The culture of fear: why Americans are afraid of the wrong things

Abstract

* Acknowledgements * Introduction: Why Americans Fear the Wrong Things * Dubious Dangers on Roadways and Campuses: How Fears Are Sold * Crime in the News: Tall Tales and Overstates Statistics * Youth at Risk: Faulty Diagnoses and Callous Cures * Monster Moms: On the Art of Misdirection * Black Men: How to Perpetuate Prejudice Without Really Trying * Smack is Back: When Presidents and the Press Collude,: the Scares Never Stop * Metaphoric Illnesses: How Not to Criticize the Establishment * Plane Wrecks: Small Danger, Big Scare * Final Thoughts: The Martians Arent Coming * Notes * Index