America

            Fear has consumed the United States of America. America was once thought of as the most powerful country in the world and now the majority of its citizens are overwhelmed with fear. Today, living in America does not mean freedom; it means living in a constant worry of safety. Society today worries that their safety has been jeopardized by current world affairs and because of this a feeling of fear has been established. Fear of what is the question. What is there that could break down the walls of courage and strength that America has built? .
             Many are afraid of different things including: terrorism, different ethnicities, war, or sometimes even just scared because others are. Recently, Terrorism has been a main cause of fear. Terrorism has always been a factor of fear; however, the fear was brought to a more intense level after September 11, 2001. Previous to September 11, the majority of terrorism related crimes were committed by American citizens. There were the shootings at Columbine High School, the Unabomber, and the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing. After each of these attacks, America was able to put the blame on the media and entertainment industries. Both were thought of as negative influences and were easy to blame. However, Michael Moore questioned this logic and in an interview asked Marilyn Manson, a musician blamed for bad influence, how he felt about this notion. Manson responded by commenting on the influence of the United States" own government on its country. Manson also stated that on April 20, 1999, the same day of the shootings at Columbine High School, the United States dropped more bombs on Kosovo than any other day in war. A new question was introduced. Why should the entertainment industry be blamed while the government is pushing such violence? Manson also noted that part of the reason for the entertainment industry being blamed was brought on by the government (Moore).