Be afraid...of what we tell you to fear

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Americans have allowed themselves to be propagandized into being afraid of the wrong things. There are those whose twisted agenda involves pushing the self-interested (and incorrect) narrative that White folks can’t be terrorists. They may have anger management or mental health problems that lead them to commit mass murder, but to call them “terrorists” is sensationalistic and plays into the hands of Liberals who wish only for an excuse to strip good, God-fearing American patriots of their guns.

The problem with such a false narrative is that it lulls the American Sheeple into thinking that terrorists can be easily identified by the color of their skin. This isn’t to say that Muslims, especially Syrian refugees, don’t have those among them who harbor evil intent towards American and its citizens. When you look at the evidence, though, an American is far more like to be killed by an American White supremacist than an evil, swarthy, radical Islamofascist jihadist. Inconvenient perhaps, but it’s the truth, and if we’re to combat terrorism, shouldn’t it be done honestly?

There’s no doubt but that dying in a terrorist attack is a horrific way to go out. If we’re looking for things to be afraid of, though, how about things that are far more likely to forcibly shed your mortal coil than a terrorist attack? There are five things you actually should be afraid of…if you’re looking for something to occupy your fear center, that is:

1. Heart disease and cancer: The Centers for Disease Control reports that 91,757 premature heart disease deaths and 84,443 cancer deaths a year are preventable with an increase of “risk factor prevention and reduction, screening, early intervention, and successful treatment of diseases or injuries.” If you check the risk factors, you’ll notice that “radical Islamofascist jihadists” didn’t even rate a mention.

2. Smoking: While cable news spent a year looking for a lost plane during the safest year of plane travel ever, more than 41 million Americans kept smoking. “Tobacco use is a major factor in four out of the five leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung disease and stroke,” the CDC’s Dr. Tom Frieden wrote. If terrorists really want to inflict maximum mayhem and loss of life, they’d force Americans to become addicted to tobacco. It’s less splashy and far more time-consuming, but the body count would be MASSIVE.

3. Motor vehicle accidents and gun deaths, especially for gun owners: With regulations and advances in technology, the percentage of Americans killed while driving in a car continues to drop each year. It’s still a significant threat, however, with two of five workplace fatalities in 2013 having taken place in a motor vehicle. For young males, car accidents and use of firearms are far too likely causes of death — and 2015 may be the first year ever when gun deaths outnumber automobile deaths. A more cynical person than myself (Yeah, I know…hard to imagine, eh?) might come to believe the 2nd Amendment was, in fact, a clever plot hatched by Muslim terrorists to convince mentally disturbed Americans do their dirty work for them. Surely, no rational person would believe the 2nd Amendment allows for any form of firepower to be possessed and carried anywhere, anytime, and/or for any reason…right??

4. Inequality: A new study has found that middle-aged members of America’s majority group are seeing a sudden spike in deaths. “The mortality rate for white men and women ages 45-54 with less than a college education increased markedly between 1999 and 2013, most likely because of problems with legal and illegal drugs, alcohol and suicide, the researchers concluded,” The Washington Post reported. The results of three decades of conservative economic policy, emboldened by the deterioration of the labor movement, has been misery for white people who lack college degrees (ironically, the same voters who have largely migrated rightward since the mid-1970s). Who says we’re not evolving (devolving?) into a two-tier society?

5. Climate change: So you don’t believe the scientists, the generals or even the insurance industry, all of whom understand that climate change isn’t just a vague theoretical threat, but may be our greatest long-term risk? Fine, you know better than any of them. But why not at least be agnostic about climate change, if for no other reason than to keep the starving hordes from feasting on your descendants? Odds are pretty good that climate change will kill you long before ISI/ISIL ever gets to take a crack at you.

If we’re to effectively deal with terrorism and the threat it presents to the Homeland, it only makes sense that we’ll have the greatest chance at success if we deal with the truth of the matter. There are too many folks too heavily invested in ginning up hatred directed at Muslims. The inconvenient truth is that the biggest threat to the Homeland is from within- people who look like you and me. Wild-eyed radical Islamofascist jihadists actually rank pretty far down the list. We’re not going to save American lives by dealing with a problem that’s been invented to satisfy the Right-wing agenda while the real threat goes unaddressed.

If you’re unfortunate enough to be caught up in a terrorist attack on American soil, you can bet the perpetrator is very likely named John, James, or Bubba and not Mohamed or Ahmed.

Should you feel the need to worry about terrorism, at least be certain you’re fretting over an actual, realistic threat. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time, energy, and brain cells (and innocent lives) for no reason.