This is a bit about the book that I picked up from the mobile library last month (not really a book review - it's one of those "read it and make up your own mind" sort of books)
A State of Fear by Laura Dodsworth
"This is a book about fear. Fear of a virus. Fear of death. Fear of losing our jobs, our democracy, our human connections, our health and our minds. It's also about how the government weaponised our fear against us - supposedly in our best interests - until we were the most frightened country in Europe. But why did the government deliberately frighten us, and how has this affected us as individuals and as a country? Who is involved in the
decision-making that affects our lives? How are behavioural science and
nudge theory being used to subliminally manipulate us? How does the media leverage fear? What are the real risks to our wellbeing? Ahead of any official inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Laura Dodsworth explores all these questions and more, in a nuanced and thought-provoking discussion of an extraordinary year in British life and politics."
It starts by saying how the nation was gripped by fear when Bojo told everyone to stay at home (March 2020). That's when I realised that I must be very odd as I wasn't gripped by fear just very cross that some plans were going to have to be changed.
The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviour said on the 22nd March 2020.....
The perceived level of personal threat needs to be increased among those who are complacent, using hard hitting emotional messaging
And by golly they certainly did up the scare level...............and still are, with every night's news still reeling off a list of meaningless stats. Had Covid, recovered and then 3 weeks later knocked down and killed by a truck? Then you've died of Covid !
Life was too short to read the whole book so I just dipped in and out
but I did read the interviews she'd done with various people, several of
whom were saying how terrified they were and the list of newspaper headlines/TV news that the author researched is incredible. There really were some strange headlines.......... I didn't see any of them at the time.
Here are some of my 'favourites'
From The Independent. 19th April 2020 "UK must prepare for volatile and agitated society after lockdown lifted says a senior police officer
From The Daily Telegraph. 28th July 2020 "People over 6ft have double the risk of Coronavirus"
From The Daily Star.23rd July 2020 "Baldies are 40% more at risk of coronavirus says a US study
From The Daily Mirror 12th November 2020. "Covid survivors could have life threatening allergic reaction to hair dye"
From The Sun 13th November 2020 Doctors say "Masturbate during Coronavirus to boost your immune system and fight off infection"
From The Daily Mail 16th November 2020 "Dog owners face 78% higher risk of catching Covid 19 and home grocery deliveries DOUBLE the risk."
People who read and took that last one as gospel presumably then starved - being too afraid to enter a shop and then finding their home delivery was too risky to receive.
I'm just worried for the people who are still worried, who've put life on hold for 18 months and still don't feel safe to go out. So sad.
The book is £9.99 or £8.09 depending where you get it........ or free from a library.
BTW thank you to everyone for all the comments about cutting up my store cards (which I didn't use anyway). It was one of my 'not to be taken completely seriously' posts and Ramblers comment which I only found yesterday made me smile.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Not read that book (nor do I intend to!). I did see one or two of those headlines and laughed about them at the time (the over 6ft one....I thought well that's my 2 brothers doomed then! haha. Neither of them have had Covid). Everyone knows not to take what they read in the papers as gospel....don't they?! I personally don't know anyone who is terrified - one or two are a bit cautious, as are we, but that's it.
ReplyDeleteI do know people who are terrified and have hardly left the house but they have health problems and have medication that suppresses their natural immune system so maybe they are justified - who knows
DeleteSadly there are people who read and believe without question. Playing on people's fear is cruel. It is equally wrong to appear in front of the camera and tell the people what they must not do, then break the rules yourself. If Matt Hancock can have an affair, Dominic C can drive to Barnard Castle, and Boris can have a house guest to stay over Christmas, then why should anyone else bother with social distancing and staying at home?
ReplyDeleteAs it's always been - laws for them and us are different!
DeleteI've not read your book but I had seen reviews of it.
ReplyDeleteSomeone in fear will often be compliant.
The bully at school: "give me your lunch money or I will beat you up"
The abusive family member: "if you tell anyone what I did, no-one will believe you and you will get sent away"
The abusive employer: "if you say anything you will get sacked"
The abusive politician: "if you don't do as I say you will die"
It were ever thus. Making your victim scared is an easy form of control. I know a couple of people whose lives have been destroyed in the last 18 months, not by Covid but by the fear of catching it.
Fear is a strange thing - Fight or flight?
DeleteI think that Mean Queen would love this post !! Val
ReplyDeleteYou are right.
DeleteI do appreciate that Sue has taken the time to dip into this book and create a thought provoking post around some of its contents. She has done a far better review of it than I did. I held back because I knew that I would get slated for it.
People are still worried, and will be for a long time. It's the way the project was set up to work. People have different stress levels. It's up to the individual how they manage theirs.
It's OK. I don't mind being slated! I'd just delete
DeleteNot a book I'll be bothering with. It sounds like an extension of the hysterical newspaper headlines we've had to suffer. Between those and the paranoid (I'm being polite there) whipping themselves into a frenzy over frankly bonkers conspiracy theories on anti-social media it's a wonder that the country/'developed' world is functioning at all.
ReplyDeleteIt was too wordy to read all of it so I just picked out the gist
DeleteThanks for reviewing this - not a book I would bother to read in the first place, I have to say, though I dare say some people consider it a Gospel. The worst thing about any such book is that it is bound to be biased in favour of the agenda the author is trying to get across. There is no balance at all and the author has sat down to write it with the agenda already totally established. At Uni we were taught NOT to bring an agenda and to check our bias on a subject before researching thoroughly and writing an essay. When you have already created the conclusion in your head, well, that makes for easy writing as 50% of the evidence has been completely ignored and eliminated!
