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Sense of Place: Paranoia has arrived

Linda Caldwell

Fear and paranoia are powerful emotions. Unfortunately, some leaders try to hold on to power by stoking fear that leads to paranoia. If they know what they preach is false, we can score them “Bad Leaders.” If they are truly scared of everything, we can mark them down as “Scaredy Cats.” Intended or unintended, the paranoia they stoke trickles down to the rest of us.

I have friends who live on a beautiful dead-end road in Polk County. My grandmother would describe them as “lovely people.” A newcomer moved on the road and immediately posted no trespassing signs all around the perimeter of his property.

Some of us wonder who he fears the most? Is it the bird watcher who lives on one side of his property? Or the elderly watercolorist who lives on the other side? Could it be the lady horse trainer across the road? What about that retired humanities teacher? You know what they say about those humanists.

It is funny but it’s also worrisome. We’ve all seen reports of people getting shot for knocking on a door or pulling into a driveway. My husband says a coward will kill you quicker than a brave person and I believe him.

Politicians understand the power of fear and will sometimes use it to their own ends. Not too long ago, politicians who were opposed to the Affordable Health Care Act warned that grandmothers would be “unplugged” and allowed to die under the program. We are currently being asked to believe that Tennessee is under threat from throngs of marauding transgender students whose goal in life is to storm bathrooms.

And then, there’s critical race theory. An older lady recently approached one of my family members and whispered that she was worried about critical race theory.

My family member softy asked, “What do you think it is?”

The lady responded, “I don’t know what it is but I know it’s bad.”

My family member held her laughter in until she was out of the lady’s presence and could guffaw out loud. The critical race theory hysteria would be funny if it had not led to demonizing teachers. If a politician convinces unstable people that teachers are evil, that can lead to tragic consequences.

Three members of the Athens City Council are so scared of their citizens that they voted themselves the right to carry weapons at City Hall. Do they know something we don’t? Will they issue some sort of public service announcement to warn us about the dangers lurking at Athens City Hall? Will they redesign the city logo to replace the shaking hands with a Glock?

I will confess that the Athens City Council’s action gives this old lady pause. Since I have no idea what kind of training the councilmen have received relative to handling and maintaining weapons, I’m not eager to enter the newly-fortified Athens City Hall. Unless I am packing heat too, which I can do since Tennesseans over 21 no longer need a permit to carry a gun. Well, except for Athens City Hall. The armed councilmen are allowed to be scared. I am not.

Tennessee’s State Legislative Majority seems especially fearful. If the Minority tries to speak up, they are quickly silenced. Tennessee’s legislators were so scared of the young mothers who showed during the last session to express their concerns about school shootings that they banned the mother’s “scary” paper signs.

I remember when a man showed up at the Tennessee Overhill office to ask how he might photograph the Hiwassee Rail Loop. I told him where to park and how to walk to the Loop.

He looked worried and said, “What about the snakes?”

I said, “What about them?”

He said, “I’ve heard they are all over the place up there.”

I said, “Well there are snakes up there but you will probably be able to spot them on the tracks.”

He started to leave, but paused and said, “What about the bears?”

I explained that our bears are not like Gatlinburg bears. A Gatlinburg bear sees a man and thinks “Cheetos!” Our bears see a man and think “Guns and Big Dogs!”

After he pressed me about wild boar, I could not resist the urge to have fun.

So, I said, “Of course, I can’t speak to the panther issue.”

He looked alarmed and said “Panthers?”

I said, “I have never seen one for myself, but they tell me they are all over the place up there. Big, black ones.”

He said he would wait and come back when he could find somebody to accompany him. One Overhill staffer expressed shock that I lied to a tourist but I explained that the man was scared to death and did not need to be up there.

I’ll offer a bit of grace to the newcomer on the Polk County Road. He was probably told that we are dangerous Appalachian hillbillies. I’ll extend grace to the man who wanted to photograph the Loop because it’s obvious he has not spent much time in the woods. But I’m having a hard time summoning up grace for people who promote fear and paranoia to make political points and hold onto power.

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