American Paranoia depicts the plight of those poor souls "lost" in an America that has gotten off track. An America in which "confidence" has turned into a "confidence" game and politicians have become "confidence" men. And positive thinking itself has become a kind of manipulative, "confidence on demand" PR commodity. "I never doubted for a minute everything would come out all right," parroted an American hostage fi nally released after being held captive by terrorists for what must have seemed like forever. How absurd, Melody thought to herself as she read his statement in the newspaper. That's just an after the fact publicity statement released to the media to promote a positive (but lying) image of America now that the entire ordeal is over. Anybody can be positive about something looking back (when they're no longer in the thick of things), Melody thinks. A statement like this is in no way telling the truth about the struggle to keep your hope, faith and "confi dence" on an everyday basis in a hostage situation which could take a different turn at any moment. To Melody, none of this media fabrication was the truth. It was all government "lies.") So Melody takes it upon herself to give her version of the truth. American Paranoia explains (through the eyes of Melody) how, in America today, people everywhere have been trained to keep their mouth shut and to always say all the right things. To always exude "self confi dence" even in a situation where what ("Lies") Beneath (or a corrupt, LYING government infrastructure) is preying tooth and nail on the unwary. Are the One Percenters (and the One Percent of the One Percenters) controlling the so called American democracy under the table? No, of course not goes the lying mantra. And if you think such an absurd thing, you're labeled "paranoid." You're "overreacting" and "mentally ill." American Paranoia tells the story (through the insightful eyes of one woman named Melody) of how the American people have a legitimate (and God given!) right to be afraid in a situation of governmental duplicity (and outright "lies") that interfere with their very existence. And, as such, should not be ridiculed and labeled "losers" by Social Workers and therapists."