Monday, March 9, 2009

Monday Booklist: "Why Scares are Costing Us the Earth"

We are still thinking about Thomas Friedman's warning that End of Days is Nigh. No, not because we think he's right. But because it would nice if he would calm down a little and stop trying to freak everybody out. It is possible, just possible, that humanity may survive to see 2010.

For Tom, and anyone else who needs to chillax, the Grinder suggests "Scared to Death: From BSE to Global Warming: Why Scares are Costing Us the Earth", by Christopher Booker. Rationally and methodically, Booker explores how our mindset of endless panics is self-destructive and, usually, based on junk science. From scares over the SARS virus, secondhand smoke and even Global Warming, Booker shows how threats get so hyped that their cure ends up being worse than the disease.