Fear-Index Chatter

Here in Germany, we have something called the 'fear-index'.  It's basically a poll conducted by a reliable organization to gauge what Germans are mostly afraid about or fear.  I know....in the US....it'd be like zombies, nuclear war, or mass shootings.  But in Germany, you can kinda look at the news media, their hype of the month, and get an idea of where things are going.

So back around 15 years ago, when the Euro arrived as the currency....the greatest fear for Germans was the cost of living was increasing.

Around 2011, the German chief worry was the EU and the debt crisis.  Sadly, if you'd gone and asked a hundred Germans in a local pub to explain this crisis period...the majority couldn't give you a straight answer, but they just knew that this was a crisis....via ARD or ZDF (public TV).

So around 2014, 2015, and 2016....the terrorism business and refugees coming into Germany was the newest 'fear'.

2017?  Trump oddly enough....was the newest 'fear'.

As we review 2019....there's three basic fears right now in the running for chief fear of the year: Trump, over-demand of public services for asylum seekers, and something that you'd call 'tensions over refugees'.

'Tensions over refugees'?  I'd call it mostly spot episodes where you have some 19-year old Syrian or Tunisian guy....maybe a bit hyped-up on drugs and alcohol, and he gets into a fight where he shoves some German down on the street.....where the German has a serious concussion and dies later.  There are at least forty different scenarios for this 'tension' business.  Another example is where some German teenage girlfriend decides to end the relationship and the juvenile immigrant kid can't handle the end chat, and goes to some violence routine.

The over-demand of public services?  This mostly goes to the public welfare program, housing demands, or the cost of job training.

As for Trump?  It really doesn't matter what he does....it will be described as 'pure evil', corruption, or 'dark forces at work' (the German translation: dunkle Kräfte bei der Arbeit). 

Naturally, you'd go back and ask the folks who run this poll and ranking system....does this fear-index really mean anything or solve anything?  In general.....no.  It's simply a gauge that I would suggest as being a way to measure public news and how the public perceives things.

A good example here....in the number five position for the fear-index is extremism.  This mostly comes off the murder of a Hessen CDU politician, and linking back to his pro-asylum chatter from three years ago.  Because this story was hyped day after day, for almost two months.....most Germans think extremism can only be identified as 'right-wing' and that it threatens the safety of the nation. 

Sitting only one spot behind extremists?  Well....that silly cost of living fear (which really hasn't gone away over the past 15 years). 

So when you hear some German in the public with anxiety or stress in their voice....it's mostly because he watched the news and was told to worry about something.