Fearing Fear Itself
Your cover package on anxiety, coping mechanisms and the body’s response to stress contains probably some of the most valuable things NEWSWEEK has printed (“Anxiety and Your Brain,” Feb. 24). For Americans now trapped in an endless loop of government-induced fear, you offer the necessary information to understand what is happening and what to do about it. Diana Perry Berkeley, Calif.
Let me step out of my psychologist’s clothing and offer some alternatives to help quell symptoms of anxiety or depression in these tough times. How about starting by calling a parent, another relative or a friend? Before the trip to the health club for a massage or yoga session, as suggested, perhaps one might consider chatting about current events with co-workers, taxi drivers or your child’s busy teacher. Also, holding a significant other and simply disclosing your fears and feelings might have some therapeutic value. And before you pop another Prozac or Xanax, might I suggest developing a close emotional relationship with your children that might have an appreciative effect on quelling their fears? Prof. Gary Creasey Illinois State University Normal, Ill.
I don’t know where you got your idea for the cover picture–Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden on the brain–but certainly not from psychiatrists down in the trenches working with countless anxiety-ridden patients. The overwhelming majority of patients I see suffering from anxiety disorders are far more worried about George W. Bush and the brink he has brought our country to since the 9-11 attacks. Joel Brence, M.D. Aspen, Colo.
Sorry, folks, but your Feb. 24 edition didn’t frighten me. In fact, I did not know I was supposed to be scared. And I haven’t met any other people who were the least bit scared. Are you forgetting that this is the home of the brave? Geoff Knafou Buford, Ga.
Isn’t it interesting that it takes a contemporary wise man, Dr. Lee Berk (“Coping With Anxiety”), to discover that laughter is like medicine when dealing with anxiety? Obviously we intend to ignore the 3,000-year-old writings by the wisest of all men, Solomon, who penned, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22). Donald E. Karnes Norfolk, Va.
Your articles on fear point to the physically harmful effects of anxiety and add to a long list of worries. While we are given examples of things stressed-out people can do to calm themselves, ranging from breathing exercises and yoga to therapy and even medication, Karen Springen in “Taking the Worry Cure” hit on an important point when she wrote that “maybe… learning to live with a dose of low-grade anxiety is the healthiest approach.” Life is dangerous, always has been and, as the old joke goes, we won’t get out of it alive anyway. The truth is, there is only so much we personally or our government can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. So what do we do with the reality of living in a dangerous world? We can look outside ourselves–to God. K. Prichard Eden Prairie, Minn.
Is it possible that these high alerts are issued to create anxiety and fear among us so we will support the attack on Iraq? I read back through old headlines and see high alerts and now wonder if that’s an effective way to drum up support for a war that has not yet been justified. The rules of NATO, the United Nations and our own Constitution appear to be circumvented to wag this dog. Kay Martin Greenville, S.C.
Thank you for giving us information on how to plan ahead and possibly protect ourselves in case of the not unlikely event of an attack on our soil. Perhaps your publication, or someone who is equally concerned with the preservation of human life, could make this or other pertinent advice available to the Iraqi people. Sam Sutton New York, N.Y.
“Taking the Worry Cure” lets the drug companies off the hook too easily. They are complicit in bombarding society with advertisements on mainstream television instructing depressed viewers to ask their doctors about particular new drugs. Critical talk, commiseration and communication with other human beings are therapeutic when living with “a dose of low-grade anxiety.” Hiding behind a pill is a cowardly thing to do in troubled times. Bruce Breslau Northridge, Calif.
Continental Rift
As a French citizen living in the United States, I was saddened by the image of the French and Europeans depicted in your article “A Great Divide” (Feb. 24). The French have not forgotten the courage of the American soldiers who came to Europe to fight for democracy during World War II. Their graves in Normandy remind us of the tragedies of war and that everything must be done to avoid such loss of life. Bombing Iraq may put an end to a terrible regime, but it will also result in the loss of many U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians, increase anti-Americanism and terrorist –threats, and destabilize the Arab world. Is the United States willing to pay such a price without giving peace a last chance? Jean-Patrick Le Bihan West Newton, Mass.
Not all American Christians are fundamentalists who applaud Bush’s religious cliches. Some of us are against war because we are Christians. Daniel Hertzler Scottsdale, Pa.
The only prospect for avoiding this war is if Saddam Hussein is removed from power, either through negotiation with other Arab states or by his own people. Saddam is justified in feeling that the antiwar marches expressed world-wide support for his regime, so what is his incentive to leave or for others to depose him? If the marchers actually wanted peace, they should have called for Saddam to step down. Max Epstein New York, N.Y.
NEWSWEEK mistakenly places Europe and America on opposing sides of the debate on Iraq. By showing a photo of the antiwar protest in London and paying no attention to the record number of Americans who protested across the country, you suggest that Americans are united in their desire to attack Iraq, and that it is only Europeans who dissent. The fact is that our leaders are not listening to the people they serve. Antiwar protests took place not only in Germany and France but also in Spain, Italy and Britain–countries whose leaders support an attack on Iraq. The real divide is between the few who are eager to go to war and the majority across the world who believe in letting the inspections work. Meg Yardley Northampton, Mass.
