“E-Day!” Screamed the massive text a few inches from the bottom, “THE DAY THE WORLD RUNS OUT OF GAS. . .”

I scanned back up to the smaller text near the top which read:

“On July 2, 2006, a seismic energy “event” will END the age of cheap oil forever . . . ERASING over 150 years of American prosperity. . . And OBLITERATING the wealth of millions of investors . . .PRACTICALLY OVERNIGHT!”

In a red box, center page, the author elaborates:

“Think $50 Oil and $2 Gallons of Gas Are Bad? Get Ready For Prices FOUR TIMES that high!”

The Power of Fear

There are several basic techniques a newsletter may use to capture new subscribers. One of the most successful is to tap into a powerful human motivator: Fear. No doubt hundreds of thousands of years of genetically ingrained experience stand behind its motivating power. After all, if some primitive hominid were insufficiently motivated by fear, he may have run more slowly from his attacker and perished. By contrast, the one whose body responded with ample doses of adrenaline and fled the scene with great dispatch was spared, and lived to perpetuate the species.

Visible in even the most primitive creatures on earth, fear is still an important element in the human emotional repertory, as it prevents us from doing things which might bring harm to ourselves or others. A child who has gotten a burn from a hot stove may develop a fear of the appliance when she sees it is being used. So long as it does not turn into a consuming phobia, this may actually be beneficial, as it prevents her from getting future burns. Similarly, an adult who spends a night in a particularly unpleasant jail may come to fear it, and avoid binge drinking at the neighborhood bar which he knows might invite such an experience.

Fear is a great motivator. Surely the reader has heard stories of parents developing near superhuman strength to move a car which has trapped their child, or seen a friend throw a punch with far greater power than we would have thought him capable when driven by fear. Fear of losing a spouse may drive a man to therapy, fear of losing his licence may keep another from driving recklessly. Much is written about it, and more often than not, fear is considered a bad thing, something to be fought, reduced, overcome or eliminated. A more accurate characterization is to view fear as an important emotion in the human repertory which can serve very valid functions in maintaining the individual and society.

But obviously the emotion can present difficulties. One problem is that it arises from the primitive, unconscious areas of the human psyche, and is often insusceptible to appeals to reason. Those in a panic to flee a scene may be oblivious to calls to slow down. As a result, some may be trampled in the melee, leading to death or injury, a result they were trying to avoid in the first place. Someone pounding and screaming at a door may fail to hear the reasoned voice on the other side explaining how to unlock it. Fear is limbic and often has a “free-fall” aspect to it, ramping up until it is all consuming, often leading to a complete suspension of logic and reason.