another project WORLDVIEW worldview theme         copyright 2026             Home         

#16A CULTURE OF FEAR

I view society, to some extent, as threatening my security and well-being—so I take precautions to minimize risks.  I often ask “Will someone hurt me if I do this?” Far from wanting to interact with and trust them, I generally fear strangers, especially those who seem clearly different.  I lock the door to my house at night. I own a gun to protect myself and loved ones should the need arise.  I try to align myself with those who have power.  I believe those who break laws should expect harsh punishment—especially if they are poor or powerless.

More Information About This Worldview Theme--note this table is under construction, last update October 2026

a heart WV Theme...

...individual <---> individual

the theme is paired with: #16B  The Golden Rule, Village Ethic of Mutual Help to make Choice #18    in the Choices We Make cards 

this theme as presented in older version of theme structure:        is this theme new to version 4?--YES

click to look at the Project Worldview Cultural Literacy Encyclopedia Related Words, Beliefs, Background articles for the above choice 

 Project Worldview authored discussion, Worldview Watch related issues, songs, etc.  

Worldview Watch issue #85 posted 10/31/2026 USA Politics: Self Enrichment or Common Good?  / Fear or Empathy? 

Worldview Watch issue #65 posted 10/24/2020  The Extreme Alt Right Worldview 
Worldview Watch issue #15, posted 1/23/2011 "Guns, the Tea Party and the U.S. Constitution"

Wikipedia articles related to this theme:

fear culture of fear  emotional bias 
stranger danger fear mongering  fear, uncertainty, and doubt
gun ownership  punishment moral panic

 worldview internal inconsistency related: Strongly valuing this theme and any of the themes in the list below is a contradiction:

#10   Secular Humanism     #14B Moral Arc of Universe/Karma/Reincarnation #17B Gratitude & Forgiveness   23B Enoughness  
#30    Imagination, Curiosity, Intellectual Freedom    #32B Culture of Tolerance #37B Global Citizen   #38   Love As Family Glue
#47B Pacifism / Non-Violence #102B Easy-Going, Disorderly, Cavalier #103B Celebrating Team Accomplishments #202B Relaxed, Generous, Loving  
#203B Egalitarian Progressive    

More to Explore --Worldview Theme #16A: Culture of Fear  
Love and Fear (special issue of Pub Med Central)
Fear is Just a word by Azam Ahmed (book about drug traffic / turf wars in Mexico, review from The New York Times September 26 2023)
Fear--An Alternative History of the World by Robert Peckham (book review in London Times Literary Supplement September 1 2023)
The Gun That Divides a Nation (report on AR 15 rifle-- “it’s as revered as the musket”; Washington Post Mar 27 2023)
$150,000 for a guard dog? L.A.'s rich are snapping them up by Andrea Chang (from Los Angeles Times March 1 2023)
“Former NATO leader says Putin wants to create more fear” by Michael Smerconish   (from CNN March 26 2022)
Gun Owners—Safety Fears èAnnette Gets Her Gun (report from The Economist January 22 2022)
“The Data Are Pointing to One Major Driver of America’s Murder Spike” by Jeff Asher and Rob Arthur (from The Atlantic January 9 2022)
“How the US fails to take away guns from domestic abusers: ‘These deaths are preventable’” by Jennifer Gollan (report from The Guardian Oct 26 2021)
Fear and Loathing / Hate in the Homeland ( review of related books from The Economist December 12 2020 )
“India’s ruling party invents a Muslim plot against Hindu women” (Islamophobia in India report in The Economist Nov 21 2020)
"The Biology of Fear" by Jenna Hajny  (from Total Wellness magazine April 17 2020
“Evangelicals Are Supporting Trump Out of Fear, Not Faith”  by David French  (oped from Time June 27 2019)
Guns from the United States are flooding Latin America (article from The Economist May 25 2019)

"An Era Defined by Fear" by David Brooks  (oped column in NY Times Apr 30, 2019)

"They fear being deported. But 2.9 million immigrants must check in with ICE anyway." by Michael E. Miller (in The Washington Post  April 25 2019)
"Russia: The Uses of Fear" (article from The Economist April 6 2019)
“Guns in America” (Time cover story  Nov 5 2018)
"'I live in fear': under Trump, life for America's immigrants can change in a flash" by Amanda Holpuch (story in The Guardian Oct 18 2018)
“What Happens in the Brain When We Feel Fear” by Arash Javanbakht and Linda Saab (article in Smithsonian magazine October 27 2017)

“Do You Have A Culture Of Fear? Three Questions To Ask” by Louis Efron  (article in Forbes Sept 25 2017)
“Why Americans Are More Afraid Than They Used to Be” by Lily Rothman (article in Time Jan 2016)
The Monarchy of Fear by Martha Nussbaum  (more on this book from publisher)

Bullies: How the Left's Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America by Ben Shapiro (National Review July 2013 interview with author)

"The Most Powerful Motivator --How fear is etched into our brains" by Robert Evans Wilson  (from Psychology Today September 2009)

Fear--The Foundation of Every Government's Power" by Robert Higgs (2005 article)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

back to Theme Choices version 5.0 structure

"As you shop in "The Reality Marketplace" avoid spending your "reality cash" too early,  before you have seen everything. " 
from Coming of Age in the Global Village,  by Stephen P. Cook,  with Donella H. Meadows.

Google
 
Web www.projectworldview.org