Advance ticket sales have ended but plenty of additional tickets remain available at the door.
Profs and Pints Metro Detroit presents: “The Fear Industry,” a look at the psychological and biological basis of fear and how fear is exploited by politicians and businesses, with Arash Javanbakht M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic at Wayne State University.
[ Planet Ant requires proof of vaccine and a mask to enter the building and will be updating its policy as the CDC updates its guidelines.]
Few people confront fear as much as Dr. Arash Javanbakht, an internationally recognized expert on all aspects of it, including its biological roots and cultural aspects. His research and clinical work focus on anxiety disorders and trauma, and the populations that he has worked with include first responders, refugees, and survivors of torture and human trafficking.
Join Dr. Javanbakht at Hamtramck’s Planet Ant Theatre, where he’ll deliver a fascinating talk offering a crash course on why we experience fear and an illuminating look at just how our fears are exploited by politicians, the media, social-media companies, and others.
He’ll start out by discussing how fear is arguably as old as life itself, remaining deeply rooted in all living organisms over billions of years of evolution. As a result, it’s firmly part of our mental and physical makeup.
Then he’ll deliver a thought-provoking, research-based analysis of how our fear leaves us vulnerable to manipulation, especially in today’s social and political climate. It represents a way for political and religious leaders to intimidate enemies and subordinates. It encourages tribalism, by rallying us against feared others. And it keeps us frantically consuming the media and social-media products that inspire it, offering businesses a financial incentive to keep us afraid in ways that pit us against each other. Both people and algorithms are involved in encouraging our fear consumption.
Finally, Dr. Javanbakht will discuss ways in which we can overcome fear and resist fear-based manipulation, skills that if learned widely would leave our nation less divided. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in. Comments, questions and concerns about Planet Ant’s health and safety policies can be directed to [email protected] )