"No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear".
— Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful


In his book "American Panic: A History of Who Scares Us, and Why", author Mark Stein takes us through a litany of things which have, at one time or another, ​given rise to fea​r and​/or​ panic in the American public. Stein gives times and examples of how and when the general attitude in our Country was that to allow Native Americans, Jews, Catholics, Blacks, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Hispanics, etc., to be accepted into the Country would have terrible consequences. Not all, I'm sure, but most Americans probably can look at these examples and see how wrongheaded those attitudes were, and smugly feel that we're all above that today.

Stein gives us some tips to help us recognize when we're being manipulated by others to make us fearful about any number of different things. Often, people will filter out facts to make their point seem reasonable, and use absolutes to cement their point. Recognizing these steps can help all of us use our critical thinking techniques to see when we're being manipulated into unwarranted fear.

Stean give examples from the past in which our forefathers had been fearful in many situations, whether it was the fear of witches in Salem, the fear of admitting certain classes of emigres into the Country, or the fear of allowing women or former slaves to vote, or allowing inter-racial marriage, etc. And yet, as these things came to pass, society hasn't seemed to totally collapse. In the 50's, we had the "Red scare" and McCarthyism, fearing Communists were everywhere looking to bring us under the power of Moscow. In the 60's, Kennedy had to defend himself against the historic charge that as a Catholic, he'd be under the thumb of the Pope in Rome. More recently, we had feared Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and that they'd soon be used against us. Today, we worry that the fear of Climate Change is a conspiracy by globalists to bring our government under control of the United Nations. Also, many today have fear of childhood immunizations, genetically modified foods, radiation from Fukushima, AIDs, and now, Ebola.

The media today seems to delight in making the biggest headlines and the scariest stories out of any breaking news. Of course, this is their profit motive​. Unless people are willing to investigate the stories, they're left with a sense of foreboding. The take-away from the book - if you are made fearful by some breaking news, you can ​either ​trust the ​blogger or minister or ​politician with the scary news, and trust him​ (her)​ to make it better (probably a bad choice), or take the time to investigate the issue to determine the FACTS.

​Things often sound scary when you simply watch cable news or read the paper. ​You can live with the fear and hope for the best, or investigate the problem yourself, and that may be the best take-away from the book. Few of us have the technical expertise to be able to work through all the background science behind the claims, and with the blog sites today, you can always find a study, a scientist, a physician, an economist, a military leader, a politician, etc. to support ANY position. The best we can do is ​think, ask questions, and investigate. In the long run, for peace of mind, knowledge and truth are the best antidotes to fear.
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"Mark Stein reveals just what it is that causes us as a nation to overreact in the face of the unknown.
Whether recounting panics centered around African Americans, Native Americans, Catholics, Communists, women, or Freemasons, Stein reveals striking similarities in each episode-all centered around a desperate need to make the world comprehensible.
Ultimately, he shows how panic has always run through our cultural DNA-and what it says about the underpinnings of our society."

Quoted from a review of American Panic

The Salem witch trials initially piqued my interest and I found an unbiased, enjoyable
journey through many known and forgotten events of American history.

4 ★ ( )

Topical coverage of different domestic and immigrant groups that have inspired panic since the colonial period. From the early Indians right up to the present hostile anti-immigrant climate, Americans have always been fearful and paranoid about people of different color and ethnicity. An efficient coverage of the topic though it leans more toward a reference style presentation than a fluid, engaging narrative. ( )

Disappointing. Stein starts out well, covering well-trod ground in the first major panic in the New World, the Salem Witch Trials. But flawed research and poorly defined terms ('panic' is used a lot, but refers to a lot of actions, many of which don't fit the dictionary definition of the term; Stein never covers the discrepancy) make for a bad book, even though some of the insights and observations appear to have merit. Not recommended. ( )

I have finally given up on this book, after making it about 2/3 of the way through. It has a great premise that, in the hands of another author, might have been fascinating. As it is, although it does include some fairly interesting information, I found it dry and repetitive. I had hoped for more! ( )