Making mice out of men – Prof Frank Furedi on the manifestations of safety culture

When the emergence of Covid-19 and resultant restrictive measures were imposed across the globe in early 2020, the world witnessed submission of an unprecedented and surprising nature. One motivator, fear, is fairly obvious and understandable but it in no way explains the collective psychology that was in play. BizNews spoke to Professor Frank Furedi, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and the author of several books covering the in-depth cultures of fear and safety which have insinuated themselves into practically all corners of society. Furedi highlighted a particularly interesting side-effect of the pandemic: the downgrading of human capacity and simultaneous inflation of threat. Another fascinating observation explored was the way in which the fundamental subject matter that children are taught has shifted from virtues of courage and morality to psychological values such as self-esteem. This shift, together with the growing undercurrent of safety culture, is a breeding ground for an infantalised, anxious future generation.