Neoconservatism and Fear

Pete points out in one of his recent posts that Sean Hannity is afraid of what will happen if Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House. Not worried, not concerned, not uneasy, but afraid. When I heard that the other day, it got me thinking about the number of things that neocons are afraid of - Nancy Pelosi, gay marriage, brown people, terrorism, losing, fair elections - and I began feeling sorry for them, that they go through their lives with this much fear. As a liberal, I know that the only thing I have to fear is fear itself, and so while there are legitimate dangers in the world - terrorism, a repeal of the 22nd amendment, global warming - I know that it's better to focus on solutions to these problems than to run around being afraid all the time. How horrible that must be, to be scared of everything, to live in a world where you don't feel protected unless everything that scares you is secreted away, hidden behind a wall, or just put out of existence. Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, and all the rest, bluster because they, for whatever reason, are scared all the time - they can't bear to think about what happens if people with different values are accepted in society. They're too scared about losing their comforts to try to limit the damage that humanity is doing to the planet. They're terrified of everyone else, and the only sure way to be safe is to get rid of everyone else.

Not sharing their fear makes my life better each and every day.