Jason Canty's Musings

FEAR, ANGER, ANGST AND LOATHING  A t its worst , fear stalks our hearts and minds and breeds like a virus, regulating our words and stymieing our actions. Notionally, we are free but Mister Fear lurks in the background, be it at work or in our personal lives, acting as a kind of Big Brother, a watchful enforcer of codes and expectations, either written or unwritten. Don’t dare step out of line or let down your defences, for such lapses will ensnare you in a complex web of petty intrigue. We must jealously guard ourselves against those who would do us harm or seek to undermine us. In the cut-and-thrust of a dog-eat-dog world, the question of how to salvage respect and dignity and also espouse solidarity with others becomes a painstakingly vexed dilemma. Take the internet, for example. In democratic societies, it is a medium where supposed anonymity provides a defensive shield against the prying eyes of prudes who cast their scornful look down on those they judge to be inferi...