The antiwar demonstrations seem to be more about politics than a concern for humanity. The argument that we should let Saddam Hussein continue funding terror and butchering his people because otherwise there will be casualties is not a winning argument. Many of the demonstrators are the same people who spent the last decade screaming about Saddam’s atrocities. This can only hurt their credibility and make it look as if their purpose was simply to undermine President Bush. Robert M. Moon Cincinnati, Ohio
Good News for the Deaf
I was delighted to read about 9-year-old Julia Reisler, whose father wrote of the progress she is making in a hearing world thanks to a cochlear implant (“Technology: Improving Sound, Easing Fury,” My Turn, Feb. 24). Two and a half years ago my hearing was deteriorating so fast that I was eager to contact a doctor at Riley Hospital for Children, in Indianapolis, who was performing the operation on some adults. After a year of testing and waiting my turn, at 72 1/2 (Julia was 2 1/2) I, too, had a cochlear implant. It is wonderful, wonderful. Please inform other older hearing-disabled people that if they are in good health they could become candidates for the implant–and the new life that comes with it. Jeanne Leffers Richmond, Ind.
While I am happy for Julia and her family, the public needs to know that cochlear implants do not work for every child. Cochlear implants are one of many options for hearing-impaired children. As a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, I see many cases where the implant has not been successful. Parents need to be clearly informed on the options they have. The bottom line is that implants do not bring success for each child and that other methods, such as sign language, need to be explored so that all kids can reach for their dreams. Darlene Combs Rockville, Md.
Like Jim Reisler’s remarkable 9-year-old, our son was born profoundly deaf nearly 23 years ago. With the benefit of an outstanding oral school (and a mother and sister who never stopped talking to him), he was mainstreamed into public school in first grade, took piano and trumpet lessons in fifth grade, became a debating champ in high school and went on to Northwestern, where he’ll graduate this spring. Next stop is law school. Though he has a handicap that most of us can’t even fathom, his oral education and his persistent hard work have helped him achieve success that few hearing people ever have. Mark Tucker St. Louis, Mo.
What’s So Hot About Reality TV?
I’ve read and enjoyed everything Anna Quindlen has written, but her column this week finally made me write ( " ‘Are You Hot?’ Is It Nuclear?" Feb. 24). It is so nice to know that there are other people in this world who would like to send an e-bomb to the various “reality” television shows. Watching stupid people being stupid in front of a camera is not an escape for me. Some time in the (with hope, near) future, someone will look back at these shows and wonder how anyone ever sat through an episode. In the meantime I will be wandering around my garden looking for the first signs of spring–a true escape from the black cloud hanging over us. Cassi Paslick Rockton, Ill.
In bemoaning the present state of popular entertainment, Anna Quindlen sounds like she stole a page from a conservative’s playbook. Is she suggesting our indulgent culture has finally exceeded some limits of decency and that we ought to give moral rectitude another shot? How intolerant of her. David W. Bouck Poway, Calif.
Amid a sea of lowbrow “reality,” sarcastic judges, escapism and sex, Anna Quindlen writes, “At least there’s ‘Law & Order,’ our ‘Lysistrata’.” As a theater historian, I’d like to point out that actually Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” is a lowbrow, sarcastic, escapist farce about sex. Originally acted by half-naked Athenians sporting enormous phalluses, “Lysistrata” begins with the women of Athens’ agreeing to force their men to make peace by staging a sex strike; pauses in the middle so the actors can brutally mock real-life politicians and celebrities, and ends with a peace conference moderated by a naked woman dangled like bait before the sex-starved delegates. Quindlen probably meant to compare “Law & Order” to “The Eumenides,” in which the survival of Athens depends on the jury’s verdict, but the fact is, rude, crass and uninhibited fluff like “Lysistrata” was an integral part of Athenian culture at its peak. So Quindlen should not worry: if history treats America like Greece, we will be remembered for our thinkers, not Simon and Anna Nicole. Steve Anderson Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Trying to Fit In
I couldn’t believe it when I read your Feb. 24 article on the return of the corset (“Now, the Big Squeeze”). “Corset diseases” experienced by women in the early 1900s included fainting, hemorrhoids, coughing, palpitations, displacement of internal organs, pulmonary ailments and miscarriages. Compressing your torso for fashion was a madness I thought we had escaped. Catherine Morck Troy, Mont.
As if the state of the world weren’t bad enough, NEWSWEEK chooses to feature and write what amounts to an ad for women’s corsets! After reading Anna Quindlen’s eloquent article on the state of our society, I’m amazed that in the same issue you feature a torture device that restricts breathing and has the potential to break bones, and call it fashion news. This goes far beyond irony. Perhaps we should all use that extra duct tape that is suddenly lying around our houses to wrap our daughters’ feet–that’s sure to be the next “fashion” craze. Janice Cole White Bear Lake, Minn.
Dat Isn’t So Funny
I commend you for the article on Ali G, coinciding with his new show on HBO (" ‘G’ Hits the Funny Spot," Feb. 24). Having recently returned after several years in England, where I first encountered his hilarious brand of comedy, I am somewhat disappointed that Ali G is using his same old material ( “So when is it legal to murder someone?” or “Why did Jesus go round with all them reindeers?”). Anyone who has seen the original U.K. material will be disappointed by the new series. Though we will still laugh. Russell Shannon Princeton, N.J.
As a black male, I am outraged that we still embrace such degrading minstrel acts as Ali G. The buffoonery and Ebonics-speak of Ali G should be an embarrassment to us all: they only perpetuate the negative stereotype many in the world have of black American males. Many other blacks and I find it ironic that some in our society try to imitate everything perceived as being “black,” yet continue to treat us like second-class citizens. If I were to dress, speak and act like Ali G, I would be deemed a thuggish clown or worse, while he and others profit from these stereotypes. I can only conclude that this is yet another example of the double standard I experience daily. Anthony Moore Oakland, Calif.
