Tactic: Appeal To The Listeners’ Deepest Fears

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Tactic: Appeal To The Listeners’ Deepest Fears
Tom Ball
March 17, 2005

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen this tactic overplayed since Bush came into office. In fact, I think it’s his favorite — ironically striking terror into the minds of the populace with warnings of...well...terrorism. But who should we really fear?

Technique: Appeal to the listeners’ deepest fears and most irrational hopes while playing to their most simplistic beliefs. Arouse fear of what might happen if your preferred course of action is not followed.

The Key: Once you have threatened the audience with dire consequences if a certain course of action is not followed, you must then provide them with that course of action. You are the solution to their problem - the antidote to their fear.

Directly relate your opponent’s position with the feared outcome. Research shows that the more frightened a person becomes as a result of new information, the more likely they are to take a preventative action (Perhaps buy duct tape?... or approve of an Iraq invasion?)

Remember: Your opponent creates fear. You offer relief.

Not only should you associate your opponent’s policies with a dreaded outcome, but also remind them that if they go with his position (or at least don’t go against it), there will be nothing you or they can do to prevent the dire consequences.

Nowhere is the use of this technique more obvious than in the fight against terrorism. The administration devised a purposely ambiguous, color-coded, terror alert system designed to inflate the anxiety level of the citizenry and then pumps up the fear factor by flippantly boasting of ’heightened terror alerts’ at opportune times.

Bush follows up by assuring us that he’s the one who’s going to ’smoke the terrorists out of their holes.’ He’s the one that going to get ’em ’Dead or alive.’ At the same time, war-hero Democrats are portrayed as too weak to stop the terrorists because they lack the resolve to win the ’War on Terror.’

Rush Limbaugh frequently plays on two sets of emotions. First, he arouses fear of what might happen if his preferred course of action is not granted.

Some examples:

"There is a law coming down which says if you have a bible at your desk at work, then you are guilty of religious harassment."
He relabeled an attempt to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine (a requirement that broadcasters cover some controversial issues in their community with balancing views) as "the Hush Rush Bill", intended to get him personally off the airwaves.

He also claimed, "The first amendment has been used to forcibly remove religion from not just our classrooms but all government institutions."

This is what Hitler offered his listeners, describing the rising menaces — ’sin’ or ’Jews’ and ’Communists’ — that, if allowed free rein, would devastate the soul or the national spirit. He offered a specific remedy for the crisis — commitment to Christ or joining the Nazi party. These courses of action were easy enough to perform — one needed only to answer the alter call or to vote for the Nazi candidate. Fear was aroused. The antidote was offered as a clear and simple action. We all know what happened after that.

In contrast, fear appeals to increase nuclear disarmament or to decrease drug abuse rarely incorporates all four components of a successful fear appeal. We have all been alerted to the dread of nuclear weapons and the personal and social destruction of drug abuse. However, there have been few specific recommendations for removing these threats that have been generally perceived as effective and doable.

In summary, a fear appeal is most effective when:

(1) It scares the hell out of people.

(2) It offers a specific recommendation for overcoming the fear-arousing threat,

(3) The recommended action is perceived as effective for reducing the threat.

(4) The message recipient believes that he or she can perform the recommended action.

Notice how the fear appeal works. The recipient’s attention is first focused on the painful fear. In such a frightened state it is difficult to think about anything other than getting rid of the fear. Next, the propagandist offers a way to get rid of that fear — a simple, doable response that just happens to be what the propagandist wanted you to do all along.

In summary: Instill fear. Connect that fear to your opponent’s position; remind them that, with him, there is no hope. Provide specific, simple and clear instructions regarding the actions that should be taken to find relief. Fear distracts and motivates the frightened to seek relief from that fear.

They are the feared. You are the relief.