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Created: March 24, 2003
Latest Update: March 24, 2003
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu
Attitude Persuasion: What Do We Do Now That We're at War?
Site Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, March 2003.
"Fair use" encouraged.
On Monday, March 24, 2003, Mary Conner wrote:Hi, Jeanne. I wanted to respond to the topic on "What Do We Do Now That We're At War?" I never really thought about it until I saw it on the site.On Monday, March 24, 2003, jeanne responded:I'm trying to live my life as normal as possible, but it's hard when all you see on the news is news about the war. Jeanne, the only thing I have been thinking about is the chemicals that may be released in the air. I fear that the chemicals will not kill me instantly. Which will cause me to suffer. And suffering isn't one of my good character traits.
Mary, you have brought up yet another aspect of our reactions to this war. Francisco expressed horror at the abandonment of diplomacy and discourse. Timothy called the war a criminal response to a criminal, and a mother who forgot to give us her name cried for our fallen heroes. You have brought us back to the conundrum of how we manage to live everyday life. I like your response: "as normal as possible." I guess I'd call that healthy denial in the interest of preserving our sanity. And yes, it is hard when we are bombarded by war news.What does attitude change and persuasion theory tell us about coping with the kids of fears you express.
First of all, healthy denial seems a good response for now. If we dwell on the thought of poisonous gases and chemicals being released in our present world, the stress could make us crazy. At the Academy Awards some of the people were wearing little ribbons of duct tape on their lapels. I thought that was hilarious. Laughter is one way to cope with a reality that's hard to swallow. Somehow I don't think that duct tape and bottled water are going to be the answer. But Homeland Security doesn't seem to have come up with a plausible solution for the very near future. Our Los Angeles Police Chief fumed that there was no way local security forces could cope in the event of a major terrorist attack.
Of course, we would, cope that is, just as New York did on September 11. But no, we are not prepared. I'm not even sure it's possible to "prepare" for such inhumane acts. Even if gas masks or bunkers or whatever could save us, the mind boggles at the thought of life in our city disrupted to such an extent.
Mary, for more specific coping see Here's Some News You Can Lose: Health Risks of Watching the War. Meanwhile, try a movie or the beach. And take a friend with you, even a toddler. It's stressful and unhealthy for them, too.
love and peace, jeanne