Crying Wolf and Threats to Our Security
President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he speaks about the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Frequent Disruptions
Officials have to choose between publicly acknowledging threats and taking appropriate action or keeping things quiet in order to avoid desensitizing or annoying the general population. One example is how schools in Los Angeles were recently shut down due to terror threats. Administrators need to consider their liability and legal responsibilities as well as the needs of hundreds of thousands of students and their families.
Another example is how a series of aircraft were diverted due to bomb threats in a relatively short period of time. No bombs were found, and these diversions cost airlines a ton of money while also inconveniencing nearly a thousand passengers.
It is clear that taking action or issuing warnings causes disruptions to the lives of a lot of people. If they occur infrequently, then most people will chalk it up to a need to exercise an abundance of caution. On the other hand, if disruptions happen too much, then the public can become less likely to take warnings seriously. Since officials are also hesitant to provide specific information in many cases, it becomes more difficult to take them seriously as well.
Useful Tactic
The continual message that the public at large gets with respect to security threats benefits the bad guys as well as the government. The government uses it as a way to keep people nervous and on edge in order to create a false sense of reliance on their ability to protect us. The government wants us to depend on them for almost everything to begin with, and using the fear of security threats is a great way to accomplish this goal. On the other hand, terrorists and other individuals who pose a real threat use the same tactic to disrupt and desensitize the population as well. That way, when people get numb to security threats and start ignoring them, their ability to shock us through a real attack is magnified exponentially.
Stuck in the Middle
Most of us try to be prepared for anything and avoid relying on the hype and misleading information that gets spewed out on a regular basis. We assess things for ourselves, take normal precautions and maintain a practical and pragmatic state of readiness. This is the best way to stay focused and hone our ability to distill information to eliminate the drama and fluff and get a sense of what’s really going on.
However, most people don’t think along those lines. So, when an attack really happens, like the one in southern California, people get scared and confused. On one hand, there is a sense of disappointment that the government couldn’t foil the attack. On the other hand, there is a sense of powerlessness that comes from the fact that there’s no way to really guard against threats that are planned and carried out under the cover of secrecy.
At the end of the day, the population at large is on edge but doesn’t have a clue as to how to prepare and respond to a crisis that occurs with little or no warning. They go through the motions of security screenings, get a false sense of security when they see security personnel guarding various places and develop a general sense of distrust of their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, this sets the stage for more extremes in terms of panic, societal breakdown and civil unrest, and the crying wolf effect is the driving force behind the development of this new normal.
The important message to take away from this is that our safety and security is our responsibility. We need to avoid the temptation to trust in others to help prevent and minimize the impact of attacks and other threats. This will help us to be immune to the emotional responses that the public at large has towards insecurity so that we can focus on our lives while also incorporating reasonable and practical measures to deal with crises as they develop.
It is also important to remember that we are never really safe in the first place. At best, officials can only respond to incidents and try to manage the problem after it occurs. Prevention is still something that our government and officials simply can not get a handle on. By preparing every day, continually growing our knowledge base, skills and ability to adapt and react to an unexpected crisis helps us to balance life with the realities of the world that we live in more effectively.
There is a sustained movement in this country to surrender our liberties and freedom along with our ability to be self-sufficient in the name of security. It is easy to get lulled into this false sense of security and allow the government as well as our enemies to exploit our fears. However, all of this is nothing but an illusion, and it’s important to keep our eyes open and see things for what they really are in order to really have more control over the direction and quality of our lives. Don’t get sucked into the crying wolf syndrome that is sweeping the globe and robbing people of their joy as well as ability to take care of themselves.
