Mass Hysteria

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Enough of my favorite subject for tonight. Time to watch the news... nothing much new at 11:12, which leaves me non subjectivus mentos. Hmm. Reading my notes I hit upon the subject of 'mass hysteria.' Sounds good. I'll do a piece on 'mass hysteria.'

In the old days before mass communications the subject of mass hysteria (a Freudian term, I think) was suspect. 'Witches' were burned for hundreds of years as a result of 'mass hysteria.' This is the 'scientific view,' at least, and I think it is more or less accurate.

But the idea of 'mass hysteria' has assumed an even more important position recently as television has propagated news events worldwide. I think we are currently witnessing various cases of mass hysteria all over the world, driven by mass communications.

As usual it (it seems to me) is a case of 'good news - bad news.' For example, I see MH in the Terri Schivao case as a good thing, driving people to execute 'living wills,' and to wonder about their brains. Furthermore I see the same phenomenon causing marginal people to do very strange things, like sending their children to give water to the dying carcass of poor Terri Schivao. This is all 'mass hysteria.'

In my opinion 'mass hysteria' after 911 was instrumental in re-electing GWB. Mass hysteria caused millions of people to cough up money for the victims of the Tsunami. Mass hysteria rules the Jewish World, the Muslim World, the Christian world... and I could go on and on but you get the idea.