Can someone explain why Red state people fear terrorism?

[BillZBubb]

The only Red state with probable targets for international terrorists is Texas. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, the Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi, etc have about 0 percent probability of getting attacked.

Blue states like NY, California, and Illinois are much more likely targets.

How can Shrub get these Red state residents so irrationally fearful of terrorist attacks?

[MontecitoDem]

1. I would say

for the same reasons they fear gang-violence and crime. People in the cities become used to danger in a way that you just don't when you live in a smaller town. And it isn't that people in these states are afraid because they think it's going to happen to them personally, I think. Rather, they are afraid it is going to happen to someone, somewhere, and that's bad enough. Totally my own theory here, but there it is.

I've also heard a lot about "not changing boats midstream" meaning because we are at war we shouldn't change presidents. Handy for Bush, eh?

[bluestateguy]

2. Excellent question

It's the people in Blue cities that will have to pay the price of terrorism for the Red states' jingoism and militarism. People in Omaha or Tulsa can sit around and say that 9/11 "changed" their lives, but unless they lost a relative or were in NYC on that day they really have no standing. These are the same people who pre-9/11 had about as much respect for NYC as John Rocker did.

[kestrel91316]

3. Uh, maybe because they're gullible from drinking Koolaid?

[ugarte]

4. Terrorists sometimes have dark skin

That should answer your question.

[oasis]

8. Turbans and funny un-christian names.

[fearnobush]

5. Because they believe it will help him win.

[Fleshdancer]

6. I blame the local news

I'm in a red state, TX to be exact and the only thing I can come up with is that the local news hypes stuff up. It doesn't matter what city you live in, your local news is trying to scare you.

"Do you know what is lurking in your drinking water? Find out at 10!"

"Are your children safe? Tune it at 6 to find out!"

"Find out tomorrow if terrorists are plotting to attack (insert name of city here)"

Other than that, I guess it's the American ego at it's very best. Hey, I live in Austin, I could be attacked too! We're the capital city of our state and the President use to be governor here years ago! :eyes: Silly, isn't it?

[SpecialK84]

10. I completely agree.

I live in small town Missouri ... if we have two murders in a one year people start buying bulldogs, electrical fences and, of course, multiple shotguns.

The news is a HUGE factor in this. 9 of the 10 top headline stories a night are attention-grabbing scare-tactics. This is probably one of the safest places in the country ... and yet the rabid bushies (my term for bush supporters) run around like Osama is gonna jump out from behind a tree and dump a bucket of anthrax over their head at any minute. It's ridiciulus.

[elperromagico]

7. For the same reason that the red states get more money per person

for homeland security than the blue states. :D

[Lovecrafty]

9. You might want to look at this study for your answer....

http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank.htm

The top 10 Smartest States, according to 21 factors such as test scores, drop out rate, attendance, teachers salaries, ect are:

1- Massachussetts
2- Vermont
3- Connecticut
4- Montana
5- New Jersey
6- Maine
7- Pennsylvania
8- Wisconsin
9- Iowa
10- New York


Notice that ALL of them except Montana are BLUE states!! Now check out the bottom 10:

40- Florida
41- South Carolina
42- Tennessee
43- Hawaii
44- California
45- Arizona
46- Alabama
47- Louisianna
48- Mississippi
49- Nevada
50- New Mexico

Notice that nearly ALL the bottom states are RED states! You will also find that as you go down on the list from the top, the states get progressively redder and redder. In other words, the Red states generally have lower I.Q's per capita and substandard educational systems...no doubt as a result of their conservative politicians repeatedly making cuts in their educational budgets!

That is the best explaination I can see...the Red states are being conditioned to accept fear through lack of education. ANY party that claims someone with a college education is simply "an elitist" is dangerous to democracy!

[SangamonTaylor]

12. not true.

redder and redder? are you crazy?

florida - swing state
sc - red
tenn - swing
hawaii - blue
cali - blue
arizona - red/swing
alabama - red
louisianna - red/swing
mississippi - red
nevada - swing
new mexico - swing

looks like a lot of swing states to me. while there are 3 clearly red states, there are 2 blue states (a real important, large one to say the least).

