Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Social Mass Hysteria--Kickoff discussion for "The Crucible"

Because our first major work The Crucible by Arthur Miller deals with the controlling idea that “mass hysteria” is a social construct, it is important to determine what factors go into said hysteria, what the causes are, and what, ultimately , is the end result of such claims. In a world where hysteria is so easily created with social avenues like cable TV, Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging, knowing the historical implications of hysteria can often lead to differing perspectives regarding its role in present-day society. From the following questions, choose one you are identifying with in some way and add a component of conversation about that topic. Remember, for this blog post, you are to respond in your own way on your own post, and respond to someone else’s answer. You will get credit for doing both. Failure to respond to mine and someone else’s will result in half the grade. Make sure you are diligent in this way. The questions to choose from are as follows: **Choose ONE for your own post**)
  1. How is social hysteria created? (How do cultural anxieties manifest themselves?)
  2. Who or what perpetuates cultural anxieties? To what effect? And, what causes them to dissipate?
  3. What can Fear create?
  4. Can a cultural anxiety influence us to act? If so, how?
  5. What tendencies and patterns does our society show when facing fear/anxiety?
  6. Give an example of hysteria/cultural anxiety: what happened, how did it continue, what was the end result?

31 comments:

  1. 1. How is social hysteria created? (How do anxieties manifest themselves?)

    Mass or social hysteria is when a group of people share a common fear. I feel social hysteria is created by media, Hollywood, and social gatherings. In reading the article about the Sanders lawsuit, I agree with the judge. Just because Harris and Klebold played violent games and watched violent movies, they did not force the boys into action. Those actions came from a deeper problem. They took ideas from the violence they witnessed, expanded on it, and then acted upon their own desires. Their actions were going to be carried out no matter what. Their planning went as far as to schedule it on Hitler’s birthday. If you are reaching for an excuse, we shouldn’t teach about Hitler and his actions in school as this teaches children how to commit atrocities. Media has a huge affect on the way people believe. In the Mean World Syndrome, people believe what they are told. After September 11, 2001, people feared Muslims. It is true there is a small group of Muslims that target America, but most are peaceful people. Social hysteria can cause people to justify inappropriate actions as long as it helps get rid of their fears.

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  2. How is social hysteria created? How do cultural anxieties manifest themselves?

    For generations social hysteria is created by the press, but since the world’s advancement in technology and social networking systems, social hysteria is easily spread through out the world. When the one man thought the world would end in May 2011, his fear was spread by the press for one but also through social networking systems. Because of social networking systems it has become much easier and faster to spread good or bad news world wide. The whole world shared the fear that the world would end, but one group can experience hysteria. Due to September 11, 2001, The United States experienced social hysteria and fear together of the Muslims, but only high school kids in Colorado experienced social hysteria due to the Columbine incident. Social hysteria only affects those that are impacted by an incident. In some cultures social hysteria affects those for their whole life. In Africa, for example, those nations that are greatly impacted by blood diamonds or genocide have been raised in social hysteria and it never ends for ones life. The culture one is born and raised in influences the type of social hysteria. I believe some try to blame social hysteria on objects or events, when actually it is the public and media’s fault for the fear in the society. With Columbine, people tried to blame violent video games and movies for creating the event and fear that inflicted the public, however; I think that it was really the media that made this event seem so bloody and horrifying. The shooting at Columbine was horrible and has helped school districts learn the danger teens can cause, but in articles the media has over dramatized this event to the public that in return, to the public’s eyes it was this huge man slaughter and blood being spread all over. Just like the article Mean World Syndrome, people are going to do and behave how the media reacts to a story in the news. Social hysteria creates fear in the population, but it only takes a few to diminish the fear and hysteria.

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  3. 3.) What can fear create?

    Fear can create a "false truth". When a number of people become fearful of the same thing, they can begin to imagine things they believe to be true, but are not. The families in Britain were all afraid of pedophiles that may have been living near them, and when they suspected someone to be a pedophile, they became almost instantly convinced that the said person was without a doubt a pedophile. When fear becomes widespread, such as it did in Britain, people stop thinking logically and rely on their instincts and emotions. Fear can also take a physical toll on someone. When a person becomes fearful, they can often lose sleep and eat less. If a fear is not addressed or conquered, it can be fatal to a person or an entire society. Often times the fear of one person can spread, creating a mass hysteria, as the fear of pedophiles did in Britain. It only takes one person to spread fear throughout a society, but it takes the entire society, and possibly some outside sources, to help the fear die down.

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  4. 3. What can fear create?

