Fear triumphs over reason

Belgian cucumber growers have also suffered major losses since the outbreak of the E.coli epidemic in Germany. Fear is prevailing over reason, the left-leaning daily De Morgen writes: "In this society dominated by fear, in which marketing and media are trying to tells us that we can arm ourselves against all ills, uncertainties, diseases and threats if we just buy the right pills and have enough police on the streets, the voice of scientific reason has been drowned out completely. Strong emotions and even hysteria take the place of rational analysis. ... Those who are familiar with the psychology of fear know that this most recent news won't make an impact either: the bacteria don't seem to have been in Spanish cucumbers, but where they were remains a mystery. Still, the cucumber salad will be missing from this long weekend's barbecues, even though we know that it doesn't pose a threat. But people always want to play it safe, don't they?"

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