinking (before 11 am in the morning). Notwithstanding the booze, I wasn’t worried or scared. Instead, I was enjoying myself.

Go to a Game

Football games, hockey matches, why would you not want to go and enjoy yourself? Even in South America when soccer can get dangerous from fans rioting and stadiums collapsing, people still go to the games. I suppose it is quite vain of us to think that a terrorist would even care about football.

What’s next?

Evaluating what the terrorist would do next is perhaps what really scares people.  Will they hijack another plane and send it into another building? We are on to that one so I think not. What about a Biological or Chemical attack? The Media has been feeding us with this scare even before September 11.  It is not easy working with those type of weapons.  The thing about the WTC attack was its simplicity. It was simple. All the terrorists had to do was learn how to fly, get passed the security made up of the lowest paid employees with the least experience, and then walk up to the open door policy cockpit and kill the pilots. Then simply fly the plane into the towers or the pentagon or whatever else they may have wanted to do at the time. All you need are a few idiots willing to commit suicide while their leaders reap the benefits. So what will they do next? I am not sure, but I don’t think it involves my vacation.

How about the threat of not living your life? Is that a concern to you? If you decide that it is better to live as a hermit in your home than go out and live your normal life, then the terrorists have won. They have changed you.  I do realize that given the way our news media is creating the hysteria, it is easy to be scared entering the haunted house. But, as with the Haunted House, you must be able to separate reality from BS. So, relax and stop terrorizing yourself!

Editors note: I intend to revise this article over the next several days. Your ideas would be greatly appreciated. Email us at editor@www.rfcj.com

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