Safety has become one of the fundamental preoccupations of the 1990s. In a world obsessed with abuse, stranger danger, disease and environmental damage, people are constantly told that they are at risk, and urged to take greater precautions and seek more protection. An in-depth consideration of the crime, health and safety scares which have come to dominate people's lives, this text argues that the current preoccupation with safety and survival reflects an outlook of low expectation. The book critically examines the roots and the consequences of contemporary risk consciousness, favouring the view that humans are capable of confronting problems and taking risks.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Explaining America's Current Obsessions,
By A Customer
This review is from: Culture of Fear: Risk-Taking And The Morality Of Low Expectations (Paperback)
Kids' bike-riding is at an all-time low thanks to obsessions about safety. Every time I read a news-item like this I think of this book. Written in 1997, it was one of the first to identify that we have become too fearful of taking risks and that this has terrible consequences. What's even more impressive is that, unlike some superficial accounts which link these fears with technology or environmental hazards or fads, Furedi instead develops an argument which ties them to our lack of consensus on values. The book is full of American and European examples, and it's written in a lively style.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Valuable Contribution,
By A Customer
This review is from: Culture of Fear: Risk-Taking And The Morality Of Low Expectations (Paperback)
I am writing primarily to respond to the Chicago reviewer who found this book less valuable than Barry Glassner's book of the same title and the work of Philip Jenkins. Glassner probably writes better than Furedi, but he's not a better thinker. Glassner's book has received a lot of attention, and it probably deserves it, but it isn't all that profound a work. Furedi, on the other hand, even though he probably pushes his argument too far (i.e., dismisses as fear mongering some things that are probably not), is much richer in his analysis. Jenkins, I must say, I find a bit irritating - at least based on his book on terrorism. While he has obviously done his homework and knows a great deal about the subject, he really doesn't end up saying very much of use.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable insights burdened by uninspired writing,
By A Customer
This review is from: Culture of Fear: Risk-Taking And The Morality Of Low Expectations (Paperback)
The author examines a topic that arguably will determine the definition and achievement of "progress". Unfortunately, his style makes reading a chore.
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