The end times are near, democracy is falling apart and blood-thirsty illegal aliens are eating your beloved pets alive. If you have been following U.S. politics at all recently, these are all outrageous claims that you have probably heard. Coming from both sides of the political spectrum, extreme takes and sensationalism have been a staple in American political campaigns and their usage is beyond problematic.
Above any other emotion, fear is the most effective motivator. If you can get somebody to fear something, you can get them to do something. Fear-mongering has been used in persuasive settings for a very long time. It has been used everywhere from courtrooms to debate class to petty little arguments. And while it can be very problematic in those situations alone, it is even worse when used in a political context.
Politicians are some of the best persuaders in the world— they know how to get a rise out of people. We have seen them use fear-mongering to rally their bases for years, from the Red Scare and McCarthyism to Reagan’s War on Drugs, politics has taught us that fear is not just effective, but powerful and moving.
When political messaging is rooted in fear, politicians use existing anxieties and deep-rooted tensions to push people to vote a certain way. With problems framed in the most dire terms, it is more likely for voters to be more inclined to action.
Ashli Babbit, died believing that she was fighting for her country. Babbitt, just like many other insurrectionists, was manipulated into believing her country was being stolen. The fear-based rhetoric used by politicians that brought so many people to such an extreme conclusion has completely divided American politics. Both sides have pushed their bases to believe that their opponents’ morals are incorrect and they are completely un-American when in reality we are all fighting for the same country.
Immigration has been a common topic that Republicans have used to stir their base to fear. Describing immigrants as criminals who are attacking American values, hurting our economy, and posing an imminent threat to national security has done nothing but distract many people from the real problem. While immigration is a complex and important topic, the conspiracies that many republican politicians have supported feed into xenophobia and extremist ideals rather than addressing the root cause.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrats have become hyper-fixated on the state of American democracy, claiming that our country’s core values are under attack from the Republican party. Many key figures have fed into the idea that conservatives are intentionally making moves to tear down democracy. While the concern democrats hold toward the Jan. 6 insurrection and The Big Lie of the 2020 election are legitimate, it is still very problematic for democrats to exploit these fears and anxieties for political gain. The risk of alienating voters could prove very harmful. Instead of focusing on moving voters to the polls in the guise of saving democracy, democrats should focus on building stronger democratic institutions and proper civic engagement about the issues at hand.
While it is very important to target fear-mongering, the truth remains that there are many issues facing our country. It is the exploitation of the fears the public may have towards these issues for political gain that is problematic. Fear divides and separates people from each other, pushing us to extremism as we face complex problems that require compromise and nuance.
It is time to focus on solutions rather than exacerbating problems. If we are ever to truly address our issues, American politics needs to impeach its current leader: fear.