    Fear is the ability to recognize danger and flee from it or confront it, also known as the Fight or Flight response. Fear and anxiety are basic feelings, which are perceived as unpleasant sensations that arise inside of us, when we believe that we are in some ways in danger. The heart beats faster, the breath shortens, the muscles tighten, the hairs can stand up, the hands sweat and the whole body can start shaking. Fear can create shock and send people into a hysteria such as in London with the paedophiles. The women in London were afraid of the men and falsely accused some of them of being paedophiles, some of the men were innocent but alot of them were not. Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

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  5. 3.) What can fear Create?


    I agree with Jordang Fear can create a false truth and the families from Britain were afraid of peophiles that may be living near them and that fear got bigger and bigger making the parents more nervous with their kids leaving them in a bubble sheilded from the world. That is a negative effect of fear it may be good that the children were shielded from the world which kept them innocent but when they encountered the world they would be afraid because they dont know about all the bad things but that also means they dont know about the good things. Again like what Joradang said is that it will spread throughout their society but what also does is it gets passed down from generation to generation till finally someone comes along who can conquer their fears. Also when someone is fearful their stress levels increas and as the generations pass imagine how much more stress it is for those people because they and their parents and their parents parents all have been sheilded and dont know the world and will never go out and expirience the world for its good and bad and they will waste away their lives hiding behind their shield. It will take one to see that the world isnt that bad so they can help the others have the same discovery.

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  6. In response to Nicoleb and Kaitlyn, I agree that the media does a lost to spread social hysteria, but it can also do a lot to end it. I think that when people see others overcoming the same fears, it calms them, even if the proof the fear is nothing to worry about is not right in front of them. I also agree with Nicoleb that the videos in the Sanders case were not the main cause for the Columbine shooting. Although, I do think they contributed. Harris and Klebold's idea to kill did come from a deeper source, but the video games and movies gave them the confidence to follow through with the plans. I think that in this society, video games make killing seem like a right of passage to young kids. When kids play video games they get "encouraged" to kill the enemy, and I think that is what gave Harris and Klebold the final amount of confidence and adrenaline to go through with their plans. While I am not completely against video games, I do think some send the wrong message in a powerful way.

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  7. How is social hysteria created?

    I believe that social hysteria is created from the media and the press. The news on television and the newspaper spread word of anything they hear and people enjoy following. If something is said in the news people believe it better than hearing it from just another person. In modern days, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace spread rumors and stories faster than ever before.

    I agree with Kaitlyn on her opinion. New sites allow easier access to hysteria and the "hype" about things. One person can cause a fear throughout the nation because of the hysteria.

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  9. What can fear create?

    Fear is what creates a persons "phobias". fear is different for everyone whether its a fear of water, a fear of heights, or a fear of small places. so when you think of the word fear, its the thing that affects everyone's lives.


    i agree with Justin. people don't seem to believe a story from a individual anymore. Now they must look on social networks like twitter to see if its true.

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  10. How is social hysteria created? How do cultural anxieties manifest themselves?

    Social hysteria often starts with the people in high places. They are the ones who can control the media, who can influence the people. It is most often created by something who wants the people backing them against someone else. Following the example that Nicole and Kaitlyn used, media has been directing the hurt and fearful feelings of Americans after 9/11 at Muslims. I cannot assume for sure the motives, but it may be just to get people to read/watch/listen to their media. People will buy into this because they need answers. That, I believe was the feelings of the people who filed the lawsuit in the article. They needed something to blame, some reason for the tragedy's occurrence. Nicole stated this well, when she says that "Social hysteria can cause people to justify inappropriate actions as long as it helps get rid of their fears." I think it is more to direct those fears. Human kind needs reasons and understanding. This need is why religion exists, why we crave knowledge, and why social hysteria exists. Social hysteria satisfies the greatest human fear: the fear of the unknown.

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  11. What tendencies does our society show when facing fear/anxiety?

    Our society tends to show unity even when we are scared. For example 9/11. After the attacks our nation was terrified. But instead of showing fear we united to show strength. We rose past our fears to show the world we are the strong. Another example would be the economic crisis. All Americans are scared of it right now. But we keep going to try and achieve the American dream. The tendency us as Americans show when scared is to show toughness.

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  12. Matt I agree with you as well. However not all phobias are caused by fear. Some are caused by experiences and maybe even when you're born

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  13. How is social hysteria created?

    I believe that social hysteria is created from the media and the press. Between the news, the paper, social networking sites, and press, things are able to be sent around the world to all kinds of people in a matter of seconds. The news on television and the newspaper spread word of anything they hear even if it is not 100% accurate. Usually, if a professional network tells us something, we believe it is true although in MANY cases it is not at all. The articles we read in the paper spread a very one sided opinion on Americas problems and also a lot of other problems all around the world. Seeing the other side of things may allow us a new opinion but we are never exposed to that other side so it makes it very dificult for us.

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  14. I agree with kaitlyn because social networking sites really have made it easier to spread good and bad information by the press of a button. It is very difficult for us to judge whether or not something is true or false and so many times, we are being fed false information or "1/2 the truth".

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  15. What can Fear create?

    Fear can be a very dangerous thing. When people are afraid, they start to think about things irrationally. Then, blames start getting placed randomly so that the people will feel more secure. A lot of the times, thought, the blame isn't placed in the right place, and innocent people have to suffer. When a lot of scared people get together some major damage can be caused, since the people have support. For example, in the article "Rumour, Hearsay Fuel Riots of Hate in Britain" by Billy Adams, mobs of angry/scared people get together and lynch convicted pedophiles, even though some were falsely convicted. The effects of fear also connect with how hysteria is created because I believe that hysteria is created from fear, and mass hysteria is created by a lot of scared people who join together and start pointing fingers.

    I really like what Jordan said about fear and how it creates "false truths". Her thoughts were very similar to mine, with the fact that she also related it to the British article about pedophiles and how scared people together can make bad things happen quickly, but I also feel like she highlighted some very important points. For example, when she talked about how one person's fear can spread throughout an entire society and wreak major havoc.

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  16. 6. Give an example of hysteria/cultural anxiety: what happened, how did it continue, what was the end result?

    One of the largest cultural anxieties after the attack of 9/11, is of Muslim people. It is fairly obvious when a person from the middle east wearing a turban enters an airport. They are generally the people that the TSA will pull "randomly" to do a body scan, to feel for bombs. The look on most people's faces when climbing on to a plane with a middle eastern Muslim man is disgust or uneasiness. The media and the government have changed the focus of the American people to a religious group, with a broad generalization. Americans, with their short attention span, focused on the word "Muslim" and ignored the specific details that came later to try and rectify the mistake. This led to where we are today, with a general distrust and distaste for Muslims. A select few have made a mistake, and everyone pays for it. Ignorance and stubbornness keep the fire going, because the American people are happy to blame Muslims, and unwilling to change who is to blame.

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  17. What can fear create?
    Fear is sometimes very unreasonable. When people are afraid they start to do things they would never do if they were thinking about it rationally. In the article about the massacre at columbine high school and the impact of the video games, it says that the video games had a large impact on the shooting. This is what happens when someone tries to find a reason for everything that has occurred. They will find someone to blame which gives other people a sense of security, as if they have really gotten to the bottom of the shootings. Fear creates a mindset where no one can think clearly, but fear is just in the head. It causes much more drama and hype then it should because when something like the shooting at columbine happens we shouldn’t just be afraid, we should find out how we can prevent it from happening again.
    In response to Chandler:
    Chandler said that fear creates a type of hysteria that causes people to point the finger at someone and I believe that is completely true. When there is someone to blame the people will feel much better and in some cases it makes all of their fear go away. This isn’t always the right thing to do as he pointed out, because of the peoples need to find someone to blame they may not go about it the right way and end up convicting the wrong person. He also stressed how much more of an impact fear will have when there is a large group of people. I agree that fear can be very dangerous when there are large groups of people and not quite as scary when it’s on person alone with their fear.

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  18. What can Fear create?

    Fear can create someone to do some behavior that is not natural to them in any way. It can make people scared and uncomfortable. Fear lives in everyones lives as we grow up.

    I agree with emma, i also believe that it created a mindset where no one can think clearly, its all in the head.

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  19. What can fear create?

    In our world today fear can create a new view that people see about certain things like ghost or height. fear makes us who we are today because without fear everyone's personalty would be the same, everyone would like ghost and people will not stop doing something dangerous because there not scared of it. Fear is a big part of our personalty and and it creates ideas in peoples mind to be sacred to jump off a cliff, to be afraid to go on a roller coaster. Fear is an essential part of our life today and we couldn't live without it.

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  20. 1. What can create fear?

    I think that there are many things that can create fear and it is different for every person. One thing that can create fear is violence; violence has a way of making people very scared because they do not want to be a victim of it. One example is Columbine and how parents and staff think that movies and video may have lead to the massacre. There are so many things in the world that can influence young minds and that is scary because a lot of those things are very violent. I personally think that one that everyone may share is the end of the world which is said to be next year. We think this based on the fact that the calendar does not go past 2012 because the Mayans did not make one. There are many different things that also lead us to believe this such as the puritans had also predicted that the world would end. Fear is created by the thought of others. The thoughts being that the calendar doesn’t go past 2012 and that the puritans predicted it. Also that everyone has a theory as to how the world will end and how we can stop it from happening. One person’s predictions can create mass chaos and or fear and their prediction may not even be true. Which makes me wonder do people say stuff just to strike fear into others and scare them or because they actually believe it. Fear is a very wide spread thing that creates mass chaos and hysteria. Things that float around that cause fear can do more than cause they can ruin relationships, countries, and and even the entire world. Fear creates things that are hard to get rid of people will have a hard time thinking that they have been told is false. They have this think in their head and they cannot get it out and that ruins things in peoples life.

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  22. How is social hysteria created? (How do cultural anxieties manifest themselves?)
    Hysteria is an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, such as if someone goes into a haunted house for the first time or multiple and it scared the living death out of them they won't want to go to another one ever again. So social hysteria is fear that people can't get rid of for a long time, and they lie to themselves so they can get rid of it, but it won't happen. Such as in the story we read Rumor, hearsay fuel riots of hate in Britain. With all the paedophiles around this boy was saying he doesn't say about the men marching up the streets cause he's afraid they might turn on him. Which is hard to do since he doesn't even trust the people that live or walk around the area. Also it can create people who have big time fear, but won't do anything, but at that moment they will do something and hunt them down. Last, about the paedophile who was released after 30 months in prison for assaulting three children, thinking about that it makes the society scared with fear for people still getting away with things and they can do the same thing again, but the people need to think what if that was your family on the line? I know they wouldn't let them go then. They need to protect the society.

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  23. I agree with you Mateo! but not with the part of without fear everyone's personalty would be the same. Because there is definitely other things that makes up the personality. But with out fear things would be different in a way, cause everyone wouldn't know the consequences of things or how dangerous things can really be.

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  24. In response to Jordang, fear can be detrimental to a person’s well-being as well as society. Some people have so much fear that they stay locked up in their house, while others refuse to fly after September 11, 2001. The media has a way of over emphasizing the negatives and ignoring many of the positive situations. For example, in the Mean World Syndrome, people actually feel America is more a dangerous place, yet crime rates have actually decreased. Distortion can be a dangerous thing.

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  25. 1.What tendencies and patterns does our society show when facing fear/anxiety?

    The tendencies and patterns that our society creates when we're faced with fear and anxiety is that people start to freak out, they start to wonder what is the truth and what isn't based off of their fears. What I mean is that once people see what's out their say about them, then they freak out and automatically assume that whatever the person said about them is right. they create their own false truth and make assumptions about them selves. Maybe thats why people are so unconfident about themselves? Also for example, with the whole Columbine shooting and how they believe it had began with a video game can possibly be the truth. By this i mean that maybe the 2 kids played this games and thought this game from a different perspective. maybe they asssumed that life should be like the game and that what they were living like was the false truth when in reality it wasn't. maybe this all goes with why the world is what it is today?

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  26. I agree with Chandler B. Fear can make people think and do things irrationally. And when a whole group of scared people and people who were to be believe the false truth they can in fact do a great deal of damage to not only innocent people but to possibly everything, to society, to nature, and even to themselves. But I believe that this is part of the world, that it helps make our lives more eventful and interesting and ya possibly even a little sad, but without all this false truth then where would we all be today?

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  27. 5. What tendencies and patterns does our society show when facing fear/anxiety?

    When our society faces fear/anxiety people tend to overreact. In general when something that creates fear or anxiety occurs it normally gets blown way out of proportion sometimes even into something completely different than it even was to begin with. By overreacting this causes the level of fear and anxiety to go up even more which results in even more problems that could have been easily avoided. If society simply dealt with the actual cause of the fear and anxiety the outcome may be entirely different. Along with overreactions, when our society faces fear and anxiety we tend to go along with the crowd. When something occurs to cause these feelings people generally listen to everyone else. Their own fear can even come from the fact that other people are having fear not because of what created the fear in the first place.

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  28. I agree with what SEpartyrocker was saying about truth. When society is experiencing fear/anxiety people begin to question the truth or wonder what is true or not true. In the midst of their fear or anxiety people tend to become desperate and simply believe what other people are saying instead of forming their own beliefs or trying to find the truth out for themselves. I think they also have a good point in saying that this may be the cause of people becoming so unconfident with themselves due to their fears and doubting what was thought to be true.

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  29. I partially agree with Nikki G. Fear is the ability to recognize danger but it is much more than that. Sometimes there is no danger involved with the fear. Maybe it's just a bad memory or something else.

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  30. What can Fear create?
    Fear can create gossip of things that aren't even real. It can even create a state of hysteria for people and make them see things that aren't there. For example in the Crucible the fear of witches makes the town accuse an upstanding Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch. thats what fear creates.

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  31. I agree with Drew F. fear makes people uncomfortable and makes them behave differently. Usually making people just care about themselves.

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