Paranoia is the new normal black

From Marie Claire, the glossy dead tree that tells you all you need to know, comes this little gem:

Paranoia is on the rise

Feeling a bit on edge this morning? You're not the only one apparently, after British scientists claim the 21st century is the 'age of paranoia'.

A growing combination of factors including the rise in numbers living in cities, the physical environment in which we live, the growing divide between the rich and poor and the rise and reporting of crime and terrorism are all attributed to the growing phenomena.

Clinical psychologist, Dr Daniel Freeman, stated: 'We seem to have entered an age of paranoia. And the indications are that things may only get worse. These days, we daren't let our children play outside. We're suspicious of strangers. Security cameras are everywhere.' ....

It seems to have escaped Marie Claire's notice that the "security cameras" that "are everywhere" weren't, for the most part, put there by ordinary members of the general public but instead placed and maintained at the behest of State and corporate tyrannies seeking to protect themselves from the general public.

So, without looking too far, or demanding too much from Marie Claire's writers -- who, in fairness, briefly touch on the real issue that the story seeks to mask -- it has been a simple matter to identify the true specific groupings and classes of individuals among which "Paranoia is on the rise". The Ministry of Defence kindly provided a more detailed explanation for the alarming rise in paranoia among States and corporations which Marie Claire endeavours to palm off as an individual (personal) problem rather than the institutional (political “paraphernalia of paranoia”) problem that it really is:

The Middle Class Proletariat

The middle classes could become a revolutionary class, taking the role envisaged for the proletariat by Marx. The globalization of labour markets and reducing levels of national welfare provision and employment could reduce peoples’ attachment to particular states. The growing gap between themselves and a small number of highly visible super-rich individuals might fuel disillusion with meritocracy, while the growing urban under-classes are likely to pose an increasing threat to social order and stability, as the burden of acquired debt and the failure of pension provision begins to bite. Faced by these twin challenges, the world’s middle-classes might unite, using access to knowledge, resources and skills to shape transnational processes in their own class interest.

Source: The DCDC Global Strategic Trends Progamme 2007-2036 [PDF, 7MB]
Published by the Ministry of Defence