[Lovecrafty]

15. Compared to the top 20 yes..the list gets redder and redder...

There are more red states in the bottom 25 than there are in the top 25..therefore the list goes red as you go down. That is true. The most obvious difference is the top 10 are all blue except Montana. The bottom 10 are mostly, but not all, red. The list as a whole clearly goes redder as you go down...

[MontecitoDem]

24. Maybe they're red

cause they're tired of smart-ass elitism from the coastal states?

[bossfish]

20. Sorta sucks my home state is in the bad list...

...didn't know we Californians were so dumb.

[drhilarius]

11. I don't know, there are choice targets in Topeka and Butte.

[BillZBubb]

14. Yeah, imagine if Al Qaeda went after a feed lot in Topeka!

All those dead cows! Oh, the humanity!

[notbush]

19. Damn it !!!!!! There are no feed lots In Topeka!!!!!!!

They're all outside the city limits.

[Borgnine]

13. Mass hysteria

I live in rural Virginia. I swear to God, there's still some people here who believe 'dem turrists will be attacking our local shopping malls next.

Fear can make people believe stupid things, especially when they're already ignorant (no offense to my fellow liberals in the red)

[cheshire]

16. It's the security of a big old warm assault weapon. Love them guns.

[Kimber Scott]

17. Because they're being TOLD to fear it. Over and over and over

again. And they're being told GW is their daddy. Their protector. Their savior. Their friend.

[JetCityLiberal]

18. Post #4 nails it

"Terrorists sometimes have dark skin"

That does answer the question.

Thanks ugarte.

JetCityLiberal

[kerry-is-my-prez]

21. Our brains have all been fried by the sun....

I always wear a hat and I've only been here for about 10 years so I've managed to escape the curse....

[Sugarbleus]

22. Someone mentioned Media. I think the fear is generated by

a couple factors + one. First, the clever neo con media machine whip up the fear factor (as someone said herein) by urging and leaking "scary" info and sending "Alarmist" talking heads to spew their HYPERBOLE over the airwaves...over and over and over and over again. Get the people all foamy with dread.

Next, the ultra rw plugs into the fundie christian "end-of-the-world" types. This group is enormous with tentacles ALL over the world. They massage this group and play up to their fear of God being left out of everything thereby leaving the world to satan and all other sorts of evil.
This scenario has actually been ongoing since Reagan. The religious right, if you'll do the research, has been very active in politics (behind the scenes) for decades...making their moves, all along, to get to this place in government.

The corporations and wealthy, on par, will go with anyone who has their best interests at heart..religion and fear be damned.

Between harping on the religious aspects and with the Fear mongering, and then placing their "Father Figure-Savior" at these poor folks feet, the URW has forged a strong, misguided mass of hysterical people who demonize anyone outside of their point of view. It's VERY dangerous.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: THE NEW AMERICAN FASCISM :scared:

[fujiyama]

23. I heard

from one person that lives in NY that they felt LESS safer with Bush in office. The war in Iraq, being one reason they felt more worried about inflaming hatred in the Arabic and Islamic world. It also may have to do with ignorance. People living in cities probably also see brown people all the time. People living in less populated areas with less recent immigrants (many that happen to be brown), tend to be more ignorant. This is not to say that racism isn't a problem in cities. It sure is, but the people living in a place like NYC are much more likely to meet people of different ethnicities and different religions.

So racism might play a problem. Ignorance might as well. To many people (not all of course) Iraq = ARabs = 9/11. That's all that matters.

Hell, I live in a blue state (considered a swing state though) and I go to a college which is very diverse. This friend of mine was just telling me how it was a bit of a culture shock when he first came. He grew up in a very homogeneous neighborhood and he admitted that in HS he was sort of racist. It's funny because most of his friends now are racial minorities. It's also weird cuz this guy is extremely paranoid of terrorism.

[rucky]

25. Isolation breeds ignorance breeds fear ...

no, I'm not calling red staters ignorant.

[Leilani]

26. Did anyone ever see the Dennis Leary comedy bit

about there are More Ways to Die in New York?

It is hysterical...as a used to be NYC resident, we thrive on danger.

None of this wussy fear of terra for us!

[sandnsea]

27. They aren't afraid

They're just hicks who want to kick ass. Murica was attacked and they're gerna show 'em some good ol' Murican balls. Kill 'em some ragheads. Show their women folk how brave they are. It's not about fear, it's about false bravado.