Anthrax terror more than a war of nerves

According to newspaper reports, the recent anthrax cases in the US are part of a germ warfare attack launched by terrorists. The news has sent many Americans into a panic. Soon after the anthrax attacks started in the US, reports of suspected biochemical assaults came out of a few European countries. Now, even Taiwan has discovered suspicious powder, which turned out to be a false alarm. Newspapers in Taiwan have used Chinese idioms to describe the alarm. Though hundreds or even thousands of years old, these idioms accurately describe the responses from people around the world today.

"The sound of the wind, the cry of the crane, bushes and trees all appear like soldiers" (風聲鶴唳、草木皆兵) describes the extreme insecurity of people who have survived a war. In the face of uncertainty, situations arise from one's own mind as extreme fears are projected onto animals, plants and even inanimate objects. In psychology, the wind, crane, bushes and trees are all called "trauma reminders." Sometimes, the agitation triggered by this sense of crisis can cause even more casualties than the real enemy.

Classical Chinese novels describe armies hastily retreating in the dark of night, in the mistaken belief that they are being pursued by the enemy. In the stampedes that follow, numerous soldiers trample each other and die. In real life, there have been many examples of massive casualties resulting from stampedes during fires at movie theaters or riots in soccer stadiums.

This is where the real potency of germ warfare lies. Anthrax is not just part of a biological war; it is part of a psychological war. The bacterium may only cause physical harm to a minute proportion of Americans, but it threatens the sense of security the vast majority feel. It puts a damper on their motivation to go to work, go to school, exercise, socialize or travel. It lowers the nation's productivity and the quality of people's lives. It destroys the trust people have built between themselves through mail, gifts, hugs and handshakes -- not to mention the massive cost of mobilizing police and soldiers to heighten security.

On Sept. 11, people throughout the world -- especially those who are sympathetic with US policy -- suffered a trauma not unlike that of New Yorkers when they saw two passenger jets slam into the World Trade Center. Their beliefs, assumptions and expectations of a "safe world" came under serious attack. Physiologically, this was accompanied by signs of over-alertness. In such circumstances, even milk powder placed on a civil airliner as a practical joke can become a reminder of the trauma.

When the external world becomes uncontrollable, when mail becomes unpredictable, a crisis of confidence develops in society. To maintain a sense of security, people must learn self-defense and step up safety checks. They have to live in a higher state of alert and fear.

Suspicions between organizations, states and ethnic groups have also deepened. Not only has the US had to increase checks on mail and transportation, but the UK is also carrying out anthrax checks on US citizens entering the country. The governments and citizens of the US and European countries have stepped up vigilance against central Asian immigrants and students as well as Muslims. This can create discrimination, leading people to vent their anger on innocent people and triggering a vicious cycle of wrongful treatment and hatred -- simply because people become each other's "trauma reminders." This shows the unimaginable after-effects of fighting violence with violence in the struggle between so-called terrorism and anti-terrorism.

Have politicians in Taiwan, who are very good at instigating public sentiment and hostility, learned anything from this?

Tony Huang is a mental health counselor based in Taipei.

Translated by Francis Huang