Panic on the Streets

I've come to the conclusion over the last few days that Britain as a nation loves to live in fear. Two incidents recently have prompted this musing. Firstly has been the killer Turkeys of East Anglia. Lets get the facts straight. One shed on one farm (admitedly a huge farm) has been infected with a strain of bird flu which has not mutated into a variant which could effect humans. The birds have been culled and even non infected birds have been transported and killed as well. Time for PANIC!!. Time for all the news organisations to send seasoned reporters to stand in Turkey shit in the freezing cold and state in earnest tones that "we don't really know anything". Then of course despite the best efforts of scientists and DEFRA there are the people texting and emailing the programmes. "is it safe to eat chicken?" "should I keep my racing pigeons indoors" I was out at the weekend feeding some ducks, should I get vaccinated". My own plan is to stand in the street eating chicken like Henry VIII throwing the bones over my shoulder at passers and shouting "Bird Flu - What bird flu?".

The second part of the double bill of fear was the car I spotted on my way to the supermarket. I'm used to seeing cars around with advertising for shops, restaurants and websites but this is the first time I'd ever seen a car advertising vigalanteism. Written all over the vehicle were the words www.paedophilewatch.com I've not looked at the site myself as I don't want to encourage them especially as at the bottom of the doors was written "your children are not your own". Now don't get me wrong I'm as anti paedophiles as the next man ( unless the next man is a paedophile obviously) but I've never belived that the pitchfork and petrol bomb weilding mob is the best way to deal with them. Better policing especially of the internet, treatment and enough prison places to actually be able to incarcerate them always seemed the better solution to me.

However we love the fear, every day in the press we are given a new selection of things to be frightened of. Disease, surgery gone wrong, 0 sized model, obesity etc.. We lap it up "What there's a condition that can cause your knees to go inside out if you eat too much celery? "How frightening..... and yet how thrilling - every time I have a Bloody Mary I'm taking my life - or at least my knees - in my hands".

So its time for another of my calls to arms. Lets rise up against the hyperbolic phoney terror of the media and the mob the next time someone at your work or in the pub says "don't you think they should castrate and then flay all paedophiles/burglars/muggers?" reply "No. For I am a rationalist (and then show them your rationalist tattoo to prove it). The next time someone starts worrying about the latest health scare deliberately sneeze in their face whilst stroking a chicken (no choking just stroking).

Anyway thats my first rant using the new improved blogger and frankly I don't see any major difference and certainly no great benefits but time will tell.