scary words

In the 50's when I was growing up the word Communism was so scary to me that anytime it was mentioned all I could think about was an atomic bomb falling on the city of Pittsburgh and all my family and friends would disintegrate. I had no idea who Communists were but I knew they had to be the most evil of evil and I would never want them as a friend. Communism was a scary word.

In the early sixties we heard that the Negros wanted the same equality and freedoms as white people had in this country. We heard that the colored people were asking for something they did not deserve. We knew that the word Negro or Colored meant trouble and represented a group of people who demanded something they did not earn. We were reminded that any protest the Negros participated in would eventually lead to violence, so even if they were standing idle eventually because of the nature of the Negro mayhem and chaos would soon ensue. Negro was a scary word.

In the mid sixties we witnessed dirty, long haired men and bra less women whose only goal in life was to smoke pot, disrupt the commerce, warfare and welfare of this nation. We were told these fascist like Un-Americans were hippies, hippies were the antithesis of everything this nation stood for. We had eyewitness reports about the hippies meeting with the North Vietnamese plotting with them to kill our Troops. We were told that these hippies would burn flags, spit on the Bible and rape your 15 year old daughter. Hippies were anti anything America. Hippie was a scary word.

In the 70's Anita Bryant told God fearing Bible thumping, Jesus loving Americans that homosexuals were the devils disciples. She had evidence via her Holy Bible, her chats with some God she created in her bigoted mind, revelations from pastors, teachers and parents that the homosexuals had an agenda to turn your child into a pervert. She had spoken with a God who hated a select group of people and that God told her that what was best for America was an America that included no civil or equal rights for anyone homosexual. Homosexual was a scary word.

On September 12 2001 Muslims and the religion of Islam were inhuman cultists who worshiped death, destruction and the devil. From that day until today we are reminded that any Muslim is a bad Muslim. We are told that our Constitution does not include anyone who practices Islam anyone reading the Koran, or anyone who might look Middle Eastern. We were told we are not a nation of tolerance if and when it come to tolerating anyone who is a Muslim. Muslim and Islam are scary words.

2011 and we are now told that when the middle class, the poor want a fairer distribution of wealth it is Class Warfare. We are told when the poor or middle class are asking the 1%of this nations wealthiest to give to the economy as much as the 99% do we are embarking on wealth distribution a leading cause for Communism. We are told that unemployed are selfish when they ask for some kind of income coming their way so they can pay the rent, buy food, go to the doctors. We are told health insurance for all, affordable medical coverage for all is Socialism and the leading index to decline of democracy. We are told the Institution of Marriage will dissolve instantly if people of the same sex who love on another have the same legal right to marry as those of opposite sex who may or may not love one another marry. We are told they are valueless.

Somehow throughout our American history, we are told, by the use of scary words, that the only way to solve a problem is to first find an enemy. We have learned through the negative machinations by politicos, lobbyists, and politicians that if you can’t solve a problem then create a whole new situation diverting the attention of the innocent by making the innocent seem the villain. We have become obsessed in the past decade in finding fault first, placing blame second and hoping while all that turmoil takes place ignore finding consensus. We have decided the more successful we can become is based on how often and how many scary words we can call anyone we don’t like.

And the sad thing throughout the history of this great nation, is that every time a scary word is invented its purpose to deceive, destroy and divert attention from the truth grows more and more powerful.

I wonder is it the words that have all that scary power or the people who spend the time believing them?