John Stossel: "Give Me a Break!"


John Stossel

February 22, 2007

Excerpt...

Oops, I forgot to say that this show is on this Friday, February 23rd.

So here's a reminder: Two hours of prime time! Tomorrow night, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

...worry is what the show is about. It's titled "Scared Stiff: Worry in America."

"Scared Stiff" expands on the idea we raised in my very first TV special, "Are We Scaring You to Death?" (I wanted to call that show "We ARE Scaring You to Death!" but they wouldn't let me).

I think ABC was surprised, 12 years ago, by the high ratings for that first show, and I'm delighted to be able to devote more time to the subject.

There's a lot to be scared about. The media hit us with endless warnings: terrorism, bird flu, vicious crime, cancer, global warming and much more. But are all worries created equal? It turns out that what we worry about is often different from what's most likely to hurt us.

Terrorism: How big is the risk? We look at what Veronique De Rugy of the American Enterprise Institute calls "terror porn": billions of dollars wasted in the name of safety, and what I call the FIC, or the "Fear Industrial Complex": politicians, lawyers, activists and media, who have an incentive to keep you scared. They profit by spreading fear.

Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security and author of "Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable to Attack," says we must do much more to protect ourselves from terrorists. He says there should be armed guards at stadiums, shopping malls and schools. But skeptics, like John Mueller, author of "Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats," say the threat is overblown, and Americans are less likely to be killed by an international terrorist than by driving into a deer. I didn't know that 4,000 Americans crash their cars into deer every day.

Kidnapping and Molestation: CNN's "Nancy Grace" and Dateline's "Predator" programs earn high ratings by focusing on molestation and kidnapping. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children runs powerful public service announcements about abducted kids. But what damage is done by the fear they spread? The kids I interviewed are much more frightened about kidnapping than they are about the other risks that are more likely to hurt them.

Vaccines: Many activists, like Robert Kennedy Jr., have blamed some vaccines for IQ loss, mental retardation and autism. I think that activists and lawyers may be killing people by frightening the public about vaccines. My own daughter got whooping cough after our pediatrician saw a "20/20" report that scared viewers about the whooping cough vaccine and didn't give her the final vaccination. Fortunately, my daughter recovered, and she will appear on the program. I confront one of the lawyers about "scaring people for money."

Silicone Breast Implants: It was another example of the Fear Industrial Complex at work. Some women -- I interview one -- were so frightened about "poison" inside their bodies that they cut their bodies open themselves to get the implant out. But, oops, it turns out that silicone did not cause cancer and autoimmune disease. I confront a lawyer who made more than a billion dollars suing tobacco companies and implant makers. He isn't giving the implant money back.

Unintended Consequences: Politicians pass laws in the name of safety, but safety regulation can create new problems:

• Bike helmet laws: Countries that require bicyclists to wear helmets find that fewer people ride, possibly making us fatter. And it's not clear that the mandatory helmets result in fewer injuries; one study found cars pass closer to bicyclists wearing helmets. And now that I wear a helmet, I take more risks -- I ride in NYC traffic. (Some research suggests that the best safety protection for bicyclists is to wear a wig, to look like a woman. I'll try it.)
• Sanitizing the house: Sterile houses may be giving more children asthma. It's possible that I helped give my own daughter asthma.
• Child safety caps: Medicine bottles are now so tough to open that some people leave the cap off. More poisonings result.
• Food and Water Watch. Its demonstrations against food irradiation have stalled the irradiation of food in the U.S. Many grocery stores are too scared to carry it. Yet the CDC estimates that 5,000 people die every year from food poisoning. Organizations like the WHO, FDA, USDA, CDC and AMA all say irradiation is safe, but the activists are better at convincing people.

Finally, there is good news: People are nostalgic for the "good old days," but today most Americans are richer, safer, live longer, have more money and more options than ever before. I'll profile some successful risk takers who remind us: Risk built America.

I hope you'll join us,
John Stossel

This article has been provided in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. This material is provided without profit for research and educational purposes. Prior to republication of this material in its entirety we recommend contacting the source for appropriate permissions. Alternatively, publication of an abstract with a link to the originating source page to see the full text is generally allowed.