Jumping at Shadows : The Triumph of Fear and the End of the American Dream

Jumping at Shadows : The Triumph of Fear and the End of the American Dream
ISBN: 9781568585192
Publication Date: 28 September 2017

Why is it that a young black woman whose car just broke down and is knocking on a door seeking help is perceived as more of a threat than the white man on the other side of that door who is armed with a shotgun and shoots her dead? The author of critically acclaimed The American Way of Poverty sets his sights on America's most dangerous epidemic: fear.

In this meditation on the paralyzing terror Americans feel when confronted with something they don't understand--from foreigners to tropical viruses to universal health care--Abramsky delivers an eye-opening analysis of our misconceptions about risk and threats. He explores how we fathom risk, the ways our brains interpret risk and identify perceived threats, both at a neurological level and at a conscious one. What emerges is a journey through a political and cultural landscape that, increasingly in recent years, has come to be defined by our fears, and, oftentimes, by a collective misunderstanding of what is and who presents a real risk in our day-to-day lives. Ultimately, Abramsky shows that our fears can teach us a great deal about our society, exposing our deeply ingrained racism, classism, xenophobia, and susceptibility to the toxic messages of demagogues.