Central Michigan University

CMU conference exposes death anxiety in political manipulation

Monday, March 10, 2008

Topics in this story: American politics and society, Arts and events, College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, Political Science

A Central Michigan University conference will highlight how some politicians coax voters into believing that they can provide the best security against terrorism using death anxiety as a manipulation tool.

"Terror at the Voting Booth: How Fear is Used in Politics" is a one day conference that will focus on investigations of how terrorism and the "culture of fear" are used in political rhetoric and campaign messages. The March 29 event will host a variety of speakers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium and is free and open to the public.

Following Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ernest Becker's 1973 work titled "The Denial of Death," many scholars have collected evidence that draws attention to the use of death anxiety, sparking a renewed interest in Becker's ideas.

CMU philosophy and religion faculty member Merlyn Mowrey believes the conference will help students become more politically thoughtful as the 2008 elections approach.

"The conference will present empirical and public opinion research about how fear is used to sell political agendas and why people from all cultures are susceptible to such an approach," said Mowrey. "It will provide a good foundation for critical thinking for anyone trying to make sense of political messages, and we hope it will help students as they begin to take on their civic responsibilities."

The conference will include:

• A showing of "Flight from Death," an award-winning documentary narrated by Gabriel Byrne, which introduces the ideas of Ernest Becker. Greg Bennick, co-producer of the film will present and discuss the documentary.
• John Mueller, a political science faculty member at The Ohio State University, will discuss his recently published work, "Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats and Why We Believe Them."
• Sheldon Solomon, psychology faculty member at Skidmore College, will present and discuss research findings regarding the political uses of death anxiety and "the culture of fear."
• John Zogby, president and chief executive officer of Zogby International, will discuss national and international polling and identify consistent shifts in public opinion favoring political violence under conditions of perceived danger or vulnerability. Zogby is a pollster and commentator for news sources throughout the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
• Guest speakers and CMU students will conduct a panel discussion which will include audience participation.

More information about the conference, speakers and related topics can be found at http://tvb.cmich.edu.