ReplyDeleteRound here Farmers just carried on as usual, people were sensible with social distancing, wearing masks and using gel. We're still doing the same and I'm happy to do it (lessens risk of getting flu too). During the first lockdown we took advantage of the weather and gardened, walked etc. Now we go to Fairs, but again, are as sensible as possible about it. It is easy to become complacent. Covid is ripping through the schools here so numbers are high again and this seems to be the case in other parts of Wales too.
The book popped up in the "new to the library" bit on their website so I was curious.
DeleteI'm glad you reviewed it. I'll stick to Philippa Gregory I think!
DeleteWe have 700,000 dead…my friend just buried her 50 year old son from Covid…it is not fear…it is preservation…once you have a loved one with Covid before vaccination…then loved ones after vaccination…big difference…we can’t get people to vaccinate…fortunately my family does…if people had masked and distanced, we would not be in this mess in America…
ReplyDeleteDifferent countries have different ideas
DeleteOf course...I hope that this country can realize that this is not a political problem and MY RIGHTS problem, but a health issue...we are losing people right and left because of this...it is sad...sad...and devastating...we can't live our lives until the country comes together and vaccinates and masks...
DeleteInteresting proposition, we are governed by fear and of course it does suit our government. I love the silly headlines but don't believe them of course but we are surrounded by trivia. For instance, I have never seen empty shelves as shown in news, here in this town. Always plenty on offer.
ReplyDeleteThere's too much news!
DeleteIt's very simple. If you don't like the news or become fearful/tearful/stressed to the limits when you read/hear/see the headlines you just turn off the tv and/or radio and stop reading the papers.
DeleteWe are all in charge of ourselves!
I definitely won't be reading this book. I often wonder how our grandparents would have coped with Covid - probably better than us in some ways. They wouldn't have had "the facts" immediately at their finger tips like we did/do. I think a lot of the "problems" have been exacerbated by the media and those headlines just prove my point!
ReplyDeleteNo online shopping for a start!!
DeleteI wasn't being serious either Sue.
ReplyDeleteThat's OK
DeleteI don't quite understand this blog post. In fact, I can't make hide nor hair out of it. Maybe because I haven't had my morning coffee yet? :) ~Andrea xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteIt's about a book.
DeleteHave a coffee quickly!!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCome back Rachel - say something!
Delete"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." --FDR
ReplyDeleteMy husband says that was Churchill. My bad. Good quote.
DeleteI googled and it says most recently FDR but maybe from way back in the 16C.
DeleteOld wise words then. ;-) --Elise
DeleteWell, lets research the author for a start. Personally , I don't want my advice on COVID to come from a photographer whose previous books have been photo essays of peoples genitals.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer to take my advice from people who actually understand things, say Johnathan van Tam perhaps. I'm glad you didn't glorify this twaddle with lengthy excerpts but it basically boils down to ..........." Word Salad, Utter Drivel , and the usual in these cases " ITS ALL ABOUT MEEEE . "
A book written by someone who thought, " bet this is a go-er ! "
I'm not going to waste time playing COVID Top Trumps but, yep, my family has suffered rather more than a touch of " anxiety " since the pandemic began.
It's real.
If anyone wants to line the pockets of an opportunist , not particularly bright woman who believes her own hype, then read this book but seriously, life is too short.
Jane
Have you borrowed the book from a library to read?
DeleteI have read a fair bit of it, much in the way you describe, its very poorly written. When I looked into the author, I'll be honest I was disgusted , its like me thinking " ooh, I fancy writing a book about brain surgery just cos I wanna ! " the fact that I have NO actual factual knowledge about that subject ? Irrelevant. You could have titled this post, " An Egoist has Written a Book . " As I said previously, I'm not going to start a Covid Top Trumps comment, but , we as a family have suffered a great deal more than fashionable anxiety and I'm insulted that a publisher thought it was worth it.
DeleteJane, I love your comment.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can't speak for the UK, but for my country (USA) I'm more concerned about the current division in our country then I am about Covid. Some of those headlines you listed are funny! If people over 6 ft. are at greater risk then I must be safe as I am not quite 5 ft. these days!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Sue.
ReplyDeleteUsing sensationalism to report Covid cases has certainly contributed to fear here - it is quite obvious when talking to people.
I feel for those who suffer like this, and dread to think what they would be like if our country ever went to war.
Sometimes, it seems as though the general populace have lost all their natural resilience when facing a disaster. They have forgotten the old practical way of picking up pieces and moving on again.
Or maybe I am just getting old LOL :)
Good review.
ReplyDeleteNever really been afraid, just more cautious and willing to do whatever is necessary to curb this.
God bless.
I see no point to living in fear. Why bother living if fear is the driving force? That said, being cautious and making good judgement calls is important. I think we all have to take the media with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteI've not read the book, but have read 'Virus Mania' , 'Deadly Mdicines and Organised Crime', and years ago (and reread recently) 'Dumbing us Down'. I also don't have a TV either, so haven't been subject to all the one sided information that you get from there and the MSM where everything is heavily censored...so anything I have wanted to know I've had to do the research myself and double check where the information is coming from and what papers are cited, and have come to my own conclusion which I would imagine differs from that of many. All I can say is some (a lot?) of the 'information and rules' that people are being told and are following is rather illogical...such as wear a mask walking into a restaurant, but take it off once you are sitting down, but put it back on when you get up again...REALLY? So the virus 'hovers' at a higher level, but you can't catch it sitting down? People do need to question things and not accept everything they are being told blindly. I could write a lot more, but won't as I know what will happen.
ReplyDelete