The arrival of US President Donald Trump in the presidency is an opportunity to re-talk about the crises of American society and doubts about the future of the American model. Many believe that Trump's policy feeds hate rhetoric, exclusion and marginalization, and legitimizes it. In this context, fear appears to be the governing element of the equation of community relations. There is fear of the other, which has negative perceptions, and is blamed for all failures and crises.
In her book, "The Ownership of Fear: A Philosopher of Our Political Crisis," Marta Nussbaum examines the problem of fear in American society through an analysis that combines the philosophical vision with the historical trajectory of the problems of the American interior, which - from Nussbaum's point of view - Consider Trump as the main reason for it, and thus the book seems closer to the community criticism than to the analysis of the policies of the ruling power.
History and present
Martha Nussbaum begins from the assumption that there is much fear in the United States at this stage, and many Americans feel that they are unable to control their own lives, and fear for their future in light of the decline of the idea of "American Dream" they have, Such as declining incomes among the lower middle class, declining health and living rates within this class, rising costs of higher education, and the effects of globalization and automation that have created deep and intractable problems for the working class in the United States.
These problems are compounded by the collective consciousness of many with the election of President Trump, who in their view is an urgent threat to the American model and the future of democracy in the United States. All the benefits that American society has acquired and the present generations are about to end. In the midst of these concerns about the future, speeches of mutual hatred were formulated and American voters who voted for Trump were described as negative for being in power.
Nussbaum is trying to deal with this more pessimistic vision of calmness and logic, evoking American history that was not ideal in one way or another. For example, the United States suffered from extreme racism against blacks and women subjected to various forms of discrimination and harassment, Did not find it a legal deterrent.
The book tells us that this history tells us two important things: one that the United States, which many people speak today, and fear of the disappearance of its ideal model, did not exist historically ideal, but it was a project in progress, and a set of dynamic aspirations that developed through hard work And solidarity over a long time.
On the other hand, the current moment may seem like a retreat from the United States, according to Nussbaum, towards human equality, but not the end of the world. The exaggeration of the dangers surrounding the future of the American model produces more societal crises along the lines of growing hostility among different groups , The consecration of the idea of a "scapegoat", turning others into forces lacking in good, and taking responsibility for the evils of society.
The dilemma of fear
There is a relationship between personal emotion that at some point turns into collective emotion and political relations within societies. This is why the emotion of fear has attracted the attention of many of the literature that sought to explore the system of fear-based relationships, particularly with regard to mechanisms of power with the masses, The method of interaction between competing and competing groups, even imagined, is limited to resources.
Fear is associated with a subjective sense of threat, or, as Aristotle put it, pain as a result of something impending and a sense of inability to remove it. It is true that fear involves positive aspects related to its ability to provide individuals with more expertise to avoid safe areas of victimization and self-preservation, but in some contexts it becomes a source of threat to the stability of society when it is more narcissistic and drives individuals to excessive fear of others. Which may develop into their hatred and incitement to violence towards them.
Nussbaum believes that fear is influenced by the existing societal context and by the prevailing political discourse, which creates urgent threats to community welfare. This may be reflected in the phenomenon of Islamophobia within the United States, as it goes beyond dealing with the terrorist threats posed by some of the members of Islam. Fear of Muslims in general, fueled by this fear according to the book on the ignorance of many Americans of the Islamic religion and sectarian differences within religion, or even the distinction between Arabs and Muslims.
Based on this ignorance and with the events of September 11, 2001, it became easy to produce formulas for dealing with Muslims, so that most Muslims become terrorists or potential terrorists.
Fear syndromes
The anger of the United States is an angry country, where "anger" dominates the behavior of many and in different directions; men are angry and blamed on women, and there is anger towards Muslims, Immigrants blame the political system for instability in their lives, and dominant groups blame immigrants for social instability as a whole and to influence economic opportunities.
What makes this anger have catastrophic consequences for society is that it is connected to a sense of humiliation and contempt, and thus a desire for revenge, not to mention the disgust that some people have toward other groups, especially with the history of exclusion and marginalization of certain social groups. Nussbaum assumes here that repulsion, with the idea that the organism is polluted, is one of the main engines of social exclusion and marginalization.
This disgust is still present in American society; some people are disgusted with the bodies of African Americans and agree with the arguments of their inclination to criminality. There is also disgust at the view of some women in society, and perhaps President Trump's speeches and remarks and his criticism of some women are examples of that disgust.
"Envy" also plays a part in the problems of American society. John Rolls believed that there are major catalysts for the spread of socially destructive envy: people lack confidence in their own worth, and their ability to do something of value, in the face of social contradictions and the belief that individuals do not There is an alternative to envious envy and harm to others, as a false mechanism to drive the inner pain of not owning what others have.
Nussbaum points out that envy in American society is pervasive in various ways, as economic stagnation and disability drive many middle- and lower-class members to envy the Washington elites, and some envy women for their fight over jobs.
On the left there is hatred of bankers, big companies and the elites who support capitalism, and the envy here is not only in the criticism of others, but it involves hostility and destructive desires coupled with the will to spoil the fun of those who own them. In the long term, this leads to crises of the political system. Individuals with societal reality from the perspective of zero equations, which do not accept the welfare and happiness of others.
Restore hope
In spite of the crises in the American society, Nusbaum stresses the need to hold on to hope as a mechanism to get out of fear, especially as there are indicators that can support this hope. As the main governing institutions are still efficient, the institution of justice may not be ideal, An instrument of power that is subject to its will, a system of separation of powers is functioning well, and there are political and community forces resisting the rhetoric of racism, exclusion and marginalization.
The project of hope seems urgent at the moment, from the author's point of view, because the predominance of fear is not in the interest of democracy, as fear drives people to deal with reality irrationally, and consequently the possibility of supporting the autocratic control project. In his quest for the rights of blacks, he saw that following the path of fear in dealing with the future of ethnic relations would lead to the emergence and domination of those who seek to manage relations with others through violence, so King's focus on hope and the possibility of change through peaceful action and cooperation.
Devoting Hope Project
Solidarity movements, whether religious or mundane, can play an essential role in the dedication of the Hope Project in society, creating a shared and narrative vision for a shared purpose among the community to overcome the dilemma of the lack of public interest. For young people as an extended program of time, including sending young people to various areas of the United States to do community work, giving them an opportunity to think beyond their economic or racial group, giving them a more diverse view of society.
The United States, which many talk about today, fearing the disappearance of its ideal model, has not historically existed ideally, but it was a project in progress, and a set of dynamic aspirations developed through hard work and solidarity over a long period